Latest ArticlesSulfur-containing organic compounds display wide applications in the field of materials science, synthetic chemistry, and pharmaceutical industry. Thus, numerous synthetic strategies have been developed for the synthesis of sulfur-containing compounds in synthetic chemistry. In recent years, the utilization of sulfinic acids as versatile synthons has emerged as attractive and powerful approach to access various organosulfur compounds through sulfonylation, sulfinylation or sulfenylation reactions. In this review, we summarized the recent progress in the construction of various sulfur-containing compounds from sulfininc acids. Selected examples of substrates and the related reaction mechanisms are described here. This review intends to provide readers a comprehensive understanding on the synthesis of sulfur-containing molecules from sulfinic acids and provide help for future synthetic research.
The rational design of nanozymes with superior activities is essential for improving bioassay performances. Herein, nitrogen and boron co-doped graphene nanoribbons (NB-GNRs) are prepared by a hydrothermal method using urea as the nitrogen source and boric acid as the boron source, respectively. The introduction of co-doped and edge structures provides high defects and active sites. The resultant NB-GNRs nanozymes show superior peroxidase-like activities to nitrogen-doped and boron-doped counterparts due to the synergistic effects. By taking advantage of their peroxidase-like activities, NB-GNRs are used for the first time to develop enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of interleukin-6. The biosensors exhibit a high performance with a linear range from 0.001 ng/mL to 1000 ng/mL and a detection limit of 0.3 pg/mL. Due to their low cost and high stability, the proposed nanomaterials show great promise in biocatalysis, immunoassay development and environmental monitoring.
Porous carbon materials have attracted much attention in the field of organic synthesis in recent years, due to their tunable properties, excellent catalytic activity and stability. Biomass-based carbohydrates emerge as an ideal precursor for the generation of these materials owing to their renewability, low cost, non-toxicity and high content of functional groups. Thus, carbon materials prepared from carbohydrates is of considerable importance for the sustainable development of organic chemistry. The present review not only summarizes recent examples of carbohydrate-derived porous carbon material-catalyzed organic reactions including the oxidation, hydrogenation, cross-coupling, esterification and condensation reactions, but also introduces the preparation and functionalization strategies of these materials. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities of organic synthesis over these sustainable materials have also been addressed. This review will stimulate further research on exploring novel carbohydrate-derived porous carbon materials and new sustainable organic synthetic processes over these materials.
We describe a janusarene derivative PyJ, which forms micrometer-scale one-dimensional metallo-supramolecular polymer through coordination driven self-assembly. PyJ is a well-preorganized dodecatopic pyridyl ligand built on a hexaphenylbenzene platform. The two-face structural feature of PyJ allows for a delicate control over multiple Py-Ag+-Py coordination interactions, leading to assembled structure of PyJ-Ag, which was characterized by dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently allured a variety of concern in the fields of nanotechnology. However, exploring their biomedical applications is still a relatively new field. In this work, zeolite imidazole skeleton-8 (ZIF-8) was reported for the first time as a drug carrier for the treatment of lung injury. Uniform ZIF-8 nanoparticles encapsulating plumbagin (PLB) are achieved by a facile physical adsorption process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and UV–vis absorption spectrum were conducted to investigate the physical properties of ZIF-8 and PLB@ZIF-8. In animal model, the collagen fibers deposition produced by severe lung injury is significantly decreased. The secretion of inflammatory factor TGF-β and IL-6 were efficiently dropped by the combination of plumbagin and ZIF-8. At the same time, the expressions of collagen I, α-SMA and TNF-α were also suppressed. This strategy puts forth a promising blueprint in the application of MOF materials, especially in biomedical fields.
A facile access to mono-C-alkynyl-o-carboranes from o-carboranes and arylsulfonylacetylenes was developed. This facile process tolerates a wide variety of functional groups, occurs at mild conditions in one-pot procedure with short reaction time. The obtained mono-C-alkynyl-o-carboranes can be easily derivatized to synthesize 1, 2-difunctionalized o-carboranes. This work provides a useful tool for the functionalization of o-carboranes.
Electronic tuning by para substitutions was explored to achieve a highly active manganese N-heterocyclic carbene pincer complex for the selective electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO. [MnCNCOMe]BF4 (L2-Mn) bearing an electron-donating group (-OMe) showed high activity with 63×catalytic current enhancement, average Faradaic efficiency of 104%, and a TOFmax value of 26, 127 s-1, which is 127 times higher than that of unsubstituted [MnCNCH]Br (L1-Mn) reported previously. In contrast, the electron-withdrawing group (-COOMe) in [MnCNCCOOMe]PF6 (L3-Mn) inhibited the electrocatalytic activity. Ambient Brønstic acid, however, suppressed the activity of L2-Mn probably due to the protonation of the -OMe group. These findings indicate a potential electronic tuning strategy to improved manganese N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts for CO2 reduction.
Carbonaceous materials can accelerate extracellular electron transfer for the biotransformation of many recalcitrant, redox-sensitive contaminants and have received considerable attention in fields related to anaerobic bioremediation. As important electron shuttles (ESs), carbonaceous materials effectively participate in redox biotransformation processes, especially microbially-driven Fe reduction or oxidation coupled with pollutions transformation and anaerobic fermentation for energy and by-product recovery. The related bioprocesses are reviewed here to show that carbonaceous ESs can facilitate electron transfer between microbes and extracellular substrates. The classification and characteristics of carbon-containing ESs are summarized, with an emphasis on activated carbon, graphene, carbon nanotubes and carbon-based immobilized mediators. The influencing factors, including carbon material properties (redox potential, electron transfer capability and solubility) and environmental factors (temperature, pH, substrate concentration and microbial species), on pollution catalytic efficiency are discussed. Furthermore, we briefly describe the prospects of carbonaceous ESs in the field of microbial-driven environmental remediation.
Li metal anodes (LMAs) has attracted extensive research interest because of its extremely high theoretical capacity (3860 mAh/g) at low redox potential (−3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode). However, the extremely high chemical reactivity and the intrinsic "hostless" nature of LMAs bring about serious dendritic growth and dramatic volume change during the plating/strapping process, thus resulting in poor Coulombic efficiency, short lifespan, and severe safety concerns. Of various strategies, the construction of three-dimensional carbonaceous scaffolds for LMAs can substantially reduce the local current density, inhibit Li dendrite growth, and accommodate volume variation. Electrospinning is a simple yet effective strategy to fabricate carbon nanofibers (CNFs), which have been regarded as promising skeletons for LMAs, owing to their large surface areas, good electrical conductivity, and high porosity. In this Mini Review, we briefly introduce the fabrication of CNFs using electrospinning and the modification of CNFs. We highlight the recent advances in electrospun CNF skeletons for LMAs, including pure CNF and CNF-based composite scaffolds. Finally, we discuss the remaining challenges of electrospun CNF scaffolds for LMAs and provide possible solutions to push forward the advancement in this field.
Two-dimensional (2D) materials have received extensive attention in the fields of electronics, optoelectronics, and magnetic devices attributed to their unique electronic structures and physical properties. The application of strain is a simple and effective strategy to change the lattice structure of 2D materials thus modulating their physical properties, which further facilitate their applications in carrier mobility transistor, magnetic sensor, single-photon emitter etc. In this short review, we focus on the strain applied via substrate engineering. Firstly, the relationship between the strain and physical properties has been summarized. Secondly, the methods for achieving substrate engineering-induced strain have been demonstrated. Finally, the latest applications of strained 2D materials have been introduced. In addition, the future challenges and development prospects of strain-modulated 2D materials have also been proposed.