Dialkylbiaryl phosphines are a valuable class of ligand for Pd-catalyzed amination reactions and have been applied in a range of contexts. This perspective attempts to aid the reader in the selection of the best choice of reaction conditions and ligand of this class for the most commonly encountered and practically important substrate combinations.

Dialkylbiaryl phosphines in Pd-catalyzed amination: a user's guide

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as an emerging class of crystalline porous materials have received much attention due to their tunable porosity, modifiable skeletons, and atomically precise structures. Besides, COFs can provide multiple high-rate charge carrier transport (electron, hole, and ion) pathways, including conjugated skeletons, overlapped π electron clouds among the stacked layers, and open channels with a variable chemical environment. Therefore, they have shown great potential in electrochemical energy storage (EES) and conversion (EEC). However, in bulk COFs, the defects always impede charge carrier conduction, and the difficulties in reaching deep-buried active sites by either electrons or ions lead to limited performance. To overcome these obstacles, numerous research studies have been carried out to obtain COF nanosheets (NSs). This review first describes the preparation strategies of COF NSs via bottom-up and top-down approaches. Then, the applications of bulk COFs and COF NSs in EES and EEC are summarized, such as in batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Finally, key challenges and future directions in these areas are discussed.

Bulk COFs and COF nanosheets for electrochemical energy storage and conversion

Novel tricarbazole compounds are provided. By appropriately selecting the nature of the tricarbazole substituents, compounds with appropriate HOMO and LUMO energies can be obtained for use as materials in a secondary hole transport layer.

Organic Electroluminescent Materials and Devices

Rechargeable aqueous metal-ion batteries are very promising as alternative energy storage devices during the post-lithium-ion era because of their green and safe inherent features. Among the different aqueous metal-ion batteries, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have recently been studied extensively due to their unique and outstanding benefits that hold promise for large-scale power storage systems. However, zinc anode problems in ZIBs, such as zinc dendrites and side reactions, severely shorten the ZIB's cycle lifetime, thus restricting their practical application. Here, we sum up in detail the recent progress on general strategies to suppress zinc dendrites and zinc anode side reactions based on advanced materials and structure design, including the modification of the planar zinc electrode surface layer, internal structural optimization of the zinc bulk electrode, modification of the electrolyte and construction of the multifunctional separator. The various functional materials, structures and battery efficiencies are discussed. Finally, the challenges for ZIBs are identified in the production of functional zinc anodes.

Challenges in the material and structural design of zinc anode towards high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries

With the recent soaring production of natural gas, the use of methane and other light hydrocarbon feedstocks as starting materials in synthetic transformations is becoming increasingly economically attractive, although it remains chemically challenging. We report the development of photocatalytic C-H amination, alkylation, and arylation of methane, ethane, and higher alkanes under visible light irradiation at ambient temperature. High catalytic efficiency (turnover numbers up to 2900 for methane and 9700 for ethane) and selectivity were achieved using abundant, inexpensive cerium salts as photocatalysts. Ligand-to-metal charge transfer excitation generated alkoxy radicals from simple alcohols that in turn acted as hydrogen atom transfer catalysts. The mixed-phase gas/liquid reaction was adapted to continuous flow, enabling the efficient use of gaseous feedstocks in scalable photocatalytic transformations.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2018/07/25/science.aat9750.full.pdf

Selective functionalization of methane, ethane, and higher alkanes by cerium photocatalysis

The hexachlorocerate(III) anion, [CeIIICl6]3–, was found to be a potent photoreductant in acetonitrile solution with an estimated excited-state reduction potential of −3.45 V versus Cp2Fe0/+. Despite a short lifetime of 22.1(1) ns, the anion exhibited a photoluminescence quantum yield of 0.61(4) and fast quenching kinetics toward organohalogens allowing for its application in the photocatalytic reduction of aryl chloride substrates.

The Hexachlorocerate(III) Anion: A Potent, Benchtop Stable, and Readily Available Ultraviolet A Photosensitizer for Aryl Chlorides

Molecular cerium complexes are a new class of tunable and energy-efficient visible- and UV-luminophores. Understanding and controlling the emission brightness and color are important for tailoring them for new and specialized applications. Herein, we describe the experimental and computational analyses for series of tris(guanidinate) (1–8, Ce{(R2N)C(NiPr)2}3, R = alkyl, silyl, or phenyl groups), guanidinate-amide [GA, A = N(SiMe3)2, G = (Me3Si)2NC(NiPr)2], and guanidinate-aryloxide (GOAr, OAr = 2,6-di-tert-butylphenoxide) cerium(III) complexes to understand and develop predictive capabilities for their optical properties. Structural studies performed on complexes 1–8 revealed marked differences in the steric encumbrance around the cerium center induced by various guanidinate ligand backbone substituents, a property that was correlated to photoluminescent quantum yield. Computational studies revealed that consecutive replacements of the amide and aryloxide ligands by guanidinate ligand led to less nonradia...

Understanding and Controlling the Emission Brightness and Color of Molecular Cerium Luminophores.

Novel reaction pathways are illustrated in the synthesis of uranium(IV), uranium(V), and uranium(VI) monoimido complexes. In contrast to the straightforward preparation of UV(═NSiMe3)[N(SiMe3)2]3 (1), the synthesis of a uranium(V) tritylimido complex, UV(═NCPh3)[N(SiMe3)2]3 (4), from UIII[N(SiMe3)2]3 and Ph3CN3 was found to proceed through multiple one-electron steps. Whereas the oxidation of 1 with copper(II) salts produced the uranium(VI) monoimido complexes UVI(═NSiMe3)X[N(SiMe3)2]3 (X = Cl, Br), the reaction of 4 with CuBr2 undergoes sterically induced reduction to form the uranium(VI) monoimido complex UVI(═NCPh3)Br2[N(SiMe3)2]2, demonstrating a striking difference in reactivity based on imido substituent. The facile reduction of compounds 1 and 4 with KC8 allowed for the synthesis of the uranium(IV) monoimido derivatives, K[UIV(═NSiMe3)[N(SiMe3)2]3] (1-K) and K[UIV(═NCPh3)[N(SiMe3)2]3] (4-K), respectively. In contrast, an analogous uranium(IV) monoimido complex, K[UIV(═NPhF)[N(SiMe3)PhF]], PhF = -pe...

Anomalous one-electron processes in the chemistry of uranium nitrogen multiple bonds.

An umpolung 1,4-addition of aryl iodides to enals promoted by cooperative (terpy)Pd/NHC catalysis was developed that generates various bioactive β,β-diaryl propanoate derivatives. This system is not only the first reported palladium-catalyzed arylation of NHC-bound homoenolates but also expands the scope of NHC-induced umpolung transformations. A diverse array of functional groups such as esters, nitriles, alcohols, and heterocycles are tolerated under the mild conditions. This method also circumvents the use of moisture-sensitive organometallic reagents.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/anie.201914768

Synergistic N-Heterocyclic Carbene/Palladium-Catalyzed Umpolung 1,4-Addition of Aryl Iodides to Enals

Sulfenate anions are known to act as highly reactive species in the organic arena. Now they premiere as organocatalysts. Proof of concept is offered by the sulfoxide/sulfenate-catalyzed (1–10 mol %) coupling of benzyl halides in the presence of base to generate trans-stilbenes in good to excellent yields (up to 99 %). Mechanistic studies support the intermediacy of sulfenate anions, and the deprotonated sulfoxide was determined to be the resting state of the catalyst.

Haolin Yin

Papers

The Hexachlorocerate(III) Anion: A Potent, Benchtop Stable, and Readily Available Ultraviolet A Photosensitizer for Aryl Chlorides

Understanding and Controlling the Emission Brightness and Color of Molecular Cerium Luminophores.

Anomalous one-electron processes in the chemistry of uranium nitrogen multiple bonds.

Synergistic N-Heterocyclic Carbene/Palladium-Catalyzed Umpolung 1,4-Addition of Aryl Iodides to Enals

A New Class of Organocatalysts: Sulfenate Anions