2-(Fluoromethyl)-4,7-dimethoxy-1-methyl-1H -benzimidazole

Selectfluor (1-chloromethyl-4-fluoro-1,4-diazoniabicyclo[2.2.2]octane bis(tetrafluoroborate)) substitutes the TEMPO free radical with fluorine on 4,7-dimethoxy-1-methyl-2-{[(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxy]methyl}-1H-benzimidazole to give the title compound in a 77% yield. A mechanism is proposed for the formation of this novel methylene fluoride

CF₃-Bis-TEMPO-Vis : new visible light active bis-benzimidazolequinone alkoxyamine

Alkoxyamines of TEMPO usually dissociate thermally at >100 °C; however, room temperature homolysis, activated by visible light, occurs with benzimidazolequinone derivatives. 1,1’-Dimethyl-2,2’-bis{[(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxy]methyl}-6-(trifluoromethyl)-1H,1’H-[5,5’-bibenzimidazole]-4,4’,7,7’-tetrone (CF₃-Bis-TEMPO-Vis) is prepared in a 59% yield through NBS/H₂SO₄ oxidative demethylations of the dimethoxybenzimidazole-benzimidazolequinone precursor with aqueous work up. The alternative basic work up in air gave the epoxide derivative of CF₃-Bis-TEMPO-Vis. Unlike the latter CF₃-epoxide, both alkoxyamine residues are labile under green light (470−600 nm), and the rate of TEMPO release is three times slower than Bis-TEMPO-Vis

A meta-analysis of acetogenic and methanogenic microbiomes in microbial electrosynthesis

A meta-analysis approach was used, to study the microbiomes of biofilms and planktonic communities underpinning microbial electrosynthesis (MES) cells. High-throughput DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons has been increasingly applied to understand MES systems. In this meta-analysis of 22 studies, we find that acetogenic and methanogenic MES cells share 80% of a cathodic core microbiome, and that different inoculum pre-treatments strongly affect community composition. Oxygen scavengers were more abundant in planktonic communities, and several key organisms were associated with operating parameters and good cell performance. We suggest Desulfovibrio sp. play a role in initiating early biofilm development and shaping microbial communities by catalysing H2 production, to sustain either Acetobacterium sp. or Methanobacterium sp. Microbial community assembly became more stochastic over time, causing diversification of the biofilm (cathodic) community in acetogenic cells and leading to re-establishment of methanogens, despite inoculum pre-treatments. This suggests that repeated interventions may be required to suppress methanogenesis

Electrolysis of low-grade and saline surface water

Review Article Published: 17 February 2020 Electrolysis of low-grade and saline surface water Wenming Tong, Mark Forster, Fabio Dionigi, Sören Dresp, Roghayeh Sadeghi Erami, Peter Strasser, Alexander J. Cowan & Pau Farràs Nature Energy (2020)Cite this article 1779 Accesses 1 Citations 60 Altmetric Metricsdetails Abstract Powered by renewable energy sources such as solar, marine, geothermal and wind, generation of storable hydrogen fuel through water electrolysis provides a promising path towards energy sustainability. However, state-of-the-art electrolysis requires support from associated processes such as desalination of water sources, further purification of desalinated water, and transportation of water, which often contribute financial and energy costs. One strategy to avoid these operations is to develop electrolysers that are capable of operating with impure water feeds directly. Here we review recent developments in electrode materials/catalysts for water electrolysis using low-grade and saline water, a significantly more abundant resource worldwide compared to potable water. We address the associated challenges in design of electrolysers, and discuss future potential approaches that may yield highly active and selective materials for water electrolysis in the presence of common impurities such as metal ions, chloride and bio-organisms.W.T., M.F., R.S.E., A.J.C. and P.F. acknowledge financial support from INTERREG Atlantic Area programme (Grant reference EAPA_190_2016). P.F. acknowledges support from Royal Society Alumni programme. F.D., S.D. and P.S. gratefully acknowledge financial support by the German Research Foundation (DFG) through Grant reference number STR 596/8-1 and the federal ministry for economic affairs and energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, BMWi) under grant number 03EIV041F. P.S. acknowledges partial funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany´s Excellence Strategy – EXC 2008/1 – 390540038 (zum Teil gefördert durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) im Rahmen der Exzellenzstrategie des Bundes und der Länder – EXC 2008/1 – 390540038).peer-reviewed2020-08-1

Visible-light unmasking of heterocyclic quinone methide radicals from alkoxyamines

Correction for 'Visible-light unmasking of heterocyclic quinone methide radicals from alkoxyamines' by Patrick Kielty et al., Chem. Commun., 2019, 55, 14665-14668, DOI: 10.1039/C9CC08261A

Funcionalització de l'anió cobalto-bis(dicarballur) per a nous materials

El treball que es presenta en aquesta tesi doctoral és la continuació i ampliació de la feina feta en el nostre grup en els darrers anys sobre el metal·lacarborà cobalto-bis(dicarballur). Amb la finalitat de la seva aplicació com a components de materials moleculars, calia com a objectiu inicial la síntesi i caracterització de nous derivats en els àtoms de carboni i de bor del clúster, així com l'estudi teòric d'alguns d'aquests compostos que presentaven propietats que no s'havien observat fins al moment. A partir d'aquests compostos s'han buscat aplicacions en els camps del tractament de residus nuclears, motors sintètics moleculars i en el camp de la biomedicina. Finalment i per ampliar el coneixement en el camp dels carborans, s'han fet estudis teòrics del pKa de nido-carborans, s'ha estudiat tant teòrica com experimentalment la reacció de cloració de l'anió [Ph-CB9H9]- i s'ha participat en l'elaboració d'un treball d'interaccions intermoleculars entre molècules de iode i fosfino-carborans.Pel que fa a la síntesi de derivats en els àtoms de carboni, s'han obtingut productes substituïts amb àtoms de fòsfor i de sofre. En el primer cas l'àtom de fòsfor fa de pont entre les dues caixes de dicarballur de manera semblant als derivats del ferrocè anomenats ferrocenofans. Pel que fa als derivats de l'anió cobalto-bis(dicarballur) amb sofre s'han obtingut derivats disubstituïts amb funcions tioèter a partir dels disulfurs orgànics apropiats, i altres en què l'àtom o àtoms de sofre estan pinçant les dues caixes de dicarballur. Les substitucions en els vèrtexs de bor s'han treballat en tres vies diferents. La primera és l'halogenació de l'anió cobalto-bis(dicarballur) amb àtoms de clor, brom i iode emprant diferents mètodes, tant en dissolució com en estat sòlid. S'ha estudiat en més detall la reacció de cloració per la importància dels seus compostos en l'extracció de radionúclids. La segona via que s'ha treballat consisteix en la formació d'enllaços B-C utilitzant les condicions de reacció ben establertes per l'acoblament C-C com la reacció de Kumada o la de Heck. La tercera via parteix ja d'un oxo-derivat de l'anió 1, el zwitterió [8-OC4H8O-1,2-(C2B9H11)2]- (43). Aquest té l'oxigen enllaçat al B(8) fet que el fa que estigui carregat positivament, i per tant susceptible a l'atac de nucleòfils. S'han sintetitzat i caracteritzat un ampli ventall de compostos utilitzant diversos nucleòfils com alcohols, àcids, reactius de grignard, tiols, carborans i tiocarborans. Alguns dels compostos sintetitzats en aquest treball s'han aplicat en diversos camps. Els derivats clorats del cobalto-bis(dicarballur) s'han provat com a agents sinèrgics en l'extracció selectiva de radionúclids amb resultats interessants en quant a la millora de la selectivitat quan s'usen aquests compostos. També s'ha provat la incorporació del metal·lacarborà cobalto-bis(dicarballur) en màquines moleculars, i més concretament en rotors del tipus rotaxà. S'han sintetitzat i caracteritzat nous rotaxans a fi d'estudiar l'efecte intramolecular o intermolecular del clúster de bor en la dinàmica d'aquest tipus de molècules. D'altra banda s'han utilitzat alguns dels oxo-derivats en el vèrtex B(8) en la investigació antimicrobiana i en el tractament en cèl·lules tumorals. Finalment, tot i que els objectius d'aquest treball es centraven en el metal·lacarborà cobalto-bis(dicarballur) també s'ha fet un estudi teòric de carborans tenint en compte que aquests són part del cobalto-bis(dicarballur). En primer lloc s'ha volgut ampliar l'estudi de cloració fet a l'anió 1 sobre un altre clúster de bor. L'anió [Ph-CB9H9]- (86) mostra l'interès de tenir dos punts de reactivitat molt diferent, els vèrtex aromàtics C-H i els del clúster B-H. Per altra banda s'ha buscat un mètode teòric per tal de calcular l'acidesa de nido-carborans mitjançant una metodologia ràpida i senzilla. Per últim s'ha realitzat un estudi que tracta les interaccions entre els fosfinocarborans i el iode. És interessar observar el cas del compost [1-Me-2-PPh2-1,2-C2B10H10] (99) on l'addició de iode no provoca una disminució de la interacció entre ambdós àtoms, indicant la formació d'una estructura del tipus P···I-I···P. Aquest tipus d'estructura també es troba en estat sòlid tal com demostra l'estructura de raigs X.The work presented in this manuscript is the continuation and extension of the work done in our group during the last years on the cobaltabisdicarbollide metallacarborane. To apply these molecules as components of molecular materials, the initial objectives were the synthesis and characterization of new derivatives of cobaltabisdicarbollide on the carbon and boron vertices of the cluster, as well as a theoretical study of some of these compounds that presented properties not previously observed. The second objective was the application of some of these compounds to different fields such as the treatment of nuclear waste, molecular synthetic motors and in biomedicine. Finally, work on carboranes has also been done as these are part of metallacarboranes. Theoretical calculations of pKa values of nido-carboranes have been done. It has been studied both theoretically and experimentally the chlorination reaction of the anion [Ph-CB9H9]-. Also the intermolecular interaction between iodine molecules and phosphino-carboranes has been studied by computational methods.Concerning the synthesis of carbon functionalized compounds, products substituted with phosphorus and sulphur have been obtained. In the first case the phosphorus is bridging the two dicarbollide cages in a way similar to the already known ferrocene derivatives called ferrocenophanes. Sulphur derivatives of cobaltabisdicarbollide have been obtained as disubstituted molecules with thioether groups obtained from the appropriate organic disulfides. C,C bridging molecules in which one or two sulphur atoms bridge both dicarbollide cages have also been obtained. Boron substituted vertices have been studied in three different ways. The first concerns halogenation of cobaltabisdicarbollide anion with chlorine, bromine and iodine atoms by using different methods, such as solution or solid state reactions. It has been studied more deeply the chlorination reaction because of the importance of these compounds on the extraction of radionuclides. The second way studied concerning the derivatization of 1 refers to the formation of B-C bonds by using either Kumada reaction or Heck reaction conditions. The third way of cobaltabisdicarbollide derivatization has as the starting product the oxo-derivative of 1, the zwitterion [8-OC4H8O-1,2-(C2B9H11)2]- (43). This compound has an oxygen atom bonded to the B(8) vertex with a positive charge and this position is susceptible to the attack by nucleophiles. We have synthesized and characterized a wide range of compounds by using different nucleophiles such as alcohols, acids, Grignard reagents, thiols, carboranes and thiocarboranes. Some compounds synthesized during this work have been used in different applications. Chlorinated derivatives of cobaltabisdicarbollide have been tested as synergic agents in the selective extraction of radionuclides for nuclear waste treatment. It has been tested the incorporation of metallacarborane cobaltabisdicarbollide in molecular machine structures, and more precisely in rotors like organic molecules called rotaxanes. We have synthesized and characterized new rotaxanes specially designed to study intramolecular or intermolecular effects of the boron cluster in the dynamics of this kind of molecules. Moreover, some oxo-derivatives at the B(8) vertex of cobaltabisdicarbollide have been applied in the research of antimicrobial and antitumoral treatments. Finally and although the aims of this work were centered on cobaltabisdicarbollide, some theoretical and experimental studies on carboranes have been done taking into account that these are part of the cobaltacarborane. Firstly we would like to improve the understanding of the chlorination reaction, extending the work done for 1 to other boron clusters. Anion [Ph-CB9H9]- (86) was selected because it has two very different reactivity points, aromatic C-H groups and B-H cluster vertices. On the other hand we have described a theoretical method to calculate the acidity of nido-carboranes by means of a fast, reliable and simple methodology. Finally, the last part of the manuscript was focused on interactions between phosphino-carboranes and iodine. It is remarkable the behaviour of compound [1-Me-2-PPh2-1,2-C2B10H10] (99), where upon addition of iodine the decrease of the interaction can't be observed. This behaviour can be explained by the formation of a P···I-I···P moiety, which can be observed in solid state by its x-ray crystal structure

Enhanced photostability of a Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complex under highly oxidizing aqueous conditions by its partial inclusion into a cyclodextrin

The complex [Ru(bpy)2L]2+, where bpy=2,2′-bipyridine, L=4-(phenylethynyl)-2,2′-bipyridine, was prepared in its racemic and resolved forms (Δ and Λ). The phenylethynyl unit on the bipyridine for the complex acts as a binding site for α-cyclodextrin in water (1:1 complex, K=3390 L mol−1) or β-cyclodextrin (2:1 complex, K1=887 L mol−1, K2=8070 L mol−1). The presence of the cyclodextrin provides partial protection to the complex under light-activated water oxidation conditions.P.F. gratefully acknowledges the Royal Society for the Newton Fellowship and for the financial support.peer-reviewed2017-01-0

Recent advances in artificial photosynthetic systems at Newcastle University

This review covers the most significant research done by the group of scientists working at Newcastle University during the last five years in the area of artificial photosynthesis. In particular, it tackles the aspects of light harvesting in molecular systems and solid state materials, photocatalysis in homogeneous and heterogeneous phases, and the fabrication of photoelectrochemical devices for the generation of hydrogen.P.F. gratefully acknowledges the Royal Society (NF120652) for the Newton Fellowship and for financial support2017-04-0