Adsorptive Separation of Methylfuran and Dimethylfuran by a Robust Porous Organic Cage

As vital raw materials in the chemical industry, 2-methylfuran (MeF) and 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMeF) are commonly produced as mixtures. The selective separation of MeF and DMeF is crucial yet challenging, with significant industrial and economic implications. This study presents an energy-efficient separation technique using a robust calix[4]resorcinarene-based supramolecular porous organic cage (POC), CPOC-301, to effectively capture DMeF from an equimolar MeF/DMeF mixture within 2 h, yielding 95.3% purity. The exceptional separation efficiency stems from the superior structural stability of CPOC-301, maintaining its initial porous crystalline structure during separation. Calculations show that CPOC-301 forms more C–H···π hydrogen bonds with DMeF versus MeF, accounting for its DMeF selectivity. CPOC-301 can be easily regenerated via heat under a vacuum and reused for over five adsorption–desorption cycles without significant performance loss. This work introduces an approach to separate similar organic molecules effectively using POC materials

Effects of Chahuangjing on Decorporation and Radiation Protection Against Tritiated Water

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Chahuangjing, a novel traditional Chinese medicinal compound, on decorporation and radiation protection against tritiated water (HTO). Sixty male specific-pathogen-free-grade C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 12 groups: mice in 4 control groups were intraperitoneally injected with sterile water; mice in 4 HTO groups were intraperitoneally injected with 11.1 × 10 5 Bq/g of HTO; and mice in the other 4 groups were administered with HTO and a Chahuangjing compound (0.2 mL, once daily). After 1, 7, 14, and 21 days, the mice were killed and samples were collected. A liquid scintillation counting method was used for tritium measurement. A fully automated hematology analyzer was used to assess blood samples. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content was analyzed using commercial kits. Chahuangjing significantly increased decorporation and shortened the effective half-life of tritium. To a certain extent, Chahuangjing alleviated the HTO-induced reduction in white blood cells and elevated red blood cells after HTO exposure. Moreover, Chahuangjing alleviated the HTO-induced reduction in SOD activity and reduced MDA. Our study demonstrated that Chahuangjing can enhance the elimination of tritium and reduce free radicals to alleviate HTO-induced radiation injury

A Series of Octanuclear-Nickel(II) Complexes Supported by Thiacalix[4]arenes

A series of discrete complexes, [Ni₈(BTC4A)₂(μ₆-CO₃)₂(μ-CH₃COO)₄(dma)₄]·H₂O (<b>1</b>), [Ni₈(BTC4A)₂(μ₆-CO₃)₂(μ-Cl)₂(μ-HCOO)₂(dma)₄]·2DMF·2CH₃CN (<b>2</b>), [Ni₈(PTC4A)₂ (μ₆-CO₃)₂(μ-CH₃COO)₄(dma)₄]·DMF (<b>3</b>), and [Ni₈(PTC4A)₂(μ₆-CO₃)₂(μ-OH)­(μ-HCOO)₃ (dma)₄] (<b>4</b>) (<i>p</i>-<i>tert</i>-butylthiacalix­[4]­arene = H₄BTC4A, <i>p</i>-phenylthiacalix­[4]­arene = H₄PTC4A, dma = dimethylamine, and DMF = <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-dimethylformamide), have been prepared under solvothermal conditions and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, powder XRD, and IR spectroscopy. These four complexes are stacked by dumbbell-like building blocks with one chairlike octanuclear-nickel­(II) core, which is capped by two thiacalix[4]­arene molecules and connected by two in situ generated carbonato anions and different auxiliary anions. This work implied that not only the solvent molecules but also the upper-rim groups of thiacalix[4]­arenes have significant effects on the self-assembly of the dumbbell-like building blocks. The magnetic properties of complexes <b>1</b>–<b>4</b> were examined, indicating strong antiferromagnetic interactions between the nickel­(II) ions in the temperature range of 50–300 K