论文发表
Abstract: Herein, we report an electrochemical protocol for the dicarboxylation of aryl alkynes using CO2. With a graphite rod as the cathode and Al as the sacrificial anode, a series of valuable butenedioic acids are obtained in moderate to excellent yields with an E/Z ratio up to 50:1. This method features high E-selectivity, high step and atom economy, easy scalability, and a nice substrate scope, which renders it appealing for promising applications in organic synthesis and materials chemistry.
Abstract: Designing earth-abundant metal complexes as efficient molecular photocatalysts for visible light-driven CO2 reduction is a key challenge in artificial photosynthesis. Here, we demonstrated the first example of a mononuclear iron pyridine-thiolate complex that functions both as a photosensitizer and catalyst for CO2 reduction. This single-component bifunctional molecular photocatalyst efficiently reduced CO2 to formate and CO with a total turnover number (TON) of 46 and turnover frequency (TOF) of 11.5 h-1 in 4 h under visible light irradiation. Notably, the quantum yield was determined to be 8.4% for the generation of formate and CO at 400 nm. Quenching experiments indicate that high photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to the rapid intramolecular quenching protocol. The mechanism investigation by DFT calculation and electrochemical studies revealed that the protonation of Febpy(pyS)2 is indispensable step for photocatalytic CO2 reduction.
3. Liqi Qiu, Yuqing Fu, Zhenzhen Yang*, Anna C. Johnson, Chi-Linh Do-Thanh, Bishnu P. Thapaliya, Shannon M. Mahurin, Liang-Nian He, De-en Jiang*, Sheng Dai*, Surpassing the Performance of Phenolate-derived Ionic Liquids in CO2 Chemisorption by Harnessing the Robust Nature of Pyrazolonates. ChemSusChem 2024, 17 (6), e202301329. [Link]
Abstract: Superbase-derived ionic liquids (SILs) are promising sorbents to tackle the carbon challenge featured by tunable interaction strength with CO2 via structural engineering, particularly the oxygenate-derived counterparts (e. g., phenolate). However, for the widely deployed phenolate-derived SILs, unsolved stability issues severely limited their applications leading to unfavorable and diminished CO2 chemisorption performance caused by ylide formation-involved side reactions and the phenolate-quinone transformation via auto-oxidation. In this work, robust pyrazolonate-derived SILs possessing anti-oxidation nature were developed by introducing aza-fused rings in the oxygenate-derived anions, which delivered promising and tunable CO2 uptake capacity surpassing the phenolate-based SIL via a carbonate formation pathway (O−C bond formation), as illustrated by detailed spectroscopy studies. Further theoretical calculations and experimental comparisons demonstrated the more favorable reaction enthalpy and improved anti-oxidation properties of the pyrazolonate-derived SILs compared with phenolate anions. The achievements being made in this work provides a promising approach to achieve efficient carbon capture by combining the benefits of strong interaction strength of oxygenate species with CO2 and the stability improvement enabled by aza-fused rings introduction.
4. Jin-Mei Chen, Wen-Jun Xie, Zhi-Wen Yang, Liang-Nian He*, Molecular Engineering of Copper Phthalocyanine for CO2 Electroreduction to Methane. ChemSusChem 2024, 17 (6), e202301634. [Link]
Abstract: Efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (ECO2RR) to multi-electron reductive products remains a great challenge. Herein, molecular engineering of copper phthalocyanines (CuPc) was explored by modifying electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs) (cyano, sulfonate anion) and electron-donating groups (EDGs) (methoxy, amino) to CuPc, then supporting onto carbon paper or carbon cloth by means of droplet coating, loading with carbon nanotubes and coating in polypyrrole (PPy). The results showed that the PPy-coated CuPc effectively catalysed ECO2RR to CH4. Interestingly, experimental results and DFT calculations indicated EWGs markedly improved the selectivity of methane for the reason that the introduction of EWGs reduces electron density of catalytic active center, resulting in a positive move to initial reduction potential. Otherwise, the modification of EDGs significantly reduces the selectivity towards methane. This electronic effect and heterogenization of CuPc are facile and effective molecular engineering, benefitting the preparation of electrocatalysts for further reduction of CO2.
5. Lan Zhao, Liang-Nian He*, The Chlorine Evolution Reaction Promoted by Organocatalysts with Amide Functional Groups. Sci. China Chem. 2024, 67, 749-750. [Link]
6. Lan Zhao, Hai-Yang Hu, An-Guo Wu, Alexander O. Terent’ev, Liang-Nian He*, Hong-Ru Li*. CO2 capture and in-situ conversion to organic molecules. J. CO2 Util. 2024, 82, 102753. [Link]
To address the CO2 accumulation in atmosphere, various initiatives have been proposed, among which CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) is regarded as an appealing strategy to reconcile carbon emission and resource utilization. Especially, integrated CO2 capture and utilization (ICCU), i.e. performing CO2 capture and in-situ conversion can circumvent the energy-intensive CO2 desorption step and thus facilitate establishing step- and energy-efficient process, rendering the conversion at mild conditions particularly at low pressure due to substantial activation upon CO2 uptake. However, CO2 capture and in-situ conversion is not the simple add-up of these two processes. Its successful implementation relies on the harmonization of CO2 capture reagents, substrates and the corresponding catalysts. By far, tremendous efforts have been made in this field and a plethora of CO2 capture reagents including inorganic bases, organic bases, ionic liquids and carbonaceous materials have been utilized to capture CO2 and the conversion protocols such as hydrogenation, cycloaddition, carboxylative cyclization etc. have been explored for these captured CO2. As a result, the valuable products containing methanol, methane, carbonates, carbamates, oxazolidinones, ureas, and quinazolinone have been obtained from CO2 and more importantly, the CO2 chemistry theory is also enriched via investigating the structure and reactivity of the captured CO2 in various reactions. In this review, we summarize the progress on CO2 capture and in-situ conversion based on the reaction types and corresponding CO2 absorbents. It’s hoped that this review can shed light on the design of CO2 capture and in-situ conversion and inspire the further development of this field.
7. Ivan A. Yaremenko,* Dmitri l. Fomenkov, Roman A. Budekhin, Peter S. Radulov, Michael G. Medvedev.Nikolai V. Krivoshchapov, Liang-Nian He, Igor V. Alabugin,* and Alexander O. Terent'ev*, Interrupted Dance of Five Heteroatoms: Reinventing Ozonolysis to Make Geminal Alkoxyhydroperoxides from C═N Bonds. J. Org. Chem. DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.4c00233. [Link]
Abstact: Four heteroatoms dance in the cascade of four pericyclic reactions initiated by ozonolysis of C═N bonds. Switching from imines to semicarbazones introduces the fifth heteroatom that slows this dance, delays reaching the thermodynamically favorable escape path, and allows efficient interception of carbonyl oxides (Criegee intermediates, CIs) by an external nucleophile. The new three-component reaction of alcohols, ozone, and oximes/semicarbazones greatly facilitates synthetic access to monoperoxyacetals (alkoxyhydroperoxides).
8. Oleg V. Bityukov, Pavel Yu. Serdyuchenko, Vera A. Vil', Gennady I. Nikishin, Liang-Nian He, Alexander O. Terent'ev*, Co-Catalyzed Peroxidation of Cyclic β-Dicarbonyls. Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2024, e202400078. [Link]
Abstract: A Co-catalyzed peroxidation of cyclic β-dicarbonyls (cyclic 1,3-diketones, 4-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanones and Meldrum's acids) with TBHP has been disclosed. A series of the alkylperoxy derivatives of 4-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanones and Meldrum's acids were synthesized in moderate to good yields (13–86 %). The functionalization of 4-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanones by the tBuOO group was performed with high selectivity in the presence of the cocktail of reactive oxidizing species, including metal and radical intermediates. The key species in the peroxidation process are probably the tert-butylperoxy radical or its Co(III) complex, which are generated from the Co(II)/TBHP system. Cycle cleavage, which would be expected for cyclic β-dicarbonyls based on previous reports, was observed to a large extent only for cyclic 1,3-diketones.
9. Meng-Ge Wei, Hong-Ru Li*, Liang-Nian He*, Synthesis of Dimethyl Carbonate via Transesterification of Ethylene Carbonate and Methanol over Mesoporous KF-loaded Mg-Fe Oxides, ChemPlusChem 2024, e202300778. [Link]
Abstract: A series of KF/Mg-Fe oxides were fabricated via the solid-state reaction between KF and Mg-Fe oxides. Especially, when 20 wt % KF was supported on the Mg-Fe bi-metal oxides and calcined at 400–600 °C, the solid material with more basic sites than the support itself was obtained. When applied as catalyst to dimethyl carbonate (DMC) synthesis through transesterification of ethylene carbonate (EC) and methanol, this material can afforded up to 88 % yield and 97 % selectivity toward DMC in 2 h under reflux conditions with the molar ratio of methanol to ethylene carbonate set at 8. It is worth noting that the catalyst was easily separated and reused, retaining at least 89 % catalytic activity during the first four recycles. Although an attenuated activity was still observed due to the inevitable filtration loss and dissolution, this solid base can still provide clues to the development recyclable catalyst in green synthesis of DMC.
10. 何良年*, 李红茹, 谢汶均, 武安国, 赵兰, 张永康, 姚向阳, 陈金梅. 二氧化碳化学转化的科学基础及其路径. 科学通报, 2024, DOI: 10.1360/TB-2024-0186. [Link]
摘要：二氧化碳（CO2）既是主要的温室气体，也是丰富的可再生资源，通过催化转化可定向制备为化学品、能源产品与功能材料，即实现“变废为宝、高值化利用”的资源化利用过程。因此，面向资源化/能源化利用的二氧化碳化学研究，对于可持续发展具有重要意义及应用前景。二氧化碳资源化利用的贡献不仅仅局限于减排的绝对量，更重要的意义与价值在于：1）减缓化工生产对化石资源的依赖，2）提供更加环境友好的生产方法，减少化工生产对环境的影响，3）在一定程度上调节碳循环。我们试图从热力学、动力学角度分析CO2转化反应所涉及的CO2活化、能量问题、作用机制和催化剂的理性设计等科学基础，并提出相应的转化途径。本文基于CO2分子活化原理认识及转化路径分析，介绍CO2资源化领域的现状，分析所面临的挑战；主要包括热催化转化及反应类型、电催化CO2还原及电羧化反应、光催化CO2还原及光驱动CO2参与的有机反应，并简要介绍过程耦合、接力催化等策略及生物催化和耦合策略、等离子体催化技术在二氧化碳资源化中的应用。总之，对于二氧化碳化学的基础科学认识，为发展二氧化碳资源化新反应、新方法与新技术提供理论支撑，推动二氧化碳基产品的规模化生产与工业应用。