Chemical Science Blog

Scientists in Germany have made a new mesoporous material (carbon nitride nanorods) that can chaperone metal nanoparticles. The hybrid nanorods are catalytic and were shown to successively trigger water reduction to form hydrogen then activation of the hydrogen to reduce nitrophenol. The nanorods could potentially be used as a matrix for other nanoparticles, leading to a variety of applications.

Link to journal article
Mesoporous g-C3N4 nanorods as multifunctional supports of ultrafine metal nanoparticles: hydrogen generation from water and reduction of nitrophenol with tandem catalysis in one step
X-H Li, X Wang and M Antonietti
Chem. Sci. ,2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20289a

Scientists in Australia, China and Canada have made new photocatalysts that, in the presence of sunlight, can oxidise stable compounds such as toluene using oxygen at room temperature. Oxidation of toluene to commercial chemicals is a major industrial process, but it is conducted under high temperatures and oxygen pressures, or requires recovery of homogeneous cobalt catalysts.

The new photocatalysts work via a mechanism that is different from those of any known photocatalysts: the surface complexes are anchored on the surface of metal hydroxides by chemical bonds and can absorb light generating free radicals on the surface. These then initiate aerobic oxidation of the stable alkyl aromatic molecules. So, they can use sunlight to drive the production of fine organic chemicals in an efficient, green and chemoselective manner.

Link to journal article
Driving Selective Aerobic Oxidation of Alkyl Aromatics by Sunlight on Alcohol Grafted Metal Hydroxides
S Sarina et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20114c

Scientists in Japan and Germany have made the first efficient catalyst to enable the synthesis of hindered heterobiaryls by direct C–H coupling.  Hindered biaryls have numerous applications such as catalysts/ligands for asymmetric synthesis and chiral materials, and are often found in biologically active natural products.

Link to journal article
Hindered Biaryls by C-H Coupling: Bisoxazoline-Pd Catalysis Leading to Enantioselective C-H Coupling
K Yamaguchi et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20277h

Scientists in Spain and Italy have used simple and cheap wet lithography to generate highly electrical conductive structures located upon demand on technologically relevant surfaces. The team tested the materials as electrodes in organic field‐effect transistor devices and they say it opens the way to a broad range of potential applications, such as molecular sensors.

Link to journal article
Patterned conductive nanostructures from reversible self-assemble of 1D coordination polymer
D Gentili et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc00029f

A highly efficient scandium-catalysed asymmetric epoxidation reaction with hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant has been developed by researchers in China. The Sc(OTf)₃ complex enabled epoxidation of a wide range of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones and amides in overall excellent yields and enantioselectivites.

The reaction is also compatible with dilute aqueous hydrogen peroxide, increasing the safety and practicality of current reactions.

Link to journal article
Asymmetric Catalytic Epoxidation of alfa, beta-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds with Hydrogen Peroxide: Additive-Free and Wide Substrate Scope
Y Chu et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20218b

Scientists in the US have developed a way to detect and differentiate between mixtures of plasticisers within plastic explosives such as Semtex and C4 to provide information for anti-terrorism activities.

The team bound a fluorescent indicator to a plasma protein, which then binds to the plasticisers. A cross-reactive array was used to reveal which plasticisers were present in the explosive mixtures.

Link to journal article
Exploration of Plasticizer and Plastic Explosive Detection and Differentiation with Serum Albumin Cross-Reactive Arrays
M A Ivy et al
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20083j

Scientists in Singapore and China say it is due to a hidden force – a coulomb repulsion between the unevenly-bound bonding and non-bonding electron pairs in the hydrogen bond. Understanding the behaviour of water is key to many fields of science and engineering.

Link to journal article
The hidden force opposing ice compression
C Q Sun, X Zhang and W Zheng
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20066j