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An innovative integrated route for CO2 capture and conversion to methane relying on inexpensive metal hydroxides and nickel-based catalysts is presented.

CO2 captured species with aqueous metal phosphates are converted to methane in an integrated hydrogenation process over a heterogeneous catalyst.

An operationally simple protocol for direct N- and O-difluoromethylation of 2-pyridones, quinolinones, and isoquinolinones using commercially available TMSCF2Br is disclosed. The chemoselectivity is modulated by simple variations in temperature, solvent, and strength of the base. Diverse, synthetically relevant functional groups are tolerated, including functional groups that have reported reactivity with TMSCF2Br. Gram-scale reactions to prepare both N- and O-difluoromethyl compounds are included.

Difluoromethoxyarene moieties have been demonstrated to impart desirable physio-chemical properties to organic molecules. Presented herein is a shelf-stable radical difluoromethoxylating reagent that enables facile and direct C(sp

The traditional economy based on carbon-intensive fuels and materials has led to an exponential rise in anthropogenic CO

The methylamino diazonium cations [CH3 N(H)N2 ]+ and [CF3 N(H)N2 ]+ were prepared as their low-temperature stable [AsF6 ]- salts by protonation of azidomethane and azidotrifluoromethane in superacidic systems. They were characterized by NMR and Raman spectroscopy. Unequivocal proof of the protonation site was obtained by the crystal structures of both salts, confirming the formation of alkylamino diazonium ions. The Lewis adducts CH3 N3 ⋅AsF5 and CF3 N3 ⋅AsF5 were also prepared and characterized by low-temperature NMR and Raman spectroscopy, and also by X-ray structure determination for CH3 N3 ⋅AsF5 . Electronic structure calculations were performed to provide additional insights. Attempted electrophilic amination of aromatics such as benzene and toluene with methyl- and trifluoromethylamino diazonium ions were unsuccessful.

Biogas is considered a renewable source of carbon for methanol production. For this, biogas, containing mainly CH4 and CO2, is first reformed into syngas (a CO/H2 mixture) followed by conversion to...

The first example of an alkali hydroxide-based system for CO2 capture and conversion to methanol has been established. Bicarbonate and formate salts were hydrogenated to methanol with high yields in a solution of ethylene glycol. In an integrated one-pot system, CO2 was efficiently captured by an ethylene glycol solution of the base and subsequently hydrogenated to CH3OH at relatively mild temperatures (100-140 °C) using Ru-PNP catalysts. The produced methanol can be easily separated by distillation. Hydroxide base regeneration at low temperatures was observed for the first time. Finally, CO2 capture from ambient air and hydrogenation to CH3OH was demonstrated. We postulate that the high capture efficiency and stability of hydroxide bases make them superior to existing amine-based routes for direct air capture and conversion to methanol in a scalable process.

A convenient method for the direct ipso-phosphonodifluoromethylation of arylboronic acids via nickel-copper co-catalysis is disclosed. This work, which utilizes inexpensive first row transition metals, represents a facile alternative to the traditional palladium catalyzed approach. The method utilizes inexpensive commodity chemicals and substrates while tolerating a variety of biologically relevant functional groups. Structurally diverse phosphonodifluoromethylarenes are furnished in good yields under short reaction times. Control experiments to probe possible reaction pathways are also included.

The battery industry is seeking solutions for large-scale energy storage that are affordable, durable, and safe. Aqueous redox flow batteries (RFBs) have the inherent properties to meet these requirements. While much has been learned over the past decade on the properties of redox materials, the focus of next-generation systems must be primarily on lowering redox material cost and increasing durability. In this context, in addition to inexpensive materials such as iron salts, redox couples based on small organic molecules have shown significant promise. A considerable level of understanding has been gained on the factors affecting the durability of aqueous RFB systems, specifically relating to molecular stability and crossover. New molecular classes, substituent strategies, and cell configurations have been identified to enhance the durability of systems in the future. Next-generation systems will also need to focus on designing molecules for achieving high energy efficiency and power density as well. Furthermore, the application of computational methods for screening of chemical stability could accelerate discovery of new molecular architectures.

An operationally simple protocol for direct

Ninhydrin (

A method for the O-difluoromethylation of carboxylic acids using commercially available TMSCF2Br is disclosed. The devised benchtop reaction system is air-stable and offers mild reaction conditions while using readily available reagents and solvents. The method is applicable to both aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids while demonstrating compatibility with a range of commonly encountered functional groups. The difluoromethyl esters of FDA approved drugs and pharmaceutically relevant molecules are also presented, demonstrating the potential for late-stage functionalization.

Facile synthesis of a new series of 2,2′-bis(trifluoroacetyl) azoxybenzene derivatives and trifluoromethylated benzo[c]isoxazoline systems, along with trifluoroacetyl nitrosobenzene derivatives was achieved by solvent controlled photolysis of appropriate 2-nitrobenzyl alcohols. Corresponding photoactive 2-nitrobenzyl chromophore plays a distinct role in this photosynthetic process, while, quite unprecedented, pertinent fluoromethyl substitution leads to high value fluoromethylated products, whose direct access is not feasible by common synthetic protocols. The significance of fluorine and fluoroalkyl substitution and its prominent biological effects makes this new photochemical approach an important discovery in synthetic methodology. Plausible mechanistic pathways involved in the formation of the products during steady-state photolysis are further established by picosecond laser flash photolysis experiments.

The development of alkaline anion exchange membranes (AEM) has allowed for a myriad of new liquid fuels to be used in fuel cell applications that cannot be effectively oxidized under acidic conditi...

A variety of long-lived carbocations containing the p-(pentafluorosulfanyl)phenyl and m-(pentafluorosulfanyl)phenyl groups have been characterized by low-temperature NMR spectroscopy. In the case of potential nonclassical carbocations substituted with the p-(pentafluorosulfanyl)phenyl substituent, deviations from linearity when the Hammett parameter (σC+) is plotted versus 13C NMR shifts of the carbocationic center were observed. Plotting the experimentally derived 13C NMR shifts versus σC+ or σ+ of classical 4-phenyl-X substituted carbocations also provides a means to accurately back-calculate the σ+ and σC+ parameters of the -SF5 substituent.

The capture of CO2 from concentrated emission sources as well as from air represents a process of paramount importance in view of the increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and its associated negative consequences on the biosphere. Once captured using various technologies, CO2 is desorbed and compressed for either storage (carbon capture and storage (CCS)) or production of value-added products (carbon capture and utilization (CCU)). Among various products that can be synthesized from CO2, methanol and formic acid are of high interest because they can be used directly as fuels or to generate H2 on demand at low temperatures (

The widespread application of 1,2,3-triazoles in pharmaceuticals has resulted in substantial interest toward developing efficient postmodification methods. Whereas there are many postmodification methods available to obtain N1-substituted 1,2,3-triazoles, developing a selective and convenient protocol to synthesize N2-aryl-1,2,3-triazoles has been challenging. We report a catalyst-free and regioselective method to access N2-aryl-1,2,3-triazoles in good to excellent yields (66–97%). This scalable postmodification protocol is effective for a wide range of substrates.

A novel amine-assisted route for low temperature homogeneous hydrogenation of CO to methanol is described. The reaction proceeds through the formation of formamide intermediates. The first amine carbonylation part is catalyzed by K3PO4. Subsequently, the formamides are hydrogenated in situ to methanol in the presence of a commercially available ruthenium pincer complex as a catalyst. Under optimized reaction conditions, CO (up to 10 bar) was directly converted to methanol in high yield and selectivity in the presence of H2 (70 bar) and diethylenetriamine. A maximum TON of 539 was achieved using the catalyst Ru-Macho-BH. The high yield, selectivity, and TONs obtained for methanol production at low reaction temperature (145 °C) could make this process an attractive alternative over the traditional high temperature heterogeneous catalysis.

A method for the first direct insertion of difluorcarbene, generated from TMSCF3, into diselenides and disulfides is disclosed, producing novel difluoromethyl diselenoacetals and difluoromethyl dithioacetals. The reaction conditions tolerate a range of synthetically useful and biologically relevant functional groups. The process is scalable, with two representative compounds prepared at a gram-scale in good yields, and it utilizes cheap and available reagents.

The structures of the elusive cyclobutane dication, (CH2)42+, were investigated at the MP2/cc-pVTZ and CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ levels. Calculations show that the two-electron four-center (2e-4c) bonded structure 1 involving four carbon atoms is a minimum. The structure contains formally two tetracoordinate and two pentacoordinate carbons. The non-classical σ-delocalized structure can be considered as a prototype for a 2e-4c Woodward–Hoffmann frozen transition state. The planar rectangular shaped structure 2 with a 2e-4c bond was found not to be a minimum.