Research progress in synthesis and catalysis of polyoxometalates

Polyoxometalates (POMs) form a large class ofmetal oxide cluster type compounds. Their wealthytopology, physical and chemical properties have at tracted increasing interests. In this paper, based onour group’s research, we review the latest progress inthe synthetic chemistry and catalysis of POMs and in troduce some POMs with novel structure and theirderivatives that emerged in 2002—2004. Most of thecited references come from those published in 2003.Due to POMs’superio…     

High pressure supramolecular chemistry

High pressure supramolecular chemistry is a developing interdisciplinary field. The use of high pressure for the study and fabrication of supramolecular systems has been explored only in the past few years. Such studies would shed light on the nature of the structures and functions of the complex supramolecular architectures. In this review, systematic progress made in this field is introduced based on the recent achievements. Special attention is paid to pressure-driven novel properties and functions of supramolecular assemblies resulting from the changes of molecular conformations, intermolecular interactions and supramolecular arrangements under high pressure.     

Preparation and Composition-Structure-Thermal Stability Relation of a Novel Open-framework Vanadium Phosphate (H3NCH2CH2NH3)3[(VO)4(PO4)2(HPO4)4]

A novel open-framework vanadium(Ⅳ) phosphate (H3NCH2CH2NH3)3[(VO)4(PO4)2(HPO4)4] (short for V2P3-en) has been prepared. It is synthesized hydrothermally in the presence of ethylenediamine (en) at 170℃ for 5 days by self-assembly from structurally simple precursors V2O5, H3PO4 and H2O. The compound is characterized by means of Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Thermogravimetry-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray powder diffraction analysis (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, the composition-structure-thermal stability relation of V2P3-en is explored in terms of crystal chemistry, and the potential approach to the enhancement of its thermal stability is proposed.     

A Preliminary Study of Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) in the Endangered Aquatic Quillwort Isoetes sinensis Palmer in China

Isoetes sinensis Palmer (Isoetaceae) is an aquatic or amphibious plant that is critically endangered in China. Previous studies have revealed the crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM)-like photosynthetic pathway occurs commonly in submerged leaves in genus Isoetes. Water chemistry parameters and the titratable acidity content of the plant extract were measured from samples obtained in the early morning (7:00) and late afternoon (15:00) from two I. sinensis populations in China. One population occurs in the eulittoral zone of a freshwater tidal river at low elevation (134 m) and another occurs in a densely vegetated, high elevation (1 100 m) alpine shallow pool. Significant differences in pH and titratable acidity of the plant extract were detected between the morning and afternoon samples. These changes are associated with diurnal changes in water chemistry. Our results provide the first evidence for the existence of the CAM pathway in the East Asian endemic Isoetes sinensis Palmer. The magnitude of fluctu     

Effect of bromization on the properties of a series of sub-stituted 1,8,15,22-tetra(2,4-ditertbutylphenoxy) phthalocyanines

As a novel kind of functional dyes, phthalocyanines and metallophthalocyanines have been attracting the at-tention of many scientists for many years. Recently, the chemistry of Pcs has been undergoing a renaissance because Pcs and many of their derivatives exhibit theirproperties for potential application in materials science[1,2 One of the main questions in the field of phthalocya-nines research is to modify the molecular structure re-placing the benzene-spherical hydrogen atoms by various s…     

Chemical and biological research of Clematis medicinal resources

Clematis is a botanical source for various pharmaceutically active components,which has long been used in conventional medicine since the beginning of Chinese civilization.Increasing interest in Clematis medicinal resources has led to additional discoveries of triterpenoid saponins,flavonoids,coumarins,alkaloids and many other compounds in various Clematis species,and to investigations on their chemotaxonomy,molecular phylogeny and pharmacology.In continuation with our studies on Clematis chemistry and biology,we review the chemistry,chemotaxonomy,molecular biology and phylogeny of Clematis and their relevance to drug efficacy and drug development.Various databases and technology have been used in literature search in order to characterize the global scientific effort.It is essential to study more species for both the sustainable utilization of Clematis medicinal resources and finding novel compounds with potential clinical utility.Systems biology and omics technologies will play an increasingly important role in future medicinal research involving bioactive compounds of Clematis.     

A kinetic modeling study of pollutant formation in premixed hydrocarbon flames

A kinetic modeling of pollutant formation in hydrocarbon flames is presented through analysis of hierarchical structures. Based on the newly released GRI-Mech 3.0,it was mainly taken from Dean and Bozzelli (DB) and Wang mechanism respectively for the nitrogen chemistry, the formarion and growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The modeling was improved by considering C4 and Howard‘s PAH chemistry. The mechanism consists of 121 species in 731 reactions. Two premixed flame structures are predicted, and the computed results are compared with the experimental ones. It is shown that the mechanism predicts reasonably well the concentration profiles of major, key intermediate and minor species.     

Increase Renaturation Yield of Reteplase Using the Recombinant Human Protein Disulfide Isomerase

Reteplase, the recombinant type of novel tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) variant, is a promising thrombolytics in clinics. Expressed in the form of an inclusion body, reteplase consists of about 40% of the total intracellular proteins of Escherichia coli. The recombinant human protein disulfide isomerase (rhPDI) is used to increase the chance for the correct matching of the 18 hydrosulfide groups of the reteplase molecule in the renaturation process and it increase is the reteplase renaturation yield from 1%-2% to 15% - 20% with a the purity about 99% and the specific activity of 5(105 IU/mg is reached.This novel method can reduce significantly the cost of production.     

Progress in polymer solar cell

This review outlines current progresses in polymer solar cell. Compared to traditional silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) technology, the completely different principle of optoelectric response in the polymer cell results in a novel configuration of the device and more complicated photovoltaic generation proc-ess. The conception of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) is introduced and its advantage in terms of mor-phology is addressed. The main aspects including the morphology of photoactive layer, which limit the efficiency and stability of polymer solar cell, are discussed in detail. The solutions to boosting up both the efficiency and stability (lifetime) of the polymer solar cell are highlighted at the end of this review.     

A facile and green preparation of durian shell-derived carbon electrodes for electrochemical double-layer capacitors

A facile and green preparation of high surface area activated carbons with mixed microporosity and mesoporosity from durian shell waste is reported in this work. The pore structure and surface chemistry of the parent carbon were modified by the combination of ultrasonication and microwave irradiation techniques. The effects of temperature and time in the ultrasonication treatment and power output and time in the microwave irradiation were studied. The electrochemical performance of carbon electrodes for supercapacitors was tested by cyclic voltammeter (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge. The results show that the capacitive energy storage of electrodes is critically dependent on the microporosity and surface chemistry of activated carbons. The highest electrode capacitance in this work was 103.6 F/g that prepared from activated carbon modified at an ultrasonication temperature of 323.15 K for 10 min and microwave power output of 900 W for 10 min.     

Preparation,characterization and release of methyl viologen from a novel nanoparticle delivery system with double shells of silica and PLGA

The use of nanotechnology in drug delivery is a rapidly expanding field. Biodegradable or nontoxic nanomaterials have the most promising application potentials in nanomedicine. Herein, we report a novel core-shell nanoparticle with double shell coatings (silica and poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA)) with the total shell thickness of (8.7 ± 1.3) nm. The outer shell of PLGA is biodegradable and used for controlled and sustained release, and the inner shell of silica is mesoporous for the preservation of t...     

A novel non-enzymatic hydrogen peroxide sensor based on Co:ZnO modified electrodes

There is currently intense interest in the use of nanoparticles for a wide range of biomedical and technological applications. In this paper, the hierarchical Co doped ZnO nanoflowers were synthesized by a facile wet chemical method and explored as biosensing material. The as-modified novel hydrogen peroxide sensor exhibited a wide linear range(0.25–20 mM), highly reproducible response(R.S.D. of 2.7%) and long-term stability. The doping Co~(2+)ions carried out the oxidations rapidly and efficiently for the catalysis of hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2). A high activity toward H_2O_2 in the presence of ascorbic acid(AA) and NaNO_2, which are only common for natural enzymes, has also been demonstrated. The good analytical performance, low cost and straightforward preparation method makes this doped semiconductor promising for a wide range of potential applications in medicine, biotechnology and environmental chemistry.     

A Feminist Reading of Margaret Atwood's Surfacing

Margaret Atwood (1939- ) is one of the most distinguished female writers in contemporary Canada. Surfacing is her second novel, published in 1972. Through the novel, Atwood expresses her deep concern about the women. Literally, it is about a journey back to hometown and nature; but at the same time it also symbolizes a psychological journey for the heroine to find her true self. By analyzing the protagonist's personal experience with camera, language and abortion which serve as symbols of masculine power, this paper reveals women's dominated and victimized position in a male-oriented society, the gradual formation of the protagonist's feminist awareness and the process of her self-rediscovery.     

A new design method for asymmetrical head gradient coils used for superconducting MRI scanner

A novel approach of asymmetrical gradient coil design for head imaging in MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is presented in this paper. The design is based on a modified target field method in which the stream function is introduced to replace Blaine's scheme for the length control. The transverse head coil calculated by this method has a high performance. The coil efficiency is 0.41 mT/m/A and the inductance is 512 μH. The coil has an inner diameter of 32 cm and a length of 45.8 cm. The size of the ROU (region of uniformity) is 20 cm along the transverse direction and 17 cm along the axial direction and it is close to one end of the coil. The ROU of the coil matches the ROI (region of interest) of human head very well. Compared with previous designs, our design has relatively high performance and the overlap between the ROU and the ROI is larger (the overlap percent is 95 % ).     

E-E energy transfer rate for the reaction of N_2(a~1Π_g)+CO(X~1∑)→CO(A~1Π)+N_2(X~1∑_g)

The metastable N_2(a~1 Π_g, v~′) is not only one of the most important energy carriers in the discharge of nitrogen, but also one of the most prominent ultraviolet molecular emission source in the ionosphere. Knowledge of its energy transfer processes is important for chemical lasers, atmosphere chemistry and remote sensing applications. In 1972, Golde and     

Novel concept of recycling sludge and dust to BOF converter through dispersed <Emphasis Type="Italic">in-situ</Emphasis> phase induced by composite ball explosive reaction

Recycling of iron and steelmaking dusts is a key issue in environmental protection efforts and to ensure efficient utilization. In this investigation, we developed a novel recovery process that uses a dispersed in-situ phase induced by an explosive reaction of composite balls of iron and steelmaking dusts. We designed and prepared composite balls for this function using a laboratory model batch-type balling disc (at 12 r/min) and optimized the feeding modes in 180-t and 260-t basic oxygen furnace (BOF) converters. The results indicate that feeding composite balls into BOF converters is an effective novel technology for recovering iron and steelmaking dusts. The period after hot metal charging and prior to the oxygen-blowing process is the most reasonable time to feed composite balls. Composite ball treatment is not appropriate for steel production with sulfur requirements lower than 80 ppm. The maximum composite ball feeding amount is 40 kg/t and the iron yield rate is better than 95%. Compared with the conventional recycling process of sludge and dust, this novel technology is more convenient and efficient, saving up to 309 RMB per ton of steel. Further investigation of this novel recycling technology is merited.     

Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers for Light Emitting and Photovoltalc Applications

1 Results The initial report of polymeric light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) based on poly(p-phenylenevinylene) gave birth to an intense research effort in conjugated polymers, primarily focused on the development of optoelectronic and electrochemical devices. Significant developments in modern synthetic chemistry, especially the chemistry of carbon-carbon bond formation have allowed the synthesis of various well-defined conjugated polymers and oligomers with optimized physical properties.Meanwhile, these reactions normally require a transition metal catalyst, which results in a problem in materials purification that is harmful to materials physical properties. On the other hand, Wittig and Knovenagel condensations are also famous reactions for the formation of carbon-carbon double bond, which can proceed without a transition metal catalyst.     

Recent progress in terahertz science and technology

The relatively new technique of coherent electromagnetic radiation, in the region of 1012 Hz, has potential to detect the nature of low energy processes in physics, chemistry and biomedicine. In this review article, an overview of recent progress of terahertz (THz) science and technology is presented. The development of the THz generation and detection system, the THz radiation applications which include THz time-domain spectroscopy and T-ray imaging, and the future potential of THz wave research are discussed.     

On the Use of Comic Irony of Pride and Prejudice

" Pride and Prejudice" is one of Jane Austen's masterpieces. It is universally read from its magnificent opening sentence to the end and we can feel its author is great and the novel is well constructed. In the most striking place, the use of comic irony makes us feel the comedy and satire of the whole novel and also the most shining people Elizabeth Bennet who gains the most admiration in print. From it, we can also appreciate the love and marriage between the ladies and gentlemen of the landed gentry; the complicated pride and prejudice between the hero and heroine which make the novel more vivid and believable and the characters more truthful than ever; the author's mastery of language and the great achievement of the novel.