The title composite was prepared and self-assembled on carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Even after cleaning with UV/Ozone and electrochemical methods, the residual polyallylamine strongly influences the electronic structure of Pt. The resultant Pt-NC/CNT nanohybrid shows superior electrochemical activity and stability towards the oxygen reduction reaction in H₂SO₄ solutions compared with commercial Pt/C catalyst.

[Communication]
Gengtao Fu, Ruopeng Zhao, Linfei Ding, Lin Tao, Jun Lin, Yu Chen, Yawen Tang, Yiming Zhou, Tianhong Lu
ChemPlusChem, May 22, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300120. Read article.

Pollutant breakdown: As depicted, the photogenerated electrons of TiO₂ transfer to the multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and are captured by adsorbed O₂. Phosphate functionalization of MWCNTs promotes O₂ adsorption to improve photogenerated charge separation of the resulting MWCNT–TiO₂ composite.

[Full Paper]
Zhijun Li, Lumei He, Liqiang Jing, Jingsheng Lin, Yunbo Luan
ChemPlusChem, May 17, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300083. Read article.

All things being equal: The electrophilic aromatic bromination of 1,2:3,4:5,6-tris(biphenylylene)borazine yields the tribromo derivative that has only small bond-length alternation (BLA) according to X-ray crystallography and state-of-the art computations (see scheme). A re-investigation of the structure of the parent 1,2:3,4:5,6-tris(biphenylylene)borazine compound by experiment and theory reveals positional disorder of the borazine core.

[Full Paper]
Matthias Müller, Cäcilia Maichle-Mössmer, Peter Sirsch, Holger F. Bettinger
ChemPlusChem, May 17, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300110. Read article.

In the cover article, Martin Pumera et al. use self-propelled biocompatible capsules loaded with various surfactants and compared their influence upon movement of oil droplets. Their findings are expected to have great impact on potential applications of such capsules for environmental clean-up. Also, a report on visualizing hyperconjugation through UV-photoelectron spectroscopy is outlined by Vladimir Ya. Lee et al. Meanwhile, Pierre Frère et al. describe the synthesis as well as the optical, theoretical, electrochemical, X-ray, and electrical characteristics of new thiophene/furan-capped co-oligomers for organic field-effect transistors.

Browse Issue 5/2013 now

No two ways about it: Two photo- and thermoisomeric compounds of [(H₃ATSA)]·2 H₂O and [Cd₂(H₂ATSA)₄]·13 H₂O have been prepared and their optical properties investigated as well as simulated by DFT and TDDFT calculations (see figure). The multiple chromic properties of these compounds may be exploited to create new photoactive devices.

[Full Paper]
Jiao-Min Lin, Meng Yang, Yan-Xuan Qiu, Wen-Bin Chen, Hua Yan, Fei-Xian Gao, Zhen-Jie OuYang, Wen Dong, Tong-Chun Kuang
ChemPlusChem, May 13, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300113. Read article.

Luminescent cap: The properties of a fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolyte and mesoporous silica nanoparticles have been combined to prepare a pH-controlled drug delivery and cellular imaging system by using a simple and general method (see scheme). The fluorescent conjugated polyelectrolyte was used as both the capping agent and the imaging probe with low cytotoxicity. It is a promising candidate for simultaneous diagnostics and therapeutics.

[Full Paper]
Fang Pu, Xia Liu, Xinjian Yang, Zhen Liu, Jinsong Ren, Shu Wang, Xiaogang Qu
ChemPlusChem, May 13, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300135. Read article.

Tubulin as the target: The introduction of a hydrophobic group at position 7 of 9-fluorenone-2-carboxylic acid (see structure) generates new tubulin binders, the design of which is suggested by modeling studies. The antiproliferative activity on two different cell lines, fluorescent microscopy, flow cytometry, and sedimentation assay tests confirmed the supposed mechanism.

[Full Paper]
Francesco Calogero, Stella Borrelli, Gaetano Speciale, Michael S. Christodoulou, Daniele Cartelli, Dario Ballinari, Francesco Sola, Clara Albanese, Antonella Ciavolella, Daniele Passarella, Graziella Cappelletti, Stefano Pieraccini, Maurizio Sironi
ChemPlusChem, May 13, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300036. Read article.

Highly crystalline mesoporous TiO₂ was synthesized by a one-pot strategy that combines advantages of the Stöber, surfactant-templated, and hydrothermal methods (see figure; ACAC=acetyl acetone, IPA=isopropanol, TIP=titanium isopropoxide). The resulting photoanodes showed much higher efficiency because of extended electron lifetime related to the mesoporous structure confinement effect and accelerated electron transport.

[Full Paper]
Min Zhang, Keyou Yan, Wei Han, Shihe Yang
ChemPlusChem, May 09, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300133. Read article.

A logical choice: Proton-bound complexes between aromatic amino acids and a chiral multifunctional macrocycle, shown in green in the figure, behave as selective multi-input multi-output devices (“logic gates”) which, in the presence of an amine, may or may not release the amino acid depending on its configuration and basicity of the amine.

[Full Paper]
Caterina Fraschetti, Antonello Filippi, Maria Elisa Crestoni, Tadashi Ema, Maurizio Speranza
ChemPlusChem, May 06, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300086. Read article.

All that glitters is not gold: Thermally stable liquid metal salts have been synthesised by using readily available organic amine ligands and silver bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide. These compounds are useful for the electrodeposition of metallic silver with high deposition rates (see picture).

[Full Paper]
Daphne Depuydt, Neil R. Brooks, Stijn Schaltin, Luc Van Meervelt, Jan Fransaer, Koen Binnemans
ChemPlusChem, May 06, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300063. Read article.

Caught in a bind: A fluorescence emission study on the interactions of various mineral acids reveals that a bromide ion is recognized by the protonated form of 2-(1H-imidazole-2-ylthio)-3-methylnaphthalene-1,4-dione; this is attributed to the formation of the enol form of the corresponding bromide salt in solution (see picture).

[Full Paper]
Bigyan R. Jali, Jubaraj B. Baruah
ChemPlusChem, May 03, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300042. Read article.

High-octane action: Isobutane/2-butene alkylation was achieved using an hydrogen chloride gas-promoted, chloroaluminate ionic liquid catalyst in a discontinuous stirred tank reactor. Introducing the HCl additive led to high activity and selectivity in the production of desired trimethylpentanes (TMPs); figure also shows undesired secondary products (C₅-C₇, dimethylhexanes (DMHs), C₉₊). Additionally, deactivation of the ionic liquid catalyst was easily avoided.

[Full Paper]
Ferdinand Pöhlmann, Lisa Schilder, Wolfgang Korth, Andreas Jess
ChemPlusChem, May 03, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300035. Read article.

Totally radical: Gas-phase ion–molecule reactions were used to observe a radical rearrangement in the radical cation of glutathione (see scheme). This rearrangement proceeded from sulfur to the glutamic acid α-carbon atom, which was confirmed by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in two different IR regions (1000–1800 and 2800–3700 cm⁻¹) and DFT calculations.

[Full Paper]
Sandra Osburn, Giel Berden, Jos Oomens, Kerim Gulyuz, Nick C. Polfer, Richard A. J. O’Hair, Victor Ryzhov
ChemPlusChem, May 02, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300057. Read article.

IL effects: A self-assembled mesoporous polyoxometalate (POM) with coral-shaped morphology was obtained by pairing Keggin POM anions with newly designed dihydroxy-tethered guanidinium cations of an ionic liquid (IL). Enhancement of the heterogeneous catalytic activity in epoxidation is explained by a unique substrate–solvent–catalyst synergistic mechanism (see figure).

[Full Paper]
Guojian Chen, Yu Zhou, Pingping Zhao, Zhouyang Long, Jun Wang
ChemPlusChem, Apr 26, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300105. Read article.

Nothing on the inside: The unique structural properties of MnOOH nanotubes endow them with excellent electrochemical characteristics in terms of the specific capacitance, energy, and power densities (see figure). Furthermore, hybridizing graphite felt (GF) with MnOOH species using the binder-free concept enables them to be used as flexible supercapacitor electrodes.

[Full Paper]
Hui Teng Tan, Xianhong Rui, Wenhui Shi, Chen Xu, Hong Yu, Harry E. Hoster, Qingyu Yan
ChemPlusChem, Apr 24, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300095. Read article.

Treasure trove: A method for the extraction of noble and rare-earth metals by a DNA cross-linked hydrogel, based on high DNA affinity to these elements, is described (see picture). The hydrogel is promising in applications for metal accumulation and recycling.

[Communication]
Yuko Maeda, Anatoly Zinchenko, Larisa I. Lopatina, Vladimir G. Sergeyev, Shizuaki Murata
ChemPlusChem, Apr 22, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300047. Read article.

F. Pöhlmann, L. Schilder, W. Korth, A. Jess*

In isobutane/butene alkylation, chloroaluminate ionic liquid catalysts (CAIL) ([BMIM]Cl/AlCl₃, x_AlCl3=0.64) deactivate fast with time on stream with respect to activity and selectivity. Hence, it is crucial to find promising co-catalysts to stop the deactivation process. So, the effect of anhydrous hydrogen chloride gas (HCl) was studied in a batch reactor. This gaseous co-catalyst leads to an increased reaction rate and improves the yield of trimethylpentanes, the primarily desired high-octane compounds of alkylation. Moreover, already deactivated CAIL catalysts are reactivated by gaseous HCl. As a consequence the deactivation of the CAIL catalyst can be suppressed completely.

In complete control: A water-soluble palladium(II) click chelating complex serves as an efficient precursor for the formation of palladium nanoparticles (NPs; see picture). Excellent catalytic performances are achieved in Suzuki–Miyaura and Hiyama cross-coupling reactions in water.

[Full Paper]
Fanzhen Kong, Chunshan Zhou, Jinyun Wang, Zhangyu Yu, Ruihu Wang
ChemPlusChem, Apr 18, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300067. Read article.

Plastic fantastic: The first use of the carbamoylcyano(nitroso)methanide anion for the synthesis of ionic liquids produces crystal structures that depend strongly on the nature of the cation. The organic ionic plastic crystals made using this anion display good solid-state ionic conductivities, consistent with the increasing interest in this type of material as new solid-state electrolytes.

[Full Paper]
Judith Janikowski, Mohd R. Razali, Craig M. Forsyth, Kate M. Nairn, Stuart R. Batten, Douglas R. MacFarlane, Jennifer M. Pringle
ChemPlusChem, Apr 16, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300068. Read article.

Off the PEG: The first example of thiol/ene coupling of carboranes leads to telechelic poly(ethylene glycol)s (PEGs, see figure). The radical stability and the reaction mechanism have been checked by quantum chemical calculations. The raw products are separated by advanced chromatography techniques.

[Full Paper]
Pavel Matejíček, Mariusz Uchman, Martin Lepšík, Martin Srnec, Jiří Zedník, Petr Kozlík, Kveta Kalíková
ChemPlusChem, Apr 16, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300046. Read article.

Making a difference: The doping alkali metal (Li, Na, K) was demonstrated to affect the size, morphology, composition, crystallinity, and luminescence properties of RE₂O₂S (RE=rare earth) ultrathin nanoplates (see figure) synthesized through thermolysis of metal acetylacetonates in hot surfactant in the presence of sublimed sulfur, as confirmed by both controlled experiments and first-principles calculations.

[Full Paper]
Tao Zhang, Jun Gu, Yi Ding, Ya-Wen Zhang, Chun-Hua Yan
ChemPlusChem, Apr 16, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300092. Read article.

Dual control on the self-assembly process of gold nanoparticles by two factors, thiol-containing biomolecules and ionic strength of dielectric medium, has been developed, resulting in the collective effects and an interesting quasi-stable state (see figure).

[Full Paper]
Bo Hu, Xian Cao, Peng Zhang
ChemPlusChem, Apr 16, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300091. Read article.

The bigger the better: Nickel phosphite superstructures (see picture) assembled by nanotubes are successfully applied as electrochemical supercapacitors with good specific capacitances (1876 F g⁻¹ at 0.625 A g⁻¹), good rate capabilities, and excellent cycling properties (95 % of the initial specific capacitance at 6.25 A g⁻¹ after 2000 cycles).

[Full Paper]
Huan Pang, Chengzhen Wei, Yahui Ma, Shanshan Zhao, Guochang Li, Jiangshan Zhang, Jing Chen, Sujuan Li
ChemPlusChem, Apr 16, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300015. Read article.

Three sides to the story: Microporous and mesoporous polycyanurate networks were synthesized by means of thermal self-cyclotrimerization from two triangular cyanate resin monomers, 1,3,5-tri(4-cyanatophenyl)benzene and 1,3,5-tricyanatobenzene, respectively (see scheme). The adsorptions of CO₂, H₂, benzene, n-hexane, and water vapors were investigated.

[Full Paper]
Hao Yu, Changjiang Shen, Zhonggang Wang
ChemPlusChem, Apr 15, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300090. Read article.

One for all: Pd hollow nanospheres (PHNs) have been synthesized by a one-pot route using a RB-PdCl₄²⁻ complex (RB=rhodamine B) formed by an electrostatic interaction as sacrificial template (see scheme). The as-prepared materials exhibit enhanced electrocatalytic properties in fuel cells.

[Full Paper]
Liu Yang, Zhicheng Li, Xiaofeng Lu, Yan Tong, Guangdi Nie, Ce Wang
ChemPlusChem, Apr 15, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300017. Read article.

Making a stand: By means of in situ reduction and self-assembly at an unconventional liquid–liquid interface, free-standing ultrathin cobalt nanosheets (CoNs) consisting of nanosized Co clusters were successfully synthesized (see figure). The as-prepared CoNs display ferromagnetic behavior and a large thermal irreversibility. This strategy has been used also in the synthesis of Fe and Ni nanosheets.

[Communication]
Shichao Du, Zhiyu Ren, Yang Qu, Jian-qiang Wang, Lingjun Kong, Keying Shi, Buhe Bateer, Honggang Fu
ChemPlusChem, Apr 12, 2013, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201300041. Read article.

Wiley-VCH was pleased to sponsored the best poster prize at SupraChem 2013 held in Münster last week. The worthy winner is Malte Hansen from Burkhard König’s group based at the University of Regensburg for the poster titled “Photocatalytic Water Oxidation with Ruthenium-Complex-Functionalized Vesicles”. Congratulations to the winner.

Wiley-VCH was pleased to sponsored eight poster prizes at the 6th International Meeting on Molecular Electronics (ElecMol′12), which was recently held in Grenoble (France). The prizes were awarded by the ChemPubSoc Europe journals ChemPlusChem, Chemistry-A European Journal, and ChemPhysChem.

The worthy winners singled out by the jury were Tiphaine Bourgeteau from Serge Palacin’s group, Vincent Derycke, Sebastien Haar from Paolo Samori’s group, Dipankar Kalita from Nedjma Bendiab’s group, Kazuaki Hiroki, Giuseppe Tarabella from Salvatore Iannota’s group, Tino Wagner from Andreas Stemmer’s group, and Silvia Zanetti from Bernard Doudin’s group. Congratulations to all the winners.

Nazario Martín studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), where he earned a PhD in 1984 and was mentored by Carlos Seoane and José L. Soto. After a year working at the pharmaceutical company Juste S.A.Q.F., he returned to the UCM in 1985 and was promoted to associate professor in 1989 and to full professor in 2001. Martín was President of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry (RSEQ) from 2006--2012, and he contributed to the creation of the IMDEA, where he has been Vice-Director since 2007. Martín´s research interests include the molecular and supramolecular chemistry of carbon nanostructures involving electron-transfer processes and photovoltaics. His most recent publication outlines the synthesis and electronic properties of π-extended tetrathiafulvalenes. Martín is on the International Advisory Boards of ChemPlusChem and ChemSusChem.

[Call for Papers]

ChemPlusChem, May 21, 2012, DOI: 10.1002/cplu.201190001. Read article.

"To be an active part of crossdisciplinary research can be a tremendous 'catalyst' to boost creativity in chemistry and in turn to convince colleagues from other disciplines to interconnect with the beauty and power of chemistry," said Matthias Driess from the Technische Universität Berlin and Co-chair of ChemPlusChem. "The launch of ChemPlusChem will be of benefit to all crossdisciplinary researchers and will ensure that fruitful scientific collaborations keep heading in the right direction."

Co-Chair Nico Sommerdijk (Technische Universiteit Eindhoven) adds: "Great inventions almost always are the product of multidisciplinary research! There is a great need for a chemistry journal that is able to review and publish creative studies that bring together contributions from many areas of research. I think ChemPlusChem will be that journal."

Learn more from the Editorial in the inaugural issue.

Enjoy free trial access until September.