New platinum and ruthenium Schiff base complexes for water splitting reactions

New Pt(ii) and Ru(ii) complexes with Schiff base ligands display effective visible-light catalytic water reduction and Ce⁴⁺-driven oxidation activities, respectively.

Spectacular photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using metal-phosphide/CdS hybrid catalysts under sunlight irradiation

Transition metal phosphide (CoP,Ni₂P,Cu₃P)/CdS hybrid catalysts were applied to heterogeneous photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and exhibited splendid photocatalytic activity with a H₂-production rate of up to 254 000 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹ and excellent stability in aqueous acidic media.

Highly efficient and selective photocatalytic reduction of nitroarenes using the Ni2P/CdS catalyst under visible-light irradiation

A highly efficient Ni₂P/CdS photocatalytic system in water for selective nitro reduction to amino organics and the reaction mechanism were presented clearly.

Long-lived excited states of zwitterionic copper(I) complexes for photoinduced cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions

Four heteroleptic copper(I) complexes containing phenanthroline and monoanionic nido-carborane-diphosphine ligands have been prepared and structurally characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and X-ray diffraction. These complexes exhibit intense absorptions in the visible range and excited-state lifetimes on the microsecond scale. Their application in visible-light-induced cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions was investigated. Preliminary studies showed that one of the four copper(I) complexes is an efficient catalyst for photoinduced oxidative C-H functionalization using oxygen as oxidant. Furthermore, α-functionalized tertiary amines were obtained in good-to-excellent yields by light irradiation (λ>420 nm) of a mixture of our Cu(I) complex, tertiary amines, and a variety of nucleophiles (nitroalkane, acetone, or indoles) under aerobic conditions. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements provided evidence for the formation of superoxide radical anions (O2(-⋅)) rather than singlet oxygen ((1)O2) during these photocatalytic reactions.

New members of fluorescent 1,8-naphthyridine-based BF2 compounds: selective binding of BF2 with terminal bidentate N^N^O and N^C^O groups and tunable spectroscopy properties

Intensely luminescent 1,8-naphthyridine-BF2 complexes 1-9 containing terminal bidentate N^N^O and/or N^C^O groups are synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, (1)H and (19)F NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Complexes 1-4 are synthesized from 2-acetamino-1,8-naphthyridine derivatives by a facile route. Selective bonding modes and the chemical stability of complexes 5 and 6 obtained by reacting BF3·Et2O with 1,8-naphthyridine derivatives bearing dual-functional groups (N^C^O and N^N^O) are investigated by crystal structure analysis and time-dependent density functional theory calculations. The products containing a BF2 core bound to a N^C^O chelating group are energetically favorable and can expand the range of derivatives by substitution at the 2-position. In this regard, a free -NH2 group at the 2-position of complex 7 obtained from 5 can be functionalized under a variety of pH conditions to generate complexes 8 and 9, which bear flexible coordination arms that can be used to recognize certain transition metals. The photophysical properties of the complexes are examined in solution and solid state at room temperature. Compared with those of the starting naphthyridine-based compounds, the naphthyridine-BF2 complexes display desirable light-absorbing properties and intense solution and solid-state emission with large Stokes shifts. Complex 4 in solution exhibited an emission quantum yield of 0.98. In complexes 5-9, the binding sites for the BF2 core change from N^N^O to N^C^O, which leads to red shifts of absorption and emission, excellent chemical stability and high emission quantum yields.

Photoreduction of iron(III) to iron(0) nanoparticles for simultaneous hydrogen evolution in aqueous solution

Crystalline Fe nanoparticles were obtained with fluorescein (Fl) as the photosensitizer in triethylamine (TEA) or triethanolamine (TEOA) aqueous solution with FeCl3 as the Fe precursor under bright visible-light light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation. Photoinduced electron transfer from excited state Fl* and Fl(-) to Fe(3+) produced the Fe nanoparticles, which served as the active catalyst for in situ photocatalytic hydrogen production with Fl and TEA or TEOA as the photosensitizer and electron donors, respectively, in the same system. Robust hydrogen production activities were observed under the Fe nanoparticle photoreduction conditions in basic solution, and tens of milliliters of hydrogen were obtained over prolonged LED irradiation. If inorganic support materials such as NH2 -MCM-41 or reduced graphene oxide were introduced, dispersed nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes were deposited on the supports, which led to variously enhanced hydrogen production activities. The relationships between the morphologies of the Fe/H2 N-MCM-41 or Fe/graphene composites generated in situ and the hydrogen production activities were investigated systematically.

Facile synthesis of a ruthenium assembly and its application for light-driven oxidation of alcohols in water

A supramolecular assembly containing two light harvesting fragments [Ru(tpy)2](2+) and one catalytic unit [Ru(tpy)(bpy)Cl](+) was synthesized in a facile manner in 90% yield, and exhibited high photocatalytic product-selectivity compared with the corresponding bimolecular system in the light-driven oxidation of alcohols using [Co(NH3)5Cl]Cl2 as a sacrificial oxidant in water at room temperature.