Huanjun Xu

T‐AmOK is a commercially available base and generally sold as solutions in some solvents. In this paper, a dealkylation of various anisoles to prepare phenol compounds in good to excellent yields for most substrates in the presence of t‐AmOK base was developed. Meanwhile, t‐AmOK base is also useful for the dealkylation of lignin dimer model compounds to phenols with high to excellent yield. Notably, the dealkylation of aryl alkyl ethers in the presence of t‐AmOK showed better activity than that catalyzed by other tertiary butoxide bases.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) synthesized in supercritical CO ₂ show crystallinity and porosity similar to or better than those of solvothermal products, with much less solvent waste, shorter reaction time, and good iodine adsorption performance.

Salvianolic acid F (Sal‐F) is one of the most active components in the traditional Chinese medicine Danshen, and is a key intermediate in the synthesis of salvianolic acid A (Sal‐A). In this paper, a simple, efficient, and scalable route for the total synthesis of Sal‐F was developed. The total synthesis of Sal‐F was done through only 5 steps with high overall yield (45%). This synthetic technology was started from inexpensive materials, in which, some unpleasant reactants such as Br ₂ and n ‐BuLi were avoided. More importantly, this protocol was also applicable for 19 gram‐scale synthesis. This protocol is crucial for the synthesis of Sal‐A.

Rational design of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) at the molecular level is necessary to improve the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE) performance. Herein, a photosensitive two-dimensional (2D) COF, namely Im_TF–PD, is first constructed through the condensation of 1,3,6,8-tetra(4-formylphenyl)pyrene (TFPPy) and p-phenylenediamine (PD) under solvothermal conditions. The photocatalytic activity of Im_TF–PD is regulated by transforming imine linkages into quinoline through the Povarov reaction between the imine groups and phenylacetylene and 4-ethynylbenzonitrile, respectively. Such a post-synthetic modification (PSM) process enables the modulation of π-conjugation and simultaneously the introduction of the electron-deficient nitrile group improves the local electron delocalization of the skeleton of Im_TF–PD. As a result, the modified quinoline based COF (Qu-CN) exhibited outstanding and steady hydrogen production with a maximum hydrogen production rate of 245.17 mmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ under visible-light irradiation (λ ≥ 420 nm). Experimental and computational results revealed that Qu-CN with better electron–hole separation and lower band gap significantly improved the catalytic activity regarding kinetics and thermodynamics. This study reveals that enhancing π-conjugation and tuning the local electronic environment of COF-based photocatalysts provide a convenient and effective approach for the development of new efficient photocatalysts.

A simple, efficient and environmentally friendly methodology for the halodecarboxylation of anisole analogues using Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O/KBr or NaI at room temperature was developed.

An efficient, green and convenient protocol for synthesizing amides from secondary alcohols using Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O as the mediator, with CH₃CN as the N-source and solvent. This approach was scalable to the gram level.

With the global energy crisis stemming from the depletion of fossil fuels, the emergence of nuclear energy has spurred advancement in radioactive element capture technology. Radioactive iodine, found in nuclear waste, poses significant threats to both the environment and public safety. Consequently, the development of efficient radioactive iodine adsorbents has become a critical objective. In this study, we have successfully designed and synthesized three novel nitrogen-rich conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), i.e., Car-CMP-1, Car-CMP-2 and Car-CMP-3. These CMPs exhibit outstanding iodine vapor capture capacities (4.98, 3.38 and 5.10 g g⁻¹, respectively) at 75 °C under atmospheric pressure, as well as exceptional iodine capture abilities in n-hexane solution. Moreover, the captured iodine can be rapidly released in methanol, showcasing excellent recyclability. The extensive π-conjugated structure and abundant electron-donating nitrogen sites of CMPs contribute to their remarkable iodine capture performance. Additionally, the three CMP materials demonstrate superior capture efficiency for methyl iodide vapor (with adsorption capacities of 1.6 g g⁻¹, 1.1 g g⁻¹ and 1.9 g g⁻¹, respectively) and the mixed vapor of iodine and methyl iodide. FT-IR, UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy analyses reveal the presence of electron donor–acceptor pairs between the CMPs and iodine, indicating the charge-transfer (CT) interactions that confer ultra-high iodine capture capabilities to CMPs.