A bi-functional sugar-based surfactant ALA14 was designed as the ligand and micelle constructor and demonstrated to promote the copper-catalyzed C–X coupling reaction in water. The nature of this micelle, formed by sugar-based surfactants, was investigated with CMC, DLS, and TEM, by which encapsulation and aggregation of the substrates in micelles were verified. Additionally, it was addressed by ¹H-NMR analysis that the enrichment position of the substrates is in the lipophilic alkyl chain. Finally, moderate to excellent yields of the aimed products were obtained in this work. This remarkably simple strategy expanded the scope of C–X coupling reaction in water; most notably, both water and ALA14 can be recycled and reused.

RANEY® Ni-catalyzed reductive N-methylation of amines with paraformaldehyde has been investigated. This reaction proceeds in high yield with water as a byproduct. RANEY® Ni can be easily recovered and reused with a slight decrease of the yield. Using density functional theory (DFT), the mechanism of RANEY® Ni-catalyzed reductive N-methylation is discussed in detail. The reaction pathway involves the addition of amine with formaldehyde, dehydration to form the imine and hydrogenation. In the transition state of hemiaminal dehydration, the C–O bond cleavage of the aromatic amine is more difficult than that of the aliphatic amine. For the aromatic amine, a higher energy barrier must be overcome, which results in a relatively low yield. After addition of amine with formaldehyde and dehydration, imine is obtained and preferred to adsorb on the bridge site of the Ni(111) surface. The preferential pathways of imine hydrogenation involve the pre-adsorbed hydrogen atom attacking the nitrogen atom of the imine. The energy barrier of hydrogenation is much lower than that of addition and dehydration. Thus, the hydrogenation of imine is a relatively rapid reaction step. In the reductive N-methylation of secondary amine, the possible dehydration pathway is different from the one of the primary amine. In the dehydration of the secondary amine, the intermediate hemiaminal is initially adsorbed on the bridge site of the Ni(111) surface, then undergoes C–O bond cleavage, and eventually the hydroxyl is located in the bridge site. With the final hydrogenation, the product is obtained by adsorption on the top site of the Ni(111) surface.

A combined experimental/theoretical investigation on the D-glucosamine promoted sulfenylation of indoles at the C3 position with sodium sulfinates catalyzed by copper is presented. The C3-sulfenylation of indoles shows good functional-group tolerance and yields. The 3-I-indole was identified as a crucial intermediate in the catalytic cycle. The catalytic role of [Cu(DMSO)₂]²⁺ was addressed using quantum chemical calculations. In the interaction of [Cu(DMSO)₂]²⁺ with indole, the [Cu(DMSO)₂]²⁺ complex abstracts a hydrogen from the C3 of indole. The electronic origin for selective C–H bond activation of indole was revealed.

Symmetric sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) have become a research focus since they employ bi-functional electrode materials as both the cathode and the anode, resulting in reduced manufacturing cost and simplified fabrication process. Layered oxide bi-functional materials have received great attention recently, while phosphate analogues have rarely been involved in the same energy storage system. Herein, we report a new phosphate compound of Na₃Co_0.5Mn_0.5Ti(PO₄)₃, and investigate the electrochemical performances of this bi-functional material in traditional organic electrolyte. The results demonstrate that Na₃Co_0.5Mn_0.5Ti(PO₄)₃ can deliver compatible capacities of ca. 50 mA h g⁻¹ at a rate of 0.1C in both potential windows of 2.8–4.2 V and 1.6–2.8 V. Furthermore, when applied as anode material for rechargeable NIBs, Na₃Co_0.5Mn_0.5Ti(PO₄)₃ can exhibit an impressive cycling stability with capacity retention of 94% exceeding 550 cycles at a rate of 0.2C. In addition, deriving from Na₃Co_0.5Mn_0.5Ti(PO₄)₃ as simple active material, we construct a symmetric NIB with an average operation voltage of 1.5 V and a specific energy of about 30 W h kg⁻¹.

Three different types of functionalized-CS were prepared and anchored with copper salts for use as the catalyst for the Ullmann C–X coupling reaction.