This review article presents the structures, properties, and the emerging applications of a subset of cucurbit[ n ]uril-type receptors that have two cavities.

Clarifying the response of soil microbial communities to vegetation restoration is essential to comprehend biogeochemical processes and ensure the long-term viability of forest development. To assess the variations in soil microbial communities throughout the growth of Pinus armandii plantations in the karst region, we utilized the “space instead of time” approach and selected four P. armandii stands with ages ranging from 10 to 47 years, along with a grassland control. The microbial community structure was determined by conducting Illumina sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene and the ITS gene, respectively. The results demonstrated that afforestation with P. armandii significantly influenced soil microbial communities, as indicated by notable differences in bacterial and fungal composition and diversity between the plantations and the control. However, soil microbe diversity did not display significant variation across stand ages. Moreover, the bacterial community exhibited higher responsiveness to age gradients compared to the fungal community. Soil physicochemical factors play a critical role in elucidating microbial diversity and community composition variations during restoration processes. TN, AN, TP, AP, SOC, AK, and pH were the most significant influencing factors for the composition of bacterial community, while TC, SOC, pH, and TC_a were the most significant influencing factors for the composition of fungal community. Our findings indicate substantial changes in soil bacterial and fungal communities across successive stages of development. Additionally, the changes in dominant bacteria and fungi characteristics across the age gradient were primarily attributed to variations in the prevailing soil conditions and chemical factors.

The color and fluorescence of supramolecular glass were controlled by the non-covalent approach.

The separation of benzene and thiophene presents a significant challenge in the chemical industry, particularly in the pursuit of obtaining high purity benzene. Conventional approaches employed for benzene and thiophene separation have drawbacks such as excessive energy consumption, intricate technical procedures, and the persistence of extractant remnants. Herein, we developed an adsorptive separation method characterized by its environmentally friendly nature, low energy consumption, simplicity in operation, and most importantly, high selectivity in separation. In this paper, cucurbit[6]uril (Q[6]) was employed as an adsorbent for effectively separating thiophene from a mixture of benzene and thiophene both in a solid–vapor and solid–liquid interface, with a selectivity of 99.3% at solid–vapor and 100% at solid–liquid interfaces. Excellent results were also obtained in the simulations of practical industrial separation with lower thiophene content. The selectivity arises from the formation of a host–guest complex between Q[6] and thiophene, while benzene does not form such a complex under the experimental conditions. In addition, the thiophene trapped within the Q[6] cavity can be eliminated through heating under vacuum or immersion in an organic solvent, yielding a guest-free Q[6] that can be reused without obvious reduction of separation performance. High-purity benzene and thiophene were obtained through this purification process. This work provides a new strategy for separating other important compounds with similar boiling points and offers inspiration for using supramolecular hosts in other energy-intensive separation methods.