Nature creates an intriguing array of molecular architectures that has attracted extensive investigations on natural product identification, origin, biological activities, and chemical synthesis. In particular, biosynthetic studies have inspired elegant biomimetic total synthesis of natural products. Herein, we report biomimetic syntheses of the natural products brosimones A and B featuring mul...

The surface force apparatus (SFA) was utilized to obtain force-distance profiles between silica-supported membranes formed by Langmuir-Blodgett deposition of 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC). In the absence of a membrane, a long-range electrostatic repulsion and short-range steric repulsion are measured as a result of the deprotonation of silica in water and the roughness of t...

Mesoporous silica molecular sieves are a kind of unique catalyst support due to their large pore size and high surface area. Several methods have been developed to immobilize heteropolyacids (HPAs) inside the channels of these mesoporous silicas. The mesoporous silica-supported HPA materials have been widely used as recyclable catalysts in heterogeneous systems. They have shown high catalytic a...

When used as additives, silicas strongly promoted the epoxidation of cyclooctene by (t)BuOOH in the presence of Ti-silsesquioxane (Ti-POSS), where Ti species were found to be bound to the silica surface. Based on this observation, highly-active silica-supported Ti catalysts were prepared by the thermal treatment of mixtures of Ti-POSS and silica.

For the large-scale sustainable implementation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells in vehicles, high-performance electrocatalysts with low platinum consumption are desirable for use as cathode material during the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. Here we report a carbon black-supported cost-effective, efficient and durable platinum single-atom electrocatalyst with carbon monoxide/...

Catalysts using suitably supported platinum show promise for the commercial production of heavy water. Carbons are potential primary supports for the platinum and metal-support interactions have been observed in this system. These interactions lower the chemical activation energy and increase the rate of reaction under conditions where it seems likely that the support donates electrons to the m...

Silica Vanadic Acid, SVA, (oxo-vanadium has been supported on silica) as a dual Lewis and Bronsted acid ability was prepared and efficiently catalyzed one-pot multi-component condensation of enolizable ketones or alkyl acetoacetates with aromatic aldehydes, acetonitrile and acetyl chloride. The described reaction was produced β-acetamido ketone or ester derivatives in high to excellent yields i...