A facile strategy based on the reaction of urea and boric acid is developed for the synthesis of toxicity-free BCNO nanocrystals containing carbon impurities and which exhibit efficient multi-color fluorescence under both single-photon and two-photon excitation.

A facile approach has been developed for synthesis of highly-structured, anisotropic Pd nanostructures. The dendritic Pd nanostructures show superior performance toward oxidation of formic acid and methanol for fuel cell application.

Uniform multicolor upconversion luminescent RE(3+) doped NaYF(4) nanocubes are fabricated through a facile ethylene glycol (EG)/ionic liquid interfacial synthesis route at 80 degrees C, with the ionic liquids acting as both reagents and templates.

A facile aqueous synthesis method for the preparation of Au nanoparticle clusters by the controlled galvanic replacement of Ag nanoparticles with Au precursors is described. The prepared clusters showed both significantly enhanced surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity and stability.

A facile and selective synthesis of N-substituted 2-aminopyridines is accomplished via microwave-assisted multi-component reactions controlled by the basicity of amine and the nature of solvent. In addition, a possible mechanism accounting for the reaction was proposed.

A facile synthesis of a new bisoxazoline ligand is described. This ligand contains a urea bridging unit and is capable of stabilizing bimetallic complexes. An X-ray crystal structure of a bis-copper complex is reported.

The facile synthesis of a thermally stable carborane appended symmetrical star-shaped molecule having six bulky o-carborane clusters on the periphery, thereby containing sixty boron atoms was accomplished via a cobalt-catalyzed [2+2+2] cycloaddition reaction.

A facile direct synthesis of cinnamonitriles from acrylonitriles and benzenes is successfully achieved by using Pd(OAc)(2)/HPMoV/O(2) catalyst system via the direct C-H bond activation of benzenes using molecular oxygen as a terminal oxidant.

A facile synthesis of a 5,7,5-fused ring system that is present in thapsigargins belonging to a novel family of sesquiterpene lactones, guainanolides, using domino enyne-RCM is reported here.

Electrodeposition of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) onto conducting plastic allows the cheap and facile synthesis of plastic cathodes for dye-sensitised solar cells, having excellent solar cell efficiency (8%), at a fraction of the cost of platinised plastic.