Mckeeruiz8931
The applicability of organic battery materials in conventional rocking-chair lithium (Li)-ion cells remains deeply challenged by the lack of Li-containing and air-stable organic positive electrode chemistries. Decades of experimental and theoretical research in the field has resulted in only a few recent examples of Li-reservoir materials, all of which rely on the archetypal conjugated carbonyl redox chemistry. Here we extend the chemical space of organic Li-ion positive electrode materials with a class of conjugated sulfonamides (CSAs) and show that the electron delocalization on the sulfonyl groups endows the resulting CSAs with intrinsic oxidation and hydrolysis resistance when handled in ambient air, and yet display reversible electrochemistry for charge storage. The formal redox potential of the uncovered CSA chemistries spans a wide range between 2.85 V and 3.45 V (versus Li+/Li0), finely tunable through electrostatic or inductive molecular design. This class of organic Li-ion positive electrode materials challenges the realm of the inorganic battery cathode, as this first generation of CSA chemistries already displays gravimetric energy storage metrics comparable to those of the stereotypical LiFePO4.Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease, estimated to contribute 60-70% of all cases of dementia worldwide. read more According to the prevailing amyloid cascade hypothesis, amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition in the brain is the initiating event in AD, although evidence is accumulating that this hypothesis is insufficient to explain many aspects of AD pathogenesis. The discovery of increased levels of inflammatory markers in patients with AD and the identification of AD risk genes associated with innate immune functions suggest that neuroinflammation has a prominent role in the pathogenesis of AD. In this Review, we discuss the interrelationships between neuroinflammation and amyloid and tau pathologies as well as the effect of neuroinflammation on the disease trajectory in AD. We specifically focus on microglia as major players in neuroinflammation and discuss the spatial and temporal variations in microglial phenotypes that are observed under different conditions. We also consider how these cells could be modulated as a therapeutic strategy for AD.Substantial progress has been made over the past two decades in detecting, predicting and promoting recovery of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC) caused by severe brain injuries. Advanced neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques have revealed new insights into the biological mechanisms underlying recovery of consciousness and have enabled the identification of preserved brain networks in patients who seem unresponsive, thus raising hope for more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Emerging evidence suggests that covert consciousness, or cognitive motor dissociation (CMD), is present in up to 15-20% of patients with DoC and that detection of CMD in the intensive care unit can predict functional recovery at 1 year post injury. Although fundamental questions remain about which patients with DoC have the potential for recovery, novel pharmacological and electrophysiological therapies have shown the potential to reactivate injured neural networks and promote re-emergence of consciousness. In this Review, we focus on mechanisms of recovery from DoC in the acute and subacute-to-chronic stages, and we discuss recent progress in detecting and predicting recovery of consciousness. We also describe the developments in pharmacological and electrophysiological therapies that are creating new opportunities to improve the lives of patients with DoC.Transition-metal-catalysed, redox-neutral dehydrosilylation of alkenes is a long-standing challenge in organic synthesis, with current methods suffering from low selectivity and narrow scope. In this study, we report a general and simple method for the manganese-catalysed dehydrosilylation and hydrosilylation of alkenes, with Mn2(CO)10 as a catalyst precursor, by using a ligand-tuned metalloradical reactivity strategy. This enables versatility and controllable selectivity with a 11 ratio of alkenes and silanes, and the synthetic robustness and practicality of this method are demonstrated using complex alkenes and light olefins. The selectivity of the reaction has been studied using density functional theory calculations, showing the use of an iPrPNP ligand to favour dehydrosilylation, while a JackiePhos ligand favours hydrosilylation. The reaction is redox-neutral and atom-economical, exhibits a broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance, and is suitable for various synthetic applications on a gram scale.The discovery of ferrocene nearly 70 years ago marked the genesis of metallocene chemistry. Although the ferrocenium cation was discovered soon afterwards, a derivatized ferrocenium dication was only isolated in 2016 and the monoanion of ferrocene has only been observed in low-temperature electrochemical studies. Here we report the isolation of a derivatized ferrocene anion in the solid state as part of an isostructural family of 3d metallocenates, which consist of anionic complexes of a metal centre (manganese, iron or cobalt) sandwiched between two bulky Cpttt ligands (where Cpttt is 1,2,4-C5H2tBu3). These thermally and air-sensitive complexes decompose rapidly above -30 °C; however, we were able to characterize all metallocenates by a wide range of physical techniques and ab initio calculations. These data have allowed us to map the electronic structures of this metallocenate family, including an unexpected high-spin S = 3/2 ground state for the 19e- derivatized ferrocene anion.Current strategies for the synthesis of molecular knots focus on twisting, folding and/or threading molecular building blocks. Here we report that Zn(II) or Fe(II) ions can be used to weave ligand strands to form a woven 3 × 3 molecular grid. We found that the process requires tetrafluoroborate anions to template the assembly of the interwoven grid by binding within the square cavities formed between the metal-coordinated criss-crossed ligands. The strand ends of the grid can subsequently be joined through within-grid alkene metathesis reactions to form a topologically trivial macrocycle (unknot), a doubly interlocked [2]catenane (Solomon link) and a knot with seven crossings in a 258-atom-long closed loop. This 74 knot topology corresponds to that of an endless knot, which is a basic motif of Celtic interlace, the smallest Chinese knot and one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism and Hinduism. The weaving of molecular strands within a discrete layer by anion-template metal-ion coordination opens the way for the synthesis of other molecular knot topologies and to woven polymer materials.