0000000000805787
AUTHOR
P. Martin-zarza
Histamine, an effective initiator for the synthesis of polysulfides
The synthesis of polysulfides from thioepoxides traditionally makes use of toxic organometallic initiators. We demonstrate the use of histamine as an efficient initiator. The polymerization can be carried out under solvent-free and metal-free conditions at mild temperature to obtain high-quality polysulfides. A synergistic acid and base catalysis mechanism is proposed. The results enable a safer and cleaner production of next-generation polymers.
Bio-inspired Ni dinuclear complexes as heterogeneous catalysts for hydrogen evolution
Abstract A major challenge in the sustainable production of hydrogen is lowering the electrochemical overpotential and the activation energy of the hydrogen evolution reaction. Some enzymes have two metallic Ni centers and catalyze this reaction with high activity. Taking inspiration from them, we have developed two novel dinuclear Ni(II) complexes, Ni-PATIO and Ni-PACO, with promise as molecular catalysts. Ni-PACO exhibits a square-planar geometry for both Ni(II) and two-fold rotational symmetry both in solid and solution states, whereas Ni-PATIO displays one square-planar Ni(II) center and one octahedral Ni(II) configuration, which confer it magnetic properties. We show that both complexe…