Electrospun Carbon Nanofiber/Boron Nitride Composites as Flexible Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Flexible electrode material has bendable feature and can be directly applied as electrode without any additives and binders. In this study, flexible carbon nanofiber/boron nitride composites were prepared via a facile electrospinning and subsequent carbonization treatment for lithium ion battery. BN nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in the nanofibers after an annealing temperature of 800 °C, and the diameters of nanofibers were at 100~450 nm range. The fabricated composites, used as binder-free anode materials, exhibited an impressive reversible capacity of 205 mAh·g-1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g-1. The electrodes still exhibited a specific capacity of 140 mAh·g-1 even at a higher current density of 1000 mA·g-1. The excellent electrochemical performance of the nanofiber/boron nitride composites can be attributed to the unique structure of nanofibers and superior electrical conductivity.

Zn-Mediated Scalable Synthesis of Trifluoromethylphosphines from Phosphine Chlorides and CF3Br.

Trifluoromethylphosphines represent a rare kind of phosphine with unique electronic withdrawing properties, which lead to some distinctive reactivities. The reported TFMPhos, products from nucleophilic or electrophilic trifluoromethylation of substrates, requiring one or more steps and prepared from phosphine chlorides, are very limited in structure diversity. Herein, we report a convenient and scalable (up to 100 mmol) recipe to synthesize diverse trifluoromethylphosphines via direct radical trifluoromethylation of phosphine chlorides with CF3Br in the presence of zinc powder.

Gold Catalysis Enabling Furan-Fused Cyclobutenes as a Platform toward Cross Cycloadditions.

The inherently strained furan-fused cyclobutenes, in situ generated via cycloisomerizations of allenyl ketones bearing cyclopropyl moiety under gold catalysis, have been utilized as reactive building blocks toward cross cycloadditions. The [4 + 2] and [3 + 2] annulations of these species with benzo[c]isoxazoles and N-iminoquinazolinium ylides furnish various three-dimensional cyclobutane-bridged polyheterocycles in good yields. A wide range of typically electron-deficient 1,3-dienes, heterodienes, and 1,3-dipoles can trap furan-fused cyclobutenes to afford several polycyclic architectures.

The First Attempt to Reevaluate Radon and Thoron Exposure in Gansu Province Study Using Radon-Thoron Discriminating Measurement Technique.

Although the epidemiological studies provide evidence for an increased risk of lung cancer risk associated with residential radon, an issue of radon-thoron discrimination remains to be solved. In this study, an updated evaluation of lung cancer risk among the residents in Gansu, China was performed where one of the major epidemiological studies on indoor radon demonstrated an increased risk of lung cancer. We analyzed data from a hospital-based case-control study that included 30 lung cancer cases and 39 controls with special attention to internal exposure assessment based on the discriminative measurement technique of radon isotopes. Results from the analyses showed non-significant increased lung cancer risks; odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for age, smoking, and total income were 0.35 (95% CI: 0.07-1.74) and 0.27 (95% CI: 0.04-1.74) for groups living in residences with indoor radon concentrations of 50-100 Bq m-3 and over 100 Bq m-3, respectively, compared with those with < 50 Bq m-3 indoor radon concentrations. Although the small sample size hampers the usefulness of present analyses, our study suggests that reevaluation of lung cancer risk associated with residential radon in the epidemiological studies will be required on the basis of precise exposure assessment.

Gold(I)-Catalyzed [8+4] Cycloaddition of 1,4-All-Carbon Dipoles with Tropone.

Herein, we describe a gold(I)-catalyzed generation of nonclassical gold-containing 1,4-all-carbon dipoles from cycloisomerization/1,2-carbene transfer/ring opening cascade reactions of readily accessible allenyl ketones bearing a cyclopropyl moiety and its cyclization with tropone. This method features an unprecedented formal [8+4] high-order cycloaddition under mild conditions for delivering structurally complex 7,7,5-tricycles in generally moderate to high yields.

Tunable Gold(I)-Catalyzed [4 + 3] Cycloaddition for Divergent Synthesis of Furan-Fused N,O-Heterocycles.

By choosing suitable ligand-directed gold catalysts, two types of gold-containing all-carbon 1,4-dipoles could be generated selectively from the gold(I)-catalyzed cycloisomerizations of allenyl ketones bearing a cyclopropyl moiety, which undergo [4 + 3] cycloadditions with nitrones to produce two regiomers of furan-condensed N,O-seven-membered rings in moderate to excellent yields highly selectively.

Iron(III)-Mediated Bicyclization of 1,2-Allenyl Aryl Ketones: Assembly of Indanone-Fused Polycyclic Scaffolds and Dibenzo[a,e]pentalene Derivatives.

The rapid construction of three-dimensional fused carbocycles is a key challenge in synthetic chemistry. Herein, an unprecedented and practical tandem Nazarov/oxidative umpolung 4π-ring closure of readily available 1,2-allenyl aryl ketones mediated by iron(III) chloride has been developed, furnishing a new family of indanone-fused molecular architectures in moderate to excellent yields. The indanone-containing blocks can be efficiently converted to unsymmetrical dibenzo[a,e]pentalenes. Significantly, divergent synthetic applications have been achieved to provide densely functionalized polycyclic arrays.

Synthesis of 5 H-Dibenzo[ c, g]chromen-5-ones via FeCl3-Mediated Tandem C-O Bond Cleavage/6π Electrocyclization/Oxidative Aromatization.

A novel and expedient method for transformation of readily available 1-isochromanones bearing a diaryl allenic moiety at the C4-position to functionalized 5 H-dibenzo[ c, g]chromen-5-ones under mild conditions is developed. This strategy is based on the dual abilities of iron(III) chloride to promote selective C-O bond cleavage/6π electrocyclization and an oxidative aromatization sequence.

Radon-thoron discriminative measurements in Gansu Province, China, and their implication for dose estimates.

Indoor radon measurements were carried out in cave dwellings of the Chinese loess plateau in Gansu province, where previously the Laboratory of Industrial Hygiene (LIH), China, and the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) had conducted an international collaborative epidemiological study. The LIH-NCI study showed an increased lung cancer risk due to high residential radon levels, and estimated the excess odds ratio at 100 Bq/m3 to be 0.19 (Wang et al., 2002). The present study used two types of newly developed passive monitors: One is a discriminative monitor for radon and thoron; the other is a selective monitor for thoron decay products. The arithmetic mean concentrations of indoor radon and thoron were 91 and 351 Bq/m3, respectively. As reported by our previous study in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces (Tokonami et al., 2004), the presence of high thoron concentration was confirmed and thoron was predominant over radon in the cave dwellings. However, the mean equilibrium equivalent thoron concentration (EETC) was found to be much lower than expected when assuming the equilibrium factor of 0.1 provided by the UNSCEAR (2000) report. The effective dose by radon and thoron decay products was estimated to be 3.08 mSv/yr. It was significantly lower than the dose of 8.22 mSv/yr estimated from the measurements that did not take into consideration any discrimination between radon and thoron. Excess relative risk of lung cancer per sievert may be much higher than the risk estimated from the LIH-NCI study, considering that discriminative measurements were not used in their study.

Radon and thoron exposures for cave residents in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

Measurements of natural radiation were carried out in cave dwellings distributed in the Chinese loess plateau. Those dwellings are located in Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces. Radon and thoron gas concentrations were measured using a passive integrating radon-thoron discriminative detector. Concentrations of thoron decay products were estimated from measurements of their deposition rates. A detector was placed at the center of each dwelling for 6 months and replaced with a fresh one for another 6 months. Measurements were conducted in 202 dwellings from August 2001 through August 2002. A short-term measurement was conducted during the observation period. In addition, gamma-ray dose rates were measured both indoors and outdoors with an electronic pocket dosimeter. Radioactivities in soil were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry with a pure germanium detector. Among 193 dwellings, indoor radon concentrations ranged from 19 to 195 Bq m(-3) with a geometric mean (GM) of 57 Bq m(-3), indoor thoron concentrations ranged from 10 to 865 Bq m(-3) with a GM of 153 Bq m(-3), and indoor equilibrium equivalent thoron concentrations ranged from 0.3 to 4.9 Bq m(-3) with a GM of 1.6 Bq m(-3). Arithmetic means of the gamma-ray dose rates were estimated to be 140 nGy h(-1) indoors and 110 nGy h(-1) outdoors. The present study revealed that the presence of thoron is not negligible for accurate radon measurements and thus that special attention should be paid to thoron and its decay products for dose assessment in such an environment. More systematic studies are necessary for a better understanding of thoron and its decay products.

Lung cancer and indoor exposure to coal and biomass in rural China.

Incomplete combustion of coal in homes has been linked with lung cancer in China. We report on a lung cancer case-control study in a rural area of China, where many residents live in underground dwellings and burn coal and unprocessed biomass (crop residues, wood, sticks, and twigs) for heating and cooking. We interviewed 846 patients with lung cancer (626 men, 220 women; aged 30 to 75 years) diagnosed between 1994 and 1998, and 1740 population-based controls. The odds ratio for lung cancer associated with coal use compared with that for biomass in the house of longest residence was 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.03 to 1.61), adjusted for smoking and socioeconomic status. The risk for lung cancer increased relative to the percentage of time that coal was used over the past 30 years (P = 0.02). Our findings suggest that coal may contribute to the risk of lung cancer in this rural area of China.

Residential radon and lung cancer risk in a high-exposure area of Gansu Province, China.

In the general population, evaluation of lung cancer risk from radon in houses is hampered by low levels of exposure and by dosimetric uncertainties due to residential mobility. To address these limitations, the authors conducted a case-control study in a predominantly rural area of China with low mobility and high radon levels. Included were all lung cancer cases diagnosed between January 1994 and April 1998, aged 30-75 years, and residing in two prefectures. Randomly selected, population-based controls were matched on age, sex, and prefecture. Radon detectors were placed in all houses occupied for 2 or more years during the 5-30 years prior to enrollment. Measurements covered 77% of the possible exposure time. Mean radon concentrations were 230.4 Bq/m(3) for cases (n = 768) and 222.2 Bq/m(3) for controls (n = 1,659). Lung cancer risk increased with increasing radon level (p < 0.001). When a linear model was used, the excess odds ratios at 100 Bq/m(3) were 0.19 (95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.47) for all subjects and 0.31 (95% confidence interval: 0.10, 0.81) for subjects for whom coverage of the exposure interval was 100%. Adjusting for exposure uncertainties increased estimates by 50%. Results support increased lung cancer risks with indoor radon exposures that may equal or exceed extrapolations based on miner data.