Organic rechargeable batteries have received significant research interest from the viewpoints of structural diversity and sustainability of electrode materials. We designed core structures of organic cathode materials for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which indicated that six-membered cyclic 1,2-diketones serve as excellent core structures because of the high redox energy change resulting from favorable coordination of the oxygen atoms to Li and the aromaticity of the reduced form. Here, we show that the Li-ion battery composed of pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PYT), which has two six-membered cyclic 1,2-diketone units, bound to polymethacrylate exhibits remarkable charge-discharge properties with a high specific capacity of 231 mAh/g, excellent rechargeability (83% of the capacity retained after 500 cycles), and charge-discharge ability (90% of the capacity at 30 C as compared to 1 C) in the LiNTf(2)/tetraglyme ionic-liquid system.

Oxygen (O(2)) is a prerequisite for cellular respiration in aerobic organisms but also elicits toxicity. To understand how animals cope with the ambivalent physiological nature of O(2), it is critical to elucidate the molecular mechanisms responsible for O(2) sensing. Here our systematic evaluation of transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channels using reactive disulfides with different redox potentials reveals the capability of TRPA1 to sense O(2). O(2) sensing is based upon disparate processes: whereas prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) exert O(2)-dependent inhibition on TRPA1 activity in normoxia, direct O(2) action overrides the inhibition via the prominent sensitivity of TRPA1 to cysteine-mediated oxidation in hyperoxia. Unexpectedly, TRPA1 is activated through relief from the same PHD-mediated inhibition in hypoxia. In mice, disruption of the Trpa1 gene abolishes hyperoxia- and hypoxia-induced cationic currents in vagal and sensory neurons and thereby impedes enhancement of in vivo vagal discharges induced by hyperoxia and hypoxia. The results suggest a new O(2)-sensing mechanism mediated by TRPA1.

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A novel strategy for the diversity-oriented synthesis of multisubstituted olefins, where 2-pyridyldimethyl(vinyl)silane functions as a versatile platform for olefin synthesis, is described. The palladium-catalyzed Heck-type coupling of 2-pyridyldimethyl(vinyl)silanes with organic iodides took place in the presence of Pd2(dba)3/tri-2-furylphosphine catalyst to give beta-substituted vinylsilanes in excellent yields. The Heck-type coupling occurred even with alpha- and beta-substituted 2-pyridyldimethyl(vinyl)silanes. The one-pot double Heck coupling of 2-pyridyldimethyl(vinyl)silane took place with two different aryl iodides to afford beta,beta-diarylated vinylsilanes in good yields. The palladium-catalyzed Hiyama-type coupling of 2-pyridyldimethyl(vinyl)silane with organic halides took place in the presence of tetrabutylammonium fluoride to give di- and trisubstituted olefins in high yields. The sequential integration of Heck-type (or double Heck) coupling and Hiyama-type coupling produced the multisubstituted olefins in regioselective, stereoselective, and diversity-oriented fashions. Especially, the one-pot sequential Heck/Hiyama coupling reaction provides an extremely facile entry into a diverse range of stereodefined multisubstituted olefins. Mechanistic considerations of both Heck-type and Hiyama-type coupling reactions are also described.

Although organic cathode materials have received significant research interest as cathode materials of lithium‐ion batteries because of sustainability and flexibility, they suffer from lower voltages compared to inorganic materials. To increase the voltage of batteries using organic cathode materials without decreasing the capacity, we studied the effect of the replacement of the CH moieties β to the carbonyl group of quinones with nitrogen atoms. The coordination of N to Li in the reduced forms and the greater electronegativity of N compared to C make reduction energetically more favorable. The lithium batteries based on the nitrogen analogues of quinones as cathode materials exhibited voltages higher than 3.0 V (the first stage).