We present herein a nickel-catalyzed dicarbofunctionalization of alkenes using readily available organoboronic acids and organic halides in a three-component fashion.

Detailed knowledge on tissue-specific metabolic reprogramming in diabetic nephropathy (DN) is vital for more accurate understanding the molecular pathological signature and developing novel therapeutic strategies. In the present study, a spatial-resolved metabolomics approach based on air flow-assisted desorption electrospray ionization (AFADESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) integrated mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) was proposed to investigate tissue-specific metabolic alterations in the kidneys of high-fat diet-fed and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated DN rats and the therapeutic effect of astragaloside IV, a potential anti-diabetic drug, against DN. As a result, a wide range of functional metabolites including sugars, amino acids, nucleotides and their derivatives, fatty acids, phospholipids, sphingolipids, glycerides, carnitine and its derivatives, vitamins, peptides, and metal ions associated with DN were identified and their unique distribution patterns in the rat kidney were visualized with high chemical specificity and high spatial resolution. These region-specific metabolic disturbances were ameliorated by repeated oral administration of astragaloside IV (100 mg/kg) for 12 weeks. This study provided more comprehensive and detailed information about the tissue-specific metabolic reprogramming and molecular pathological signature in the kidney of diabetic rats. These findings highlighted the promising potential of AFADESI and MALDI integrated MSI based metabolomics approach for application in metabolic kidney diseases.

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Owing to maximally exposed active sites and a unique electronic structure, atomically thin two-dimensional semiconductor catalysts and atomic-scale metal co-catalysts are beyond their conventional bulk limit, especially for catalysis. Here, we report a two-dimensional titania (2DT) sheet-supported atomic-scale palladium (Pd1/2DT) via a stepwise solvothermal reaction and photochemical reduction approach. Such synthesized 2DT sheets have a layer structure, with a measured optical onset at ∼2.86 eV. An atomically thick 2D structure not only exhibits short-distance migration of photo-induced charge carriers but also provides more anchoring sites to stabilize atomic-scale Pd1 species, thus promoting the separation of charge carriers and stability of Pd1. This Pd1/2DT can catalyze methane conversion to methanol with a selectivity of 94% by using low-energy photons (λ > 420 nm) of solar light. Our work demonstrates that atomically low-dimensional catalysts can result in new and useful catalytic behaviors.

A visible-light-induced photocatalytic intermolecular dearomative cyclization of 2-bromo-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and alkynes afforded biologically important spirocarbocycle structures in moderate to good yields via a 5-exo-dig radical cyclization under mild reaction conditions. A 5.0 mmol scale dearomatization reaction proceeded smoothly with 95% yield even when the catalyst loading was reduced to 0.1 mol %, suggesting that this method was suitable for large-scale synthesis.