Professor Weixiaofeng's team at the School of Pharmacy, Xi'an Jiaotong University, utilized readily available organic halides and selenium powder as starting materials, with magnesium as an activating reagent. They achieved the in-situ preparation of highly active organic selenium reagents through mechanochemical methods and were the first to characterize the reactive intermediates using Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (NEXAFS) internationally. With a clear understanding of the reaction mechanism, the authors controlled the air oxidation process and made rational choices of electrophilic acceptors, leading to the systematic synthesis of structurally diverse symmetrical diselenides and unsymmetrical monoselenides. This research was published in Nature Communications on January 26th.
The concept of project design. (Provided by the research group)
Compared to traditional strategies, this mechanized chemical synthesis system achieves efficient energy dispersion and mass transfer under solid-state conditions. It overcomes the challenging issues of chemical inertness, high insolubility, and the formation of selenium clusters in the process of selenium elemental reactions. This provides a new strategy for the green and sustainable synthesis of organic selenium compounds. The method is widely applicable and can also be used for the preparation of sulfur and tellurium-containing compounds, providing important theoretical and experimental foundations for expanding the structural diversity of organic compounds containing sulfur elements and exploring their biological functions. Based on this method, the team has obtained a series of selenium-containing compounds with innovative structures and independent intellectual property rights. Research on their biological activities and mechanisms of action is currently accelerating.
Related paper information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44891-2
