The Hydronaphthalide Monoanion: Isolation of the "red transient" Birch Intermediate from liquid Ammonia.

Birch reactions employing alkali metals in ammonia have been a well-established method for the reduction and functionalisation of aromatic compounds for nearly 100 years. Speculations regarding intermediates in the reaction pathway have been discussed since the beginning. We hereby report the isolation of NMe(HNaph) (1), a kinetically trapped intermediate of the Birch reaction of naphthalene and sodium in liquid ammonia.

Remarkable Infrared Nonlinear Optical, Dielectric, and Strong Diamagnetic Characteristics of Semiconducting K[BiS].

The ternary sulfido bismuthate K[BiS] is synthesized in quantitative yields. The material exhibits nonlinear optical properties with strong second harmonic generation properties at arbitrary wavelengths in the infrared spectral range and a notable laser-induced damage threshold of 5.22 GW cm for pulsed laser radiation at a wavelength of 1040 nm, a pulse duration of 180 fs, and a repetition rate of 12.

-Chloridolithates from Ionothermal Synthesis.

Anionic lithium-containing species were predicted to impact ionic liquid-based electrochemical applications but have hitherto never been isolated from ionic liquid systems. Here, we report the first representatives of this class of compounds, -chloridolithates, comprising [LiCl] and [LiCl] polyanions from ionothermal reactions. Such compounds are obtained at moderate temperatures with imidazolium-based ionic liquids and LiCl.