Page 15 - Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program Proceedings 2017-18

School of Science
Department of Chemistry

Supervisor: LIN Zhenyang / CHEM
Student: XIA Ruiqin / CHEM Course: UROP1100, Spring

Transition-metal-catalysed C-H activation has been received great attention due to their various potential application in
the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. Among them, a novel reported Rh(III)---catalysted direct C-H coupling with
methyl trifluoroacrylates shows distinguished advantages but its mechanism is not clear up to now. We proposed 4
possible pathways for the reaction and to examine the correctness of each pathway. For each pathway, the
optimized intermediate energy and transition state energy are calculated respectively. With the energy diagram of each
pathway, we choose the pathway with the lowest energy as the correctly proposed mechanism for this reaction.
Knowing the mechanism, the scope and the utility may be further expanded and suggest new
ways to synthesize fluoroolefins and heterocyclic compounds.

Development of Fluorescent Bioprobes with Aggregation-induced Emission Characteristic

Supervisor: TANG Benzhong / CHEM Co Supervisor: SUNG Hoi Pang / CHEM
Student: BAE Yeo Jin / CHEM Course: UROP1100, Fall
UROP2100, Summer

Monitoring of in situ polymerization is a crucial field to explore as it plays important roles in various aspects. In order to
overcome the limitations of conventional research methods, fluorescence-based techniques were applied to investigate
the viscosity change on the molecular level. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens, tetraphehylethylene (TPE)
in particular, were chosen due to its high sensitivity and unique fluorescent property. Here, dithicarbamate based agents
marked with TPE were used for reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerizations. Without using
any thermal initiators, photochemistry was applied for the control of progress of reaction owing to its spatial-temporal
control characteristics. The resulting polymers were then proved to be extremely sensitive towards viscosity, providing a
promising method for monitoring the in situ polymerization.

Supervisor: TANG Benzhong / CHEM Co Supervisor: SUNG Hoi Pang / CHEM
Student: WONG Ting Hei / CHEM Course: UROP1100, Summer

In medical perspective, AIEgens can be used as bioprobes, for cell imaging, and even therapy. This project aims to design
and synthesize useful AIEgens, so as to explore the potential of AIEgens for biological imaging and in therapeutical uses.
In this work, two molecules: TBT and TBE were synthesized. Their photophysical characteristics were studied; their
ability for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cell imaging were assessed; so that their potential for
performing image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) could be evaluated. TBT and TBE were both found to exhibit TICT
and AIE properties, which were explained in this report. TBT was found to have both the ROS generation and cell
imaging capability, thus making it a potential candidate for image-guided PDT.

Design and Synthesis of Functional AIE luminogens and Exploration of their Biological Applications

Supervisor: TANG Benzhong / CHEM Co Supervisor: SUNG Hoi Pang / CHEM
Student: MAK Cheuk Yin / CHEM Course: UROP1000, Summer

Bio-imaging is a practical technique to discover and analyze many severe diseases as it can trace the specific substances,
which are the indicators of diseases, in the tissue using commercial dyes. However, the fluorescent properties of these
dyes cannot perform a traceable and precise imaging for diagnosis. To solve this problem, new fluorescent materials,

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