On an atomic scale and with high sensitivity, solid‐state NMR spectroscopy can provide information about the electronic spin density and coupling mechanisms in paramagnetic compounds. The picture shows how the hyperfine splitting collapses through relaxation. Insights into which compounds are suitable and which approximations have to be made are given.
A process of elimination : Optical spectra of the Br2 product eliminated from the photodissociation of 1,1‐dibromoethylene at 248 nm are obtained (see picture), and the subsequent dissociation pathways are proposed with the aid of ab initio potential energy calculations. The behavior of the compound is compared with that of 1,2‐dibromoethylene.
Not blue but red‐brown : A [1]ferrocenophanium ion has been synthesized and isolated as a red‐brown crystalline salt, surprisingly different in color from characteristically blue‐green unstrained ferrocenium ions. Compared to the neutral iron(II) counterpart, the [1]ferrocenophanium ion displays a considerably higher ring tilt and an increased propensity for ring‐opening reactions.
Finding a clear route to new structures : The design of an adaptable time warping (ATW) methodology (see figure) for automatically, quickly, and reliably deciphering X‐ray diffraction patterns is described.
On edge : Self‐assembled monolayers of a bis(hydrazone)‐based molecular grid physisorbed on graphite are studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (see picture). High order is attained at the supramolecular level by thermal annealing of the grid‐based films. A preferential edge‐on configuration of the molecular grid with respect to the substrate is found.
Mind the (narrow) gap : α‐Ethynylphospholes generated in situ from the corresponding silyl‐capped precursors were converted into a series of α‐(arylethynyl) phospholes bearing functional substituents as well as an α,α′‐linked terphosphole (see scheme). The terphosphole has a narrow HOMO–LUMO gap owing to efficient π conjugation over the three phosphole rings.
Translation of specific small peptides on the ribosome can confer resistance to macrolide antibiotics. To reveal the molecular details of this and related phenomena, stable RNA–peptide conjugates that mimic peptidyl‐tRNA would be desirable, especially for ribosome structural biology. A flexible solid‐phase synthesis strategy now allows efficient access to these highly requested derivatives without restriction on the RNA and peptide sequences.
