Synthesis of B-trisubstituted borazines via the rhodium-catalyzed hydroboration of alkenes with N,N′,N″-trimethyl or N,N′,N″-triethylborazine

Hydroboration of terminal and internal alkenes with N,N′,N″-trimethyl- and N,N′,N″-triethylborazine was carried out at 50 °C in the presence of a rhodium(I) catalyst. Addition of dppb or DPEphos (1 equiv.) to RhH(CO)(PPh₃)₃ gave the best catalyst for hydroboration of ethylene at 50 °C, resulting in a quantitative yield of B,B′,B″-triethyl-N,N′,N″-trimethylborazine. On the other hand, a complex prepared from (t-Bu)₃P (4 equiv.) and [Rh(coe)₂Cl]₂ gave the best yield for hydroboration of terminal or internal alkenes.     

Influence of hydrophobe content and salt concentration on dilute solution behaviour of hydrophobically modified ionic polymers from diallylammonium salts/sulfur dioxide cyclocopolymerization: Light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy

Novel hydrophobically modified polyelectrolytes were synthesized using the cyclocopolymerization of sulfur dioxide, N,N-diallyl-N-carboethoxymethylammonium chloride and the hydrophobic monomer N,N-diallyl-N-octadecylammonium chloride. Aggregation of these polymers in aqueous solutions was characterized in the dilute regime by static light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy as a function of hydrophobe content and NaCl concentration. Copolymers were observed to associate at very low concentrations (0.005 wt%). The copolymer is capable of associating at this very low polymer concentration because of the extended length of the hydrophobic monomer (C₁₈) that can reach far enough from the backbone to avoid electrostatic repulsion. Aggregation of the polymers increased with increasing hydrophobe content. Upon addition of salt, the apparent molecular weight of polymer aggregates decreased as a result of neutralization of the charges. At high salt concentrations, the size of the polymer aggregates was observed to increase again as a result of increased polarity of the solvent that resulted in more hydrophobic association.     

Aerobic oxidation of trimethylbenzenes catalyzed by N,N′,N″-trihydroxyisocyanuric acid (THICA) as a key catalyst

The oxidation of trimethylbenzenes was examined with air or O₂ using N,N′,N″-trihydroxyisocyanuric acid (THICA) as a key catalyst. Thus, 1,2,3-, 1,2,4-, and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzenes under air (20 atm) in the presence of THICA (5 mol %), Co(OAc)₂ (0.5 mol %), Mn(OAc)₂, and ZrO(OAc)₂ at 150 °C were oxidized to the corresponding benzenetricarboxylic acids in good yields (81-97%). In the aerobic oxidation of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene by the THICA/Co(II)/Mn(II) system, remarkable acceleration was observed by adding a very small amount of ZrO(OAc)₂ to the reaction system to form 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid in excellent yield (97%). In contrast, no considerable addition effect was observed in the oxidation of 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene. This aerobic oxidation by the present catalytic system provides an economical and environmentally benign direct method to benzenetricarboxylic acids, which are very important polymer materials.     

Uranyl(VI) complexes of [O,N,O,N′]-type diaminobis(phenolate) ligands: Syntheses,structures and extraction studies

The syntheses and crystal structures of four new uranyl complexes with [O,N,O,N′]-type ligands are described. The reaction between uranyl nitrate hexahydrate and the phenolic ligand [(N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzyl)-N′,N′-dimethylethylenediamine)], H₂L1 in a 1:2 molar ratio (M to L), yields a uranyl complex with the formula [UO₂(HL1)(NO₃)] · CH₃CN (1). In the presence of a base (triethylamine, one mole per ligand mole) with the same molar ratio, the uranyl complex [UO₂(HL1)₂] (2) is formed. The reaction between uranyl nitrate hexahydrate and the ligand [(N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-t-butylbenzyl)-N′,N′-dimethylethylenediamine)], H₂L2, yields a uranyl complex with the formula [UO₂(HL2)(NO₃)] · 2CH₃CN (3) and the ligand [N-(2-pyridylmethyl)-N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzyl)amine], H₂L3, in the presence of a base yields a uranyl complex with the formula [UO₂(HL3)₂] · 2CH₃CN (4). The molecular structures of 1–4 were verified by X-ray crystallography. The complexes 1–4 are zwitter ions with a neutral net charge. Compounds 1 and 3 are rare neutral mononuclear [UO₂(HLn)(NO₃)] complexes with the nitrate bonded in η²-fashion to the uranyl ion. Furthermore, the ability of the ligands H₂L1–H₂L4 to extract the uranyl ion from water to dichloromethane, and the selectivity of extraction with ligands H₂L1, H₃L5 (N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylbenzyl)-3-amino-1-propanol), H₂L6 · HCl (N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-5-tert-butyl-3-methylbenzyl)-1-aminobutane · HCl) and H₃L7 · HCl (N,N-bis(2-hydroxy-5-tert-butyl-3-methylbenzyl)-6-amino-1-hexanol · HCl) under varied chemical conditions were studied. As a result, the most efficient and selective ligand for uranyl ion extraction proved to be H₃L7 · HCl.     

Synthesis and optical properties of conjugated N,N-dimethyl and thienyl end-capped 2,5-(arylethynyl)thiophene oligomer structures

End-capped (N,N-dimethylaminophenyl) and 2′-thienylethynyl 2,5-thiophene oligomer structures were synthesized by heterocoupling between the terminal acetylenes such as: p-(N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)ethyne (3) [or 1-(p-(N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)-2-p-(ethynylphenyl)ethyne, 4]; p-(β-ethenyl-2′-thienyl)phenylethyne (E-9) [or p-(β-ethynyl-2′-thienyl)phenylethyne, 11], and 2,5-diiodothiophene, catalyzed by the Cl₂Pd(PPh₃)₂/CuI system, in good to excellent yields. The 2,5-di[(3′,5′-di(trimethylsilylethynyl)phenyl]_x-1-ethynyl]thiophene oligomers were prepared by heterocoupling between 3′,5′-di[(trimethylsilylethynyl)phenyl]_x-1-ethyne (n = 0-2) terminal acetylenes and 2,5-diiodothiophene, in excellent yields. The terminal acetylenes were efficiently prepared by a specific protection-deprotection methodology. All the ethynylphenyl compounds obtained show fluorescence radiation emission, with a bathochromic shift of the wavelength that increases with the chain conjugation.     

Dilute solution behaviour of progressively hydrolyzed polyacrylamide in water-N, N dimethylformamide mixtures

The intrinsic viscosities [η’s] of anionic (hydrolyzed; low and high carboxyl content) and nonionic polyacrylamide (unhydrolyzed) were measured in water-N, N dimethylformamide mixtures at various temperatures. Non-polyelectrolyte behavior of low carboxyl content polyacrylamide was observed in mixed solvent system. The plots of [η] vs. solvent composition in a mixed solvent system pass through minima for both high as well as low carboxyl content polymers but through a maximum for nonionic polyacrylamide. Observed minimum for charged polymers may be attributed to the loss of polymer sites available to interact with solvent for H-bonding interaction between neighboring amide and the acid groups. The maximum for nonionic polymer at the particular solvent composition arises for the most powerful cosolvent effect. Existence of two antagonistic effects is apparent in [η] values of nonionic polymer at various temperatures. Huggins constant (K_H) also indicates a significant variation of cosolvency as a function of solvent composition. Activation parameters of viscous flow were calculated using Frenkel-Eyring equation. The volume related parameter and the shape factor were also computed. Shape factor data indicate that polymer molecules are more or less rigid spheres and are not affected by temperature and composition of solvent.     

Spectroscopic and structural characterization of Na2[(VO)2(ttha)]·8H2O (ttha = triethylenetetraamine-N,N,N′,N″,N′″,N′″-hexaacetate): Interpreting the results with density functional theory

Na₂[(V^IVO)₂(ttha)]·8 H₂O (ttha = triethylenetetraamine–N,N,N′,N″,N′″,N′″–hexaacetate ion), prepared by treating [VO(H₂O)₅][(VO)₂(ttha)]·4 H₂O with Na₆(ttha), has been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and modeled by density functional theory (DFT). The X-ray structure revealed a distorted octahedral geometry around each vanadium center. The electronic absorption spectrum of [(VO)₂(ttha)]²⁻ (aq) features absorptions at ca. 200 nm (ε > 13900 L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹), 255 nm (ε = 3480 L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹), 586 nm (ε = 33 L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹), and 770 nm (ε = 38 L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹). The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculated electronic absorption spectrum was remarkably similar to the actual spectrum, and TDDFT predicts absorption peaks at 297, 330, 458, 656, and 798 nm. TDDFT assigned the peak at 798 nm to be the α spin HOMO → LUMO transition. Hence, the peak at 770 nm in the actual spectrum is most likely the α spin HOMO → LUMO transition. Moreover, the TDDFT calculations revealed that the α spin HOMO and LUMO are partly comprised of d orbitals on both vanadium centers, and the first derivative electron spin resonance spectrum also suggests that the two unpaired electrons in [(VO)₂(ttha)]²⁻ are localized near the vanadium centers.     

Complexes derived from the general copper(II)/maleamic acid/N,N′,N′′-chelate reaction systems: Synthetic,reactivity, structural and spectroscopic studies

The synthetic investigation of the Cu^II/maleamate(−1) ion (HL⁻)/N,N′,N′′-chelate general reaction system has allowed access to compounds [Cu₂(HL)₂(bppy)₂](ClO₄)₂·H₂O (1·H₂O), [Cu(HL)(bppy)(ClO₄)] (2) and [Cu(HL)(terpy)(H₂O)](ClO₄) (4) (bppy = 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine, terpy = 2,2′;6′,2′′-terpyridine). In the absence of externally added hydroxides, compound [Cu₂(L′)₂(bppy)₂](ClO₄)₂ (3) was obtained from MeOH solutions; L′⁻ is the monomethyl maleate(−1) ligand which is formed in situ via the Cu^II-assisted HL⁻ → L′⁻ transformation. In the case of tptz-containing (tptz = 2,4,6-tris(2-pyridyl)-1,3,5-triazine) reaction systems, the Cu^II-assisted hydrolysis of tptz to pyridine-2-carboxamide (L1) afforded complex [Cu(L1)₂(NO₃)₂] (5). The crystal structures of 1–5 are stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions. Characteristic IR bands of the complexes are discussed in terms of the known structures and the coordination modes of the ligands.     

Synthesis, luminescence properties, and theoretical insights of N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-pyrene-1-carboxamide

We report the synthesis and photophysical properties of N-alkyl- or N,N-dialkyl-pyrene-1-carboxamide. These derivatives, as well as pyrene, exhibited blue emission. N-Alkyl-type derivatives exhibited strong fluorescence emission (Φ_fl = 0.61 in EtOH) in both nonpolar and polar solvents. On the other hand, N,N-dialkyl-type derivatives showed weak fluorescence emission (Φ_fl <0.01) due to vibrational deactivation. However, in highly viscous solvents such as glycerin, the quantum efficiencies of N-alkyl-type (Φ_fl = 0.91) and N,N-dialkyl-type (Φ_fl = 0.082) derivatives were increased. We also investigated the fluorescence mechanism of these compounds using time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT). From these results, we find that highly fluorescent pyrene-1-carboxamide derivatives can be designed by introducing an appropriate functional group at the nitrogen atom of the amide. Thus, N,N-dialkyl-type pyrene-1-carboxamide has considerable potential for use in applications such as environmental response sensors and probes.     

Synthesis and characterization of a tetraruthenium butterfly cluster containing a quadruply-bridging ligand derived from an N,N′-dipyrid-2-ylurea

The tetraruthenium cluster complex [Ru₄(μ₄-κ⁴-dmpu)(CO)₁₀], H₂dmpu = N,N′-bis(6-methylpyrid-2-yl)urea, has been prepared by treating [Ru₃(CO)₁₂] with H₂dmpu in toluene at reflux temperature. An X-ray diffraction study has determined that this cluster has a butterfly metallic skeleton hold up by a doubly-deprotonated N,N′-bis(6-methylpyrid-2-yl)urea ligand (dmpu). This ligand has the pyridine N atoms attached to the wing-tip Ru atoms and the amido N atoms spanning Ru-Ru wing-edges, in such a way that the cluster has C₂ symmetry. The donor atoms of doubly-deprotonated N,N′-dipyrid-2-ylureas seem to be appropriately arranged to hold butterfly tetranuclear clusters.     

Coordination compounds of N,N′-olefin functionalized imidazolin-2-ylidenes

N-Heterocyclic carbene ligands (NHC) were metalated with Pd(OAc)₂ or [Ni(CH₃CN)₆](BF₄)₂ by in situ deprotonation of imidazolium salts to give the N-olefin functionalized biscarbene complexes [MX₂(NHC)₂] 3-7 (3: M = Pd, X = Br, NHC = 1,3-di(3-butenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene; 4: M = Pd, X = Br, NHC = 1,3-di(4-pentenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene; 5: M = Pd, X = I, NHC = 1,3-diallylimidazolin-2-ylidene; 6: M = Ni, X = I, NHC = 1,3-diallylimidazolin-2-ylidene; 7: M = Ni, X = I, NHC = 1-methyl-3-allylimidazolin-2-ylidene). Molecular structure determinations for 4-7 revealed that square-planar complexes with cis (5) or trans (4, 6, 7) coordination geometry at the metal center had been obtained. Reaction of nickelocene with imidazolium bromides afforded the η⁵-cyclopentadienyl (η⁵-Cp) monocarbene nickel complexes [NiBr(η⁵-Cp)(NHC)] 8 and 9 (8: NHC = 1-methyl-3-allylimidazolin-2-ylidene; 9: NHC = 1,3-diallylimidazolin-2-ylidene). The bromine abstraction in complexes 8 and 9 with silver tetrafluoroborate gave complexes [NiBr(η⁵-Cp)(η³-NHC)] 10 and 11. The X-ray structure analysis of 10 and 11 showed a trigonal-pyramidal coordination geometry at the nickel(II) center and coordination of one N-allyl substituent.     

Effects of synthesis-solvent on swelling and elastic properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels

Thermosensitive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) hydrogels were synthesized by a free radical copolymerization with N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide (MBAA) in four solvents: water, ethanol, acetone and N,N-dimethylformamide. The swelling and elastic properties of the hydrogels were affected by the synthesis-solvents; the hydrogels (e.g. NIPA/MBAA = 1000/50 mol/m³-pre-gel solution) synthesized in water have smaller swelling volume and larger shear modulus at 10 °C than those synthesized in amphiphilic solvents. The network structure of hydrogels was estimated in terms of the conversion and two sorts of effective crosslinking density based on the Flory theory and the concentration of crosslinker. The hydrogels synthesized in water can have the microscopic inhomogeneous network arising from the entanglement of polymer chains, while the hydrogels synthesized in amphiphilic solvents can have the homogeneous network arising from the polymer concentration lower than the pre-gel solution and can be similar in network structure to the lightly crosslinked hydrogel synthesized in water.     

N,N-polymethylene-bisadenine complexes with d metal ions

The reaction of N⁹,N^9′-(tri or tetramethylene)-bisadenines (Ade₂C_x; x = 3 or 4) in HCl 2 M at 50 °C with MCl₂ · 2H₂O [M = Zn(II), Cd(II)] yields outer sphere compounds like the previously described [(H-Ade)₂C₃][ZnCl₄] · H₂O (3) and [(H-Ade)₂C₃]₂[Cd₂Cl₈(H₂O)₂] · 4H₂O (4) for Ade₂C₃ and the new {[(H-Ade)₂C₄][Cd₂Cl₆(H₂O)₂] · 2H₂O}_n (5) for Ade₂C₄. On the other hand, only in case of Zn(II) complexes by changing [HCl] to 0.1 M, the inner sphere compounds [H-(Ade)₂C₃(ZnCl₃)] (6) and [H-(Ade)₂C₄(ZnCl₃)] · 1.5H₂O (7) are obtained. X-ray diffraction study of compound 6, which represents the first inner sphere complex with a N⁹,N^9′-bisadenine, shows a zwitterionic form with one adenine ring protonated at N(1) while the other ring is coordinated via N(7) to a ZnCl₃ moiety as in other alkyl-adenine derivatives. In addition, with Ade₂C₄, is also possible to obtain another inner sphere complex: [(H-Ade)₂C₄(ZnCl₃)₂] · 3H₂O (8).     

Thermal properties of N-alkyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium and N-butylpyridinium fluorometallates and physicochemical properties of their melts

A series of N-alkyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium (RMPyr⁺, where R = E: ethyl, B: butyl, and H: hexyl) and N-butylpyridinium (BPy⁺) salts based on the fluorocomplex anions, BF₄⁻, PF₆⁻, SbF₆⁻, NbF₆⁻, TaF₆⁻, and WF₇⁻, have been synthesized and their thermal behavior has been investigated. The melting points of the RMPyr⁺ salts are above room temperature with the trend; BMPyrAF₆ < HMPyrAF₆ < EMPyrAF₆ for the hexafluorocomplex salts. Some of the salts containing BMPyr⁺ and HMPyr⁺ exhibit phase transitions in the solid states. Similar melting points of BPy⁺ salts of PF₆⁻, SbF₆⁻, NbF₆⁻, TaF₆⁻, and WF₇⁻ are observed at around 350 K. Ionic conductivity and viscosity for BMPyrNbF₆ (3.0 mS cm⁻¹ and 164 cP at 328 K) are similar to those for BMPyrTaF₆ (3.0 mS cm⁻¹ and 165 cP at 328 K), resulting from the similarity of the anions in size. The activation energies of ionic conductivity for the NbF₆⁻ and TaF₆⁻ salts are 18 and 20 kJ mol⁻¹, and those for viscosity are 23 and 25 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively calculated by Arrhenius equation in the temperature range between 328 and 348 K. Electrochemical windows of BMPyrNbF₆, BMPyrTaF₆, and BMPyrWF₇ are about 4.0, 5.0 and 3.1 V, respectively.     

Novel thermally stable and chiral poly(amide-imide)s bearing from N,N′-(4,4′-diphthaloyl)-bis-l-isoleucine diacid: Synthesis and characterization

Novel optically active aromatic poly(amide-imide)s (PAIs) were prepared from newly synthesized N,N′-(4,4′-diphthaloyl)-bis-l-isoleucine diacid (3) via polycondensation with various diamines. The diacid was synthesized by the condensation reaction of 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (1) with l-isoleucine (2) in a mixture of acetic acid and pyridine (3:2 v/v). All the polymers were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.20-0.43 dL g⁻¹. All the polymers were highly organosoluble in solvents like N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahydrofuran, γ-butyrolactone, cyclohexanone and chloroform at room temperature or upon heating. These poly(amide-imide)s had glass transition temperatures between 198 and 231 °C, and their 10% weight-loss temperatures were ranging from 368 to 398 °C and 353 to 375 °C under nitrogen and air, respectively. The polyimide films had tensile strengths in the range of 63-88 MPa and tensile moduli in the range of 0.8-1.4 GPa. These poly(amide-imide)s possessed chiral properties and the specific rotations were in the range of −3.10° to −72.92°.     

Structural, spectral and thermal studies of substituted N-(2-pyridyl)-N′-phenylthioureas

N-2-(3-picolyl)-N′-phenylthiourea, 3PicTuPh, monoclinic, P2₁/n, a=7.617(2) b=7.197(5), c=22.889(5) Å, β=94.63(4)°, V=1250.7(1) Å³ and Z=4; N-2-(4-picolyl)-N′-phenylthiourea, 4PicTuPh, triclinic, P-1, a=7.3960(5), b=7.9660(12), c=21.600(3) Å, α=86.401(4), β=84.899(8), γ=77.769(8)°, V=1237.5(3) Å³ and Z=4; N-2-(5-picolyl)-N′-phenylthiourea, 5PicTuPh, monoclinic, P2₁/c, a=14.201(1), b=4.905(3), c=17.689(3) Å, β=91.38(1)°, V=1231.8(7) Å³ and Z=4; N-2-(6-picolyl)-N′-phenylthiourea, 6PicTuPh, monoclinic, C2/c2, a=14.713(1), b=9.367(1), c=18.227(1) Å, β=92.88(1)°, V=2515.5(1) Å³ and Z=8 and N-2-(4,6-lutidyl)-N′-phenylthiourea, 4,6LutTuPh, monoclinic, C2/c, a=11.107(2), b=11.793(2), c=20.084(4) Å, β=96.10(3)°, V=2616(1) Å³ and Z=8. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding between N′H and the pyridyl nitrogen and intermolecular hydrogen bonding involving the thione sulfur are affected by substitution of the pyridine ring, as is the planarity of the molecule. ¹H NMR studies in CDCl₃ show the NH′ hydrogen resonance considerably downfield from other resonances in the spectrum for each thiourea.     

Electrochemical and electrochromic properties of novel aromatic poly(amine-amide)s derived from N,N′-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine

A series of novel triphenylamine-containing aromatic poly(amine-amide)s were prepared from the dicarboxylic acid, N,N′-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine, and various diamines by direct phosphorylation polycondensation. All the poly(amine-amide)s were amorphous, soluble in a variety of organic solvents, and could be solution cast into transparent, tough, and flexible films with good mechanical properties. They had useful levels of thermal stability associated with relatively high glass-transition temperatures (195-280 °C). These polymers exhibited strong UV-Vis absorption bands at 330-346 nm and their photoluminescence showed maximum bands around 516-535 nm in NMP solution. The hole-transporting and electrochromic properties are examined by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammograms of the poly(amine-amide)s prepared by casting polymer solution onto an indium-tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate exhibited two reversible oxidative redox couples at potential 0.73-0.78 V and 1.12-1.18 V, respectively vs Ag/AgCl in acetonitrile solution. All the poly(amine-amide)s exhibited excellent reversibility of electrochromic characteristics by continuous ten cyclic scans between 0.0 and 1.40 V, with a color change from original pale yellowish neutral form to the green and then to blue oxidized forms.     

On the dehydrogenation of N,N′-substituted p-phenylenediamine antioxidants. I. N-Phenyl-N′-isopropyl-p-phenylenediamine (IPPD)

Using B3LYP/6-31G^∗ treatment, the optimal geometries, electronic structures and IR spectra of N-phenyl-N′-isopropyl-p-phenylenediamine antioxidant (IPPD) and its doubly dehydrogenated oxidation products have been obtained. Experimental IR spectra of IPPD sample heated in air at 140 °C correspond to the doubly dehydrogenated IPPD structure with the Phenyl-NC double bond and not to its N,N′-dehydrogenated quinonediimine-type counterpart as supposed in the literature. This finding supports the idea of preferential dehydrogenation at N-bonded tertiary carbon atom in comparison with the amine nitrogen bonded to two phenyl rings.     

Synthesis,spectral and magnetic properties of two different 2-nitrobenzoatocopper(II) complexes containing N,N-diethylnicotinamide

Two structurally different complexes, [Cu₂(2-NO₂Bz)₄(denia)₁]_n (1) and [Cu(2-NO₂Bz)₂(denia)₂(H₂O)₂] (2), were prepared from the same reaction (where 2-NO₂Bz = 2-nitrobenzoate, denia = N,N-diethylnicotinamide) and they are reported together with [Cu₂(2-NO₂Bz)₄(DMF)₂] (3) (DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide). The compounds under study were characterized by elemental analysis, electronic, IR and EPR spectra, magnetic measurements over the temperature range of 1.8–300 K and X-ray analysis. The molecular structure of (1) is polymeric, (2) is monomeric and (3) is dimeric. In the polymeric chain of (1), the denia molecules serve as bridges between dimeric Cu₂(2-NO₂bz)₄ units. Each Cu(II) atom has a square-pyramidal arrangement with different chromophores, Cu¹O₄O′ and Cu²O₄N. The Cu–Cu distances are 2.699(1) Å in the dimeric unit and 7.980(3) Å between the dimeric units. In (2) the Cu(II) atom has a tetragonal-bipyramidal environment CuO₂N₂O′₂. In (3) two Cu(II) atoms are bridged by four carboxylate groups of four 2-NO₂bz anions in a syn–syn arrangement which create a square base about each Cu(II) atom and an apical position is occupied by the O atom of a DMF molecule (CuO₄O′). The Cu–Cu distance of 2.633(1) Å is somewhat shorter than in (1). Spectral and magnetic data of the complexes are discussed with their structures.     

Liquid crystal behaviour of ionic allylpalladium complexes containing 2-pyrazolylpyridine as bidentate N,N′-ligand

Two types of Pd-complexes containing the new N,N′-ligands 2-[3-(4-alkyloxyphenyl)pyrazol-1-yl]pyridine (pz^Rpy; R = C₆H₄OC_nH_2n+1, n = 6 (hp), 10 (dp), 12 (ddp), 14 (tdp), 16 (hdp), 18 (odp)) (1-6), namely c-[Pd(Cl)₂(pz^Rpy)] (7-10) and c-[Pd(η³-C₃H₅)(pz^Rpy)]BF₄ (11-16), have been synthesised and characterised by different spectroscopic techniques. Those members of the second type containing the largest chains (R = ddp 13, tdp 14, hdp 15, odp 16) have been found to have liquid crystal properties showing smectic A mesophases. By contrast, neither the free ligands pz^Rpy nor their related c-[Pd(Cl)₂(pz^Rpy)] complexes exhibited mesomorphism. The new synthesised metallomesogens are mononuclear complexes with an unsymmetrical molecular shape as deduced from the X-ray structures of c-[Pd(η³-C₃H₅)(pz^Rpy)]BF₄ (R = hp, 11; dp, 12). Both compounds, which are isostructural, show a distorted square-planar environment on the palladium centres defined by the allyl and the bidentate pz^Rpy ligands. The crystal structure reveals that both the counteranion and the pz^Rpy ligand function as a source of hydrogen-bonding and intermolecular π?π contacts resulting in a ²D supramolecular assembly.