You can append on me! Porphyrin‐appended polynorbornenes derived from 5,6‐endo‐fused N‐arylpyrrolidenonorbornenes have been shown to have coherently aligned pendant groups that exhibit exciton coupling and fluorescence quenching in the absorption and emission profiles (see figure).
Positive discrimination : Chemo‐ and regioselective palladium‐catalyzed cycloetherification of allendiols, namely β,γ‐ and γ,δ‐allendiols, may occur by judicious choice of palladium‐catalyzed conditions owing to their potential ability to discriminate between both nucleophilic sites (see scheme).
Hexagonal tubes and rings with unusual shapes were generated through a unique self‐template‐directed growth mechanism. As described by M. Oh and co‐workers in the Communication on page 1459 ff., initially formed solid coordination polymer particles (CPPs) act as templates for the growth of the final hexagonal tubes and rings. Simple calcination of these unusually shaped CPPs results in the spontaneous formation of ZnO particles while the unique shape is maintained.
Phorteen phine phosphines : Fourteen new α,β‐unsaturated β‐chloroimines were synthesized from inexpensive ketones by using the Vilsmeier–Haack reagent followed by Schiff‐base condensation. Each imine was subsequently converted to an α,β‐unsaturated 3‐iminophosphine through either late‐metal‐catalyzed phosphorus–carbon cross‐coupling or through an addition–elimination sequence (see scheme). This high‐yield protocol serves as a general means to produce α,β‐unsaturated 3‐iminophosphines.
Rhenium does the job! A readily available rhenium complex efficiently catalyzed the direct Meyer–Schuster‐like rearrangement of different alkyl‐ and aryl‐substituted propargylic secondary and tertiary alcohols to the corresponding α,β‐unsaturated compounds, which were produced with virtually complete E stereoselectivity. The reaction proceeded under neutral conditions and no racemization of potentially enolizable stereocenters was observed.
Picky ferryl : The complex [Fe(Tp)(BF)] (Tp=hydrotris(3,5‐diphenylpyrazolyl)borate; BF=benzoylformate) reacts with O2 to generate an oxidant (see picture; O red, pink; Fe yellow; N blue; C gray; H white) that oxidizes added hydrocarbons shape‐selectively. Discrimination derives from a cleft formed by two phenyl groups of the Tp ligand, favoring oblate spheroidal substrates.
Let it shine! The impact of the anchoring group on photovoltaic performance by a series of phthalocyanine sensitisers (see figure) has been demonstrated.
Cobalt cyclopentadienyl complexes incorporating a fumarate and a CO ligand (see picture) efficiently catalyze inter‐ and intramolecular [2+2+2] cycloadditions of alkynes, nitriles, and/or alkenes to give benzenes, pyridines, or 1,3‐cyclohexadienes. Unlike catalysts such as [CpCo(CO)2] or [CpCo(C2H4)2] (Cp=C5H5), they are air‐stable, easy to handle, compatible with microwave conditions, and do not necessarily require irradiation to be active.
Calculating cyclization : Theoretical work directed towards the elucidation of the mechanisms of the gold‐, palladium‐, and lanthanum‐catalyzed oxycyclizations (5‐exo versus 6‐endo versus 7‐endo) of γ‐allenols has been pursued in close relationship with the experimental study (Part 1, accompanying paper) and has corroborated the bench results to provide a complete study of the reactivity of γ‐allenols under different metal‐catalyzed conditions.
A reaction with many facets : The facile dehydrogenative synthesis of a borylene complex (left in scheme) from a dihydroborane (right), proceeds reversibly at room‐temperature. The implications of this reaction for the fields of inorganic, main‐group, and hydrogen‐storage chemistry are covered in this Highlight.
Clicking in zeolites : Copper(I)‐exchanged zeolites proved to be practical and efficient catalysts for the cycloaddition of azomethine imines with alkynes, providing a convenient access to N,N‐bicyclic pyrazolidinone derivatives (see scheme). With high regioselectivity, 100 % atom economy, and convenient product isolation, this heterogeneously catalyzed version of the Dorn cycloaddition corresponds to click‐chemistry criteria.
Bringing order : A new class of periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs) with a urea‐bridged organosilica precursor under acid‐catalyzed and inorganic‐salt‐assisted conditions was obtained. The large‐pore hybrid materials have ordered mesostructure with uniform pore size distributions, which can be seen from the TEM images.
PS, I love you! Novel mixed phosphole/thiophene π‐conjugated systems were synthesized and their electronic properties have been studied both experimentally by UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry and by theoretical calculations. Exploiting the chemistry of both P‐ and S‐heteroles allows the generation of a diverse range of novel ring‐fused benzophosphole–thiophene derivatives.
Molecular switches : Highly efficient acido‐ and photoswitchable frequency doublers (see scheme) based on the indolinooxazolidine core are studied by means of hyper‐Rayleigh experiments and quantum‐chemical calculations.
Trap it in and burn it out : A deep‐eutectic solvent provides a versatile medium for the creation of highly stable porous frameworks encapsulating neutral coordinating ligand molecules, which can escape intact from the pores upon heating to form crystals directly, leaving behind permanent porosity and coordinatively unsaturated metal sites with potential applications in gas storage and catalysis.
Bound to stay heteroleptic : Grafting of homoleptic benzyl and amide calcium reagents onto silica affords well‐defined supported heteroleptic species, catalytically active in hydrosilylation, hydroamination, and styrene polymerization. The fact that attempts to generate a molecular model were thwarted by the Schlenk equilibrium affording the homoleptic compound (see scheme) emphasizes the importance of immobilization as an approach for the syntheses of heteroleptic calcium complexes.
