Crystallographic report: Octameric sodium trimethylsilanolate hemihydrate hemi‐THF solvate, [$\hbox{NaOSiMe}_{3}{ \cdot} {1 \over 2} \hbox{H}_{2}\hbox{O}{\cdot} {1 \over 2}$THF]8

The title compound is composed of two Na₄O₄ heterocubanes which are connected via four µ‐OSiMe₃ groups. The oxygen atoms of the water molecules occupy two corners of an Na₄O₄ cube and additionally form hydrogen bonds to the µ‐OSiMe₃ groups with O·O distances in the range 2.649(4)–2.714(4) Å. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Crystal structure and characterization of magnesium carbonate chloride heptahydrate

MgCO₃·MgCl₂·7H₂O is the only known neutral magnesium carbonate containing chloride ions at ambient conditions. According to the literature, only small and twinned crystals of this double salt could be synthesised in a concentrated solution of MgCl₂. For the crystal structure solution, single‐crystal diffraction was carried out at a synchrotron radiation source. The monoclinic crystal structure (space group Cc) exhibits double chains of MgO octahedra linked by corners, connected by carbonate units and water molecules. The chloride ions are positioned between these double chains parallel to the (100) plane. Dry MgCO₃·MgCl₂·7H₂O decomposes in the air to chlorartinite, Mg₂(OH)Cl(CO₃)·nH₂O (n = 2 or 3). This work includes an extensive characterization of the title compound by powder X‐ray diffraction, thermal analysis, SEM and vibrational spectroscopy.     

Topological study of pseudo-cubic hydrogen-bond networks in a binary system composed of primary ammonium carboxylates: an analogue of an ice cube

Hierarchical classification and single-crystal X-ray analysis of unique pseudo-cubic hydrogen-bond networks composed of primary ammonium carboxylates were carried out. The networks consist of four carboxylate anions and four primary ammonium cations at the corners of the cube, and twelve charge-assisted N--H...O hydrogen bonds on the sides of the cube. The configuration of the carboxylate anions generates topological diversity in the network. The results of this hierarchical classification showed that pseudo-cubic hydrogen-bond networks composed of primary ammonium carboxylates can form nine topologically different networks. These pseudo-cubic networks are a subset of the networks formed by octameric water in the form of an "ice cube". The classification system can be applied to other pseudo-cubic networks in a similar way. A survey of crystal structures based on combinations of triphenylacetic acid with various alkylamines (carbon numbers up to eight) and examination of the CSD (Cambridge Structural Database) showed eight salts that form such networks in their crystal structures. These structures are classified into six topologically different networks. Similar networks composed of other salts are also discussed from a topological point of view.     

[Cu12(NPEt3)8]4+ and [Ag12(NPEt3)8]4+: Cubane Structures

Unusual, highly symmetrical cubes are formed by the dodecameric cationic phosphoraneiminato complexes of copper(I ) and silver(I ) [M₁₂(NPEt₃)₈]⁴⁺, in which the metal atoms occupy the edges and the N atoms of NPEt ³⁻₃ groups the corners of the cube (see figure). The structures can be understood as molecular sections of the Cu₃N structure, which is inverse to the ReO₃‐type structure.     

Stereochemistry of Polynuclear Cadmium(II)thioglycolates: Crystal Structure of [ICd8(SCH2CH2OH)12]3+ · 3I− · H2O

Crystals of the title compound are triclinic, a = 27.87 Å, b = 10.77 Å, c = 12.94 Å, α 73.1°, β 116.1°, γ 120.0°, space group P1 . The structure consists of octanuclear ions: Eight Cd(II) ions are found at the corners of a distorted cube, the center of the cube is occupied by an iodide, the twelve thioglycolate sulfur atoms bridge the twelve edges of the cube thereby forming a distorted icosahedron. Cadmium ions are either five or seven coordinate. The phase problem for this structure was solved using a combination of very high and very low E-values.     

Cube‐in‐Cube Hollow Cu9S5 Nanostructures with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activities in Solar H2 Evolution

Hydrogen produced from water under solar energy is an ideal clean energy source, and the efficiency of hydrogen production usually depends on the catalytic systems based on new compounds and/or a unique nanostructure. Herein, well‐defined cube‐in‐cube hollow Cu₉S₅ nanostructures have been successfully prepared with Cu₂O nanocubes and CS₂ as precursors, and single‐shell hollow Cu₉S₅ nanocubes could be obtained by replacing CS₂ with Na₂S. The formation mechanism of cube‐in‐cube hollow nanostructures has been proposed based on the Kirkendell effect and an outward self‐assembly process. Further studies revealed that the cube‐in‐cube hollow Cu₉S₅ nanostructures exhibited better photocatalytic activity toward solar H₂ evolution and would be a promising photocatalyst in the solar hydrogen industry.     

Theoretical studies on the molecular electron densities and electrostatic potentials in azacubanes

Energetics and the charge distributions in azacubanes (C₈NH_8–) have been obtained using the ab initio Hartree–Fock, second-order Mø øller–Plesset perturbation theory and hybrid density functional methods. For diazacubane to hexaazacubane the lowest-energy conformers have nitrogen atoms occupying the face opposite corners of a cube. The topography of the molecular electrostatic potential and the electron density of azacubane conformers have been investigated. The electrostatic potential studies have shown that successive substitution of nitrogen instead of CH groups of cubane engenders smaller and more localized electron-rich regions around the nitrogens of a cube. Further the bond ellipticity and the electron density at the bond critical point of the X–N bonds (X=C or N) in a cubanoid increase from azacubane to octaazacubane. The heats of formation of azacubanes calculated by the isodesmic reaction approach using different levels of theory correlate well with the electron density at the bond critical point of X–N (X=C or N) bonds in a cubanoid.     

Ammonium cyanate shows N-H...N hydrogen bonding, not N-H...O

The transformation of ammonium cyanate into urea, first studied over 170 years ago by W?hler and Liebig, has an important place in the history of chemistry. To understand the nature of this solid state reaction, knowledge of the crystal structure of ammonium cyanate is a prerequisite. Employing neutron powder diffraction, we demonstrate conclusively that, in the structure of ammonium cyanate, the NH(4)(+) cation forms N-H...N hydrogen bonds to four cyanate N atoms at alternate corners of a distorted cube, rather than our previously proposed alternative arrangement with N-H...O hydrogen bonds to cyanate O atoms at the other four corners.     

Formation and decomposition of Lanthanum Monoxocarbonate

Amorphous lanthanum carbonate was prepared by hydrolysis of lanthanum isopropoxide using ammonia water in the atmosphere. Lanthanum monoxocarbonate, La₂O(CO₃)₂ · H₂O, crystallizes when this amorphous material was washed with hot water. The crystallization and thermal behavior of the crystalline material are studied by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and infrared spectroscopy. The decomposition of La₂O(CO₃)₂ · H₂O into type-IA (LaO)₂CO₃ is observed at 440 to 540°C. Decomposition isotherms are described by the contracting cube equation, the activation energy being 42.6 kcal mol^?1. Type-IA (LaO)₂CO₃ subsequently decomposes to A-type La₂O₃ at 750 to 870°C. The kinetics is also interpreted in terms of the contracting cube equation, the activation energy being 58.3 kcal mol^?1.     

Hydrogen bonding: Part 19. IR and NMR study of the lower hydrates of choline fluoride and acetylcholine chloride

Acetylcholine chloride, like choline chloride, forms a liquid salt dihydrate, and a crystalline monohydrate that only exists at reduced pressure; at atmospheric pressure the monohydrate disproportionates into liquid dihydrate and anhydrous acetylcholine chloride. Both choline and acetylcholine chlorides give endothermic dissolution in water. In contrast, choline fluoride gives exothermic dissclution in water, and forms an extra-ordinarily stable monohydrate in which choline cation hydroxyls form strong hydrogen bonds to an H₄O₂F^2?₂ cluster anion. Since the hydration behavior of choline fluoride is like that of unsubstituted tetraalkylammonium fluorides, the unusual hydration behavior of choline and acetyline chlorides results from the presence of chloride ion, and is not an intrinsic property of cholinergic cations.     

Korrosion von Messing und Bronze durch Ammoniumhalogenide

Corrosion of Brass and Bronze by Ammonium Halides The intermetallic phases brass (Cu/Zn) and bronze (Cu/Sn) are corroded by ammonium fluoride and chloride, NH₄F and NH₄Cl, through selective oxidation of the less noble component zinc and tin, respectively. Copper is recrystallized as cube‐like or tabular single crystals under the respective influence of fluoride and chloride. Zinc and tin are incorporated in complex compounds of which (NH₄)ZnF₃, (NH₄)₂ZnF₄, Zn(NH₃)₂Cl₂ and (NH₄)₃SnF₇ were detected by X‐ray powder diffraction.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Pd@MxCu1−x (M=Au,Pd, and Pt) Nanocages with Porous Walls and a Yolk–Shell Structure through Galvanic Replacement Reactions

This paper describes the synthesis of Pd@M_xCu_1?x (M=Au, Pd, and Pt) nanocages with a yolk–shell structure through galvanic replacement reactions that involve Pd@Cu core–shell nanocubes as sacrificial templates and ethylene glycol as the solvent. Compared with the most commonly used templates based on Ag, Cu offers a much lower reduction potential (0.34 versus 0.80 V), making the galvanic reaction more easily to conduct, even at room temperature. Our structural and compositional characterizations indicated that the products were hollow inside, and each one of them contained porous M–Cu alloy walls and a Pd cube in the interior. For the Pd@Au_xCu_1?x yolk–shell nanocages, they displayed broad extinction peaks extending from the visible to the near‐IR region. Our mechanistic study revealed that the dissolution of the Cu shell preferred to start from the slightly truncated corners and then progressed toward the interior, because the Cu {100} side faces were protected by a surface capping layer of hexadecylamine. This galvanic approach can also be extended to generating other hollow metal nanostructures by using different combinations of Cu nanostructures and salt precursors.     

Structure and dynamics of ammonium borohydride

Synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, ab initio molecular dynamics calculations and solid state (1)H and (2)H NMR are used to refine the structure of crystalline NH(4)BH(4) including H atoms. Rapid reorientations of both ions mean that on average half-hydrogens occupy the corners of a cube around B or N.     

Distorted cubic tetranuclear vanadium(IV) phosphonate cages: double-four-ring (D4R) containing transition metal ion phosphonate cages

The reaction of VCl(3) with 3,5-dimethylpyrazole (3,5-Me(2)PzH) and trichloromethylphosphonic/tert-butylphosphonic acid in the presence of triethylamine as a hydrogen chloride scavenger afforded the tetranuclear V(IV) assemblies, [(VO)(4)(3,5-Me(2)PzH)(8)(CCl(3)PO(3))(4)] (1) and [(VO)(4)(3,5-Me(2)PzH)(4)(t-BuPO(3))(4)] (2). Both of these compounds possess a distorted cubic framework structures containing V(IV) ions and phosphorus atoms in the alternate corners of the cube. The edges of the cube contain oxygen atoms derived from the phosphonate ligand. The phosphonate ligand in both of these compounds is dianionic and helps to bind to three V(IV) centers. The faces of the cubic ensembles contain puckered V(2)P(2)O(4) eight-membered rings. The V(IV) center in 1 is six-coordinate in a distorted octahedral geometry while in 2 it is five-coordinate in a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. Magnetic studies carried out on 1 and 2 reveal that the V(IV) centers are anti-ferromagnetically coupled to each other, albeit weakly, through the mediation of the phosphonate ligands.     

Conductance of n-alkylammonium and n-alkanolammonium chlorides and picrates in water at 25°C

Precise conductance measurement are reported at 25°C in water for ethanolammonium chloride and picrate [(EtOH)NH₃Pic], propanolammonium picrate [(ProOH)NH₃Pic], butanolammonium picrate [(BuOH)NH₃Pic], pentanolammonium picrate [(PeOH)NH₃Pic], ethylammonium chloride (EtNH₃Pic), n-propylammonium picrate (PrNH₃Pic), n-butylammonium chloride and picrate (BuNH₃Pic), n-pentylammonium chloride (PeNH₃Cl) and n-heptylammonium chloride (HepNH₃Cl). Comparison of the limiting ionic conductance for the straight chain alkylammonium ions with their terminal hydroxyl-substituted analogs reveals that only for the ethanolammonium ion is the limiting ionic conductance significantly higher. In the other cases a much smaller, nearly constant, difference is observed. These results are explained in terms of the effect of the OH group on the interaction between water and the alkyl chain in the ammonium ions.     

Diastereoselective Control of Tetraphenylethene Reactivity by Metal Template Self-Assembly

The reaction of 4,4′,4′′,4′′′-(ethene-1,1,2,2-tetrayl)tetraaniline with 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde and iron(II) chloride resulted, after aqueous workup, in the diastereoselective formation of an [Fe₂L₃]⁴⁺ triple-stranded helicate structure, irrespective of the stoichiometry employed. The helicate structure was characterized in solution by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, and in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The reaction of iron(II) tetrafluoroborate or iron(II) bistriflimide with the tetraaniline and 2-pyridinecarboxaldehyde allowed the formation of an [Fe₈L₆]¹⁶⁺ cube when the appropriate stoichiometry was used, but these structures were unstable with respect to hydrolysis. The pendant amine groups on the helicate can be functionalized by reaction with acid chlorides or anhydrides, and the resulting functionalized tetraphenylethene (TPE) units were isolated by the reaction of the helicate with tris(2-aminoethyl)amine. The emission properties of the TPE units were studied in THF/water mixtures, and they were found by dynamic light scattering to self-assemble into large (av. diameter 250 nm) structures.     

Temperature dependence of fractionation of hydrogen isotopes in aqueous sodium chloride solutions

The D/H ratios of hydrogen gas in equilibrium with aqueous sodium chloride solutions of 2, 4 and 6 molalities were determined within the range 10 to 95°C, using a hydrophobic platinum catalyst. With each of the different sodium chloride concentrations, the hydrogen isotope effect between the solution and pure water changes linearly with the square of the reciprocal temperature. On the basis of the results for hydrogen isotope fractionation observed in this study, and those of hydrogen isotope fractionation between pure water and vapor, it is concluded that the structure of the aqueous sodium chloride solution does not change significantly with temperature. The hydrogen isotope effect is evidently different from the results of vapor pressure isotope effects (VPIE) on sodium chloride solutions measured on separated isotopes. The difference between the present work and the VPIE studies is probably due to a non-ideal behavior in a mixture of isotopic water molecules and/or to a H₂O-D₂O disproportionation reaction in sodium chloride solutions. The distinction between the latter two mechanisms can not be differentiated at present.     

Determination of the standard Gibbs energies of transfer of cations across the nitrobenzene|water interface utilizing the reduction of iodine in an immobilized nitrobenzene droplet

When a nitrobenzene (NB) droplet containing iodine is attached to a graphite electrode and immersed into a chloride containing aqueous (AQ) solution, the electrochemical reduction of iodine is accompanied by a transfer of chloride ions from NB to water. These chloride ions enter the NB phase in a preceding partition between the AQ and the NB phases, supported by formation of I₂Cl⁻ ions in NB and accompanied by the transfer of stoichiometric amounts of cations. The overall electrode reaction is of CE_rev type, where C refers to the preceding chemical step forming I₂Cl⁻, and E_rev refers to the reversible reduction of iodine at the graphite|NB interface and the simultaneous transfer of chloride from NB to water. If the chloride concentration in NB is insufficient to compensate by leaving the NB the amount of electrochemically produced iodide, a second voltammetric signal occurs at more negative potentials due to the transfer of iodide from NB to water. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the preceding chemical step C, determine the voltammetric behaviour of the system in such way that the ratio of peak currents of the first and second signals depends linearly on the Gibbs energy of transfer of the co-partitioned cations. The method was validated for cations of known Gibbs energies of transfer, and it was applied to cations of amino acids.     

Phase equilibria of mixed carbon dioxide and tetrahydrofuran hydrates in sodium chloride aqueous solutions

In this work, the competing effects of sodium chloride (NaCl) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) on carbon dioxide hydrate formation are investigated through phase equilibrium measurements. The phase behaviour in the hydrate forming region for the binary system carbon dioxide–water, the ternary systems carbon dioxide–tetrahydrofuran–water and ternary carbon dioxide–sodium chloride–water and, in addition, the quaternary system carbon dioxide–tetrahydrofuran–water–sodium chloride are determined experimentally, using a Cailletet apparatus. All measurements are made in a temperature and pressure region of 275–290 K and 0.5–7.0 MPa, respectively. In these ranges, three different hydrate equilibrium curves are measured namely: H-L_W-V, H-L_W-L_V-V and H-L_W-L_V. The formation of an organic-rich liquid phase in the systems due to a liquid–liquid two-phase split between water and tetrahydrofuran when pressurized with carbon dioxide causes the occurrence of an upper quadruple point (Q₂) to evolve into a four-phase H-L_W-L_V-V equilibrium line. The presence of sodium chloride in the quaternary system enhances the split between the two liquids due to the salting-out effect. It was found that the hydrate promoting effect of tetrahydrofuran is able to suppress the inhibiting effect of sodium chloride especially at lower concentration of sodium chloride.     

Assembly of a supramolecular cube, [(Cp*WS3Cu3)8 Cl8(CN)12Li4] from a preformed incomplete cubane-like compound [PPh4][Cp*WS3(CuCN)3

A supramolecular cube has been formed by linking WS3Cu3 clusters with bidentate ligands. Eight WS3Cu3 clusters, which have an incomplete cubane-like structure, serve as the three connecting nodes of the cube, while 12 bridging cyanide anions coordinated to copper centers lie along the edges of the cube. Eight chloride anions and four lithium cations are located inside the cube.