A standing iceberg illustrates how the soft PNP pincer ligand challenges the metallocene dominance (ship) in actinide chemistry, as described by J. L. Kiplinger and co‐workers in their Communication on page 3681 ff. Replacement of C5Me5 by the PNP ligand is a successful strategy for the promotion of new reactivities and to support new actinide structures. The specific electronic and steric properties of the PNP ligand enable access to structures not available for the C5Me5 ligand set and as yet unreported for uranium. (We thank Mr. Anthony Mancinco for the design of the graphic.)
Nanocrystalline TiO 2 (anatase) is an essential oxide for environment and energy applications. A combination of EXAFS spectroscopy and DFT calculations on a series of dopants with quite similar ion radius, but increasing ion charge, show boundary space charge segregation of acceptor cations. The picture illustrates the Fourier‐transformed EXAFS spectrum for Sn4+‐doped TiO2.
Nothing to sm(Ir)k at : Under appropriate reaction conditions, iridium hydride catalysts promote the isomerization of primary allylic alcohols. The best catalysts, like (R)‐ 1 (P green, O red, N blue, Ir yellow), deliver the desired chiral aldehydes with excellent enantioselectivity and good yields. Mechanistic hypotheses have been developed on the basis of preliminary investigations.
Tin knows its oniums! An unusual nitride tetrastannylene and a stannylenated ammonium ion stabilized by a samarium tetradiazaphospholido counterion are the first examples of a tris(organostannylenyl)amine derivative and a divalent tin coordinate onium ion that incorporates 1,2,4‐diazaphospholide ligand (see figure).
Osmabenzenes can be easily synthesized from two η2‐coordinated olefin osmacycles in the presence of benzonitrile by means of facile hydrogen‐transfer conversions (see graphic). Mechanisms for the formation of osmabenzenes are proposed based on DFT calculations.
Clicking iron : Cheap and environmentally friendly [Fe(OAc)2] is used for the catalysis of cycloadditions between aryl nitriles and trimethylsilyl azide to prepare substituted 1H‐tetrazoles in good yield (see scheme).
Don't cry! The attachment of ferrocene moieties on the surface of carbon nano‐onions influences the electrochemical properties of these moieties and the photophysical properties of the carbon nano‐onions (see figure). Quantum chemical calculations confirm that the spectral properties of carbon nano‐onions depend on their size and the degree of functionalisation.
You oughta use water : Broad functional‐group (FG) tolerance was observed for the title coupling of aryl halides (X=Cl, Br, I) and aryl boronic acids to give biaryl compounds with up to 94 % ee. The chiral imidazoindole phosphine–palladium catalyst supported on an amphiphilic polystyrene–poly(ethylene glycol) (PS–PEG) resin could be recycled readily.
Assembly language : The programmed sequences of stereochemical building blocks lead to novel biomimetic helices. The rational design approach offers new possibilities for creating periodic secondary structures.
Two very distinct chemical reactions, yet a single catalyst : A gold complex promotes the formation of tertiary enamines from a variety of terminal and internal alkynes. Subsequent addition of a terminal alkyne to the reaction mixture affords allenes (see scheme).
Brilliance of terbium : Heterodimeric conjugates of trimethoprim covalently linked to sensitized terbium chelates bind to Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase fusion proteins with nanomolar affinity (see picture). Terbium luminescence enables sensitive and time‐resolved detection of labeled proteins in vitro and on the surface of living mammalian cells.
For controlled release and targeted delivery of curcumin in an aqueous medium a method of encapsulating curcumin and magnetic nanoparticles inside porous silica matrix has been developed. Curcumin and superparamagnetic nanoparticles are loaded inside porous silica in a single process. The graphic shows the TEM image of microtomed sample of Fe3O4 particles surrounded by a silica matrix.
One Heck of a reaction : Treatment of arylboronic acids or aryltrifluoroborates with vinyl acetate by using a palladium(II) catalyst gives the corresponding styrenes (see scheme). No palladium reoxidant is needed and the vinylation is performed under non‐inert conditions
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.
