Orbital-order-induced metal-insulator transition in La(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3

We present evidence that the insulator-to-metal transition in La(1-x)Ca(x)MnO3 near x approximately 0.2 is driven by the suppression of coherent Jahn-Teller distortions, originating from d-type orbital ordering. The orbital-ordered state is characterized by large long-range Q2 distortions below T(O'- O*). Above T(O'- O*) we find evidence for coexistence between an orbital-ordered and an orbital-disordered state. This behavior is discussed in terms of electronic phase separation in an orbital-ordered insulating and an orbital-disordered metallic state.     

Fine tuning of the rotary motion by structural modification in light-driven unidirectional molecular motors

The introduction of bulky substituents at the stereogenic center of light-driven second-generation molecular motors results in an acceleration of the speed of rotation. This is due to a more strained structure with elongated C=C bonds and a higher energy level of the ground state relative to the transition state for the rate-limiting thermal isomerization step. Understanding the profound influence that variation of the substituent at the stereogenic center holds over the rotational speed of the light-driven molecular motor has enabled the development of the fastest molecular motor reported thus far.     

Benzyl anion abstraction from a (beta-diiminato)Fe(II) benzyl complex

The 3-coordinate 12 VE iron(II) benzyl complex [(nacnac)-Fe(CH2Ph)] reacts with B(C6F5)3 to yield a paramagnetic contact ion pair with an eta 2-(o,m)-[PhCH2B(C6F5)3] anion, which was characterised by X-ray diffraction.     

Silsesquioxane models for geminal silica surface silanol sites. A spectroscopic investigation of different types of silanols

The incompletely condensed monosilylated silsesquioxanes (c-C5H9)7Si7O9(OSiRR'2)(OH)2 (SiRR'2 = SiMe3, SiMe2C(H)CH2, SiMePh2) were reacted with SiCl(4) in the presence of an amine which yielded the dichloro compounds (c-C5H9)7Si7O9(OSiRR'2)O2SiCl2 (1-3). These compounds could be hydrolyzed into the corresponding silsesquioxanes containing geminal silanols, (c-C5H9)7Si7O9(OSiRR'2)O2Si(OH)2 (4-6). At elevated temperatures, the geminal silsesquioxanes 4 and 5 undergo condensation reactions and form the closed-cage silsesquioxane monosilanol, (c-C5H9)7Si8O12(OH). The more sterically hindered geminal silsesquioxane 6 undergoes in solution intermolecular dehydroxylation, yielding the thermodynamically stable dimeric disilanol, [(c-C5H9)7Si7O9(OSiMePh2)(O2Si(OH)-)]2-(mu-O) (7). NMR and FT-IR studies show that the two silanols of the geminal silsesquioxanes 4-6 are different from each other with respect to hydrogen bonding, both in solution and in the solid state. Hydrogen bonding of the geminal silanol-containing silsesquioxanes was examined and compared to hydrogen bonding in silsesquioxanes possessing vicinal or isolated silanol groups. The relative Br?nsted acidity of the geminal silanols was determined using pK(ip) (ion-pair acidity) measurements in THF with UV-vis. These acidities were compared with those of other silsesquioxanes containing silanol groups. Acidities of 4-6 were found to be among the lowest known for silsesquioxanes.     

Photoresponsive rolling and bending of thin crystals of chiral diarylethenes

Dithienylhexafluorocyclopentene with (R)- or (S)-N-phenylethylamide substituents formed rod-like and 0.2-1.0 microm-thick platelike crystals by sublimation; upon UV irradiation, the crystals bent concavely to the incident light and finally rolled crystals were obtained; the bent crystals were reconverted to flat crystals by visible light irradiation.     

A redesign of light-driven rotary molecular motors

Structural modification of unidirectional light-driven rotary molecular motors in which the naphthalene moieties are exchanged for substituted phenyl moieties are reported. This redesign provides an additional tool to control the speed of the motors, and should enable the design and synthesis of more complex systems.     

The role of salicylic acid, L-ascorbic acid and oxalic acid in promoting the oxidation of alkenes with H2O2 catalysed by [MnIV2(O)3(tmtacn)2]2+

The role played by the additives salicylic acid, L-ascorbic acid and oxalic acid in promoting the catalytic activity of [MnIV2(O)3(tmtacn)2](PF6)2 (1(PF6)2, where tmtacn = N,N',N'-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) in the epoxidation and cis-dihydroxylation of alkenes with H2O2 and in suppressing the catalysed decomposition of H2O2 is examined. Whereas aliphatic and aromatic carboxylic acids effect enhancement of the catalytic activity of 1 through the in situ formation dinuclear carboxylato bridged complexes of the type [MnIII2(mu-O)(mu-RCO2)2(tmtacn)2]2+, for L-ascorbic acid and oxalic acid notable differences in reactivity are observed. Although for L-ascorbic acid key differences in the spectroscopic properties of the reaction mixtures are observed compared with carboxylic acids, the involvement of carboxylic acids formed in situ is apparent. For oxalic acid the situation is more complex with two distinct catalyst systems in operation; the first, which engages in epoxidation only, is dominant until the oxalic acid additive is consumed completely at which point carboxylic acids formed in situ take on the role of additives to form a second distinct catalyst system, i.e. that which was observed for alkyl and aromatic carboxylic acids, which yield both cis-diol and epoxide products.     

One ligand fits all: cationic mono(amidinate) alkyl catalysts over the full size range of the group 3 and lanthanide metals

Using a sterically demanding amidinate ancillary ligand and an in situ alkylation procedure, neutral mono(amidinate) dialkyl and cationic mono(amidinate) monoalkyl complexes were prepared for metals spanning the full size range of the group 3 and lanthanide metals. The activity of the cationic monoalkyls in catalytic ethene polymerization was found to vary by over 2 orders of magnitude depending on the metal ionic radius, the intermediate metal sizes being found to be the most effective.     

Spectroscopic and magnetic properties of a series of μ-cyano bridged bimetallic compounds of the type M(II)-NC-Fe(III) (M = Mn, Co, and Zn) using the building block [Fe(III)(CN)5imidazole]2-

In this contribution, we describe the preparation and single-crystal X-ray diffraction of a new building block for bimetallic solid state materials. X-ray diffraction data of these complexes indicate that (PPh(4))(2)[Fe(CN)(5)imidazole]·2H(2)O crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 with a = 9.8108(15) ?, b = 11.1655(17) ?, c = 23.848(4) ?, α = 87.219(2)°, β = 85.573(2)°, γ = 70.729(2)°, and Z = 2, while its precursor Na(3)[Fe(CN)(5)(en)]·5H(2)O crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with a = 8.3607(7) ?, b = 11.1624(9) ?, c = 17.4233(14) ?, β = 90.1293(9)°, and Z = 4. Spectroscopic and magnetic properties of a series of bimetallic materials were obtained by reaction of the complex [Fe(CN)(5)imidazole](2-) with hydrated transition metal ions [M(H(2)O)(n)](2+) (M = Mn, Co, Zn; n = 4 or 6). The new bimetallic materials obtained are [Co(H(2)O)(2)][Fe(CN)(5)imidazole]·2H(2)O (1), [Mn(CH(3)OH)(2)][Fe(CN)(5)imidazole] (2), Zn[Fe(CN)(5)imidazole]·H(2)O (3), and [Mn(bpy)][Fe(CN)(5)imidazole].H(2)O (4). All of the complexes crystallize in the orthorhombic system. X-ray single-crystal analysis of the compounds identified the Imma space group with a = 7.3558(10) ?, b = 14.627(2) ?, c = 14.909(2) ?, and Z = 4 for 1; the P2(1)2(1)2(1) space group with a = 7.385(5) ?, b = 13.767(9) ?, c = 14.895(10) ?, and Z = 4 for 2; the Pnma space group with a = 13.783(2) ?, b = 7.167(11) ?, c = 12.599(2) ?, and Z = 4 for 3; and the Pnma space group with a = 13.192(3) ?, b = 7.224(16) ?, c = 22.294(5) ?, and Z = 4 for 4. The structures of 1, 2, and 4 consist of two-dimensional network layers containing, as the repeating unit, a cyclic tetramer [M(2)Fe(2)(CN)(4)] (M = Mn, Co). H bonding between the layers in the structure of 1 results in a quasi-three-dimensional network. The structure of 3 was found to be three-dimensional, where all of the cyano ligands are involved in bridging between the metal centers. The bridging character of the cyano is confirmed spectroscopically. The magnetic properties have been investigated for all of the bimetallic systems. Compound 1 shows ferromagnetic behavior with an ordering temperature at 25 K, which is higher than the corresponding Prussian Blue analogue Co(x)[Fe(CN)(6)](y)?·zH(2)O. Compound 2 shows weak ferromagnetic behavior and an interlayer antiferromagnetic character, while 3, as expected, shows paramagnetic character due to the diamagnetic character of Zn(2+). Compound 4 shows antiferromagnetic behavior.