Coordination around thorium(IV) in aqueous perchlorate,chloride and nitrate solutions

The coordination around the thorium(IV) ion in aqueous perchlorate, chloride and nitrate solutions has been determined from large angle X-ray scattering measurements. In perchlorate solutions, where inner-sphere complexes are not formed, the first coordination sphere contains 8.0±0.5 water molecules with Th-H₂O bond lengths of 2.48₅ Å. In chloride solutions inner-sphere complexes are formed, which lead to an increase in the coordination number. In nitrate solutions the nitrate ions are bonded as bidentate ligands to the thorium ion. The bond lengths are similar to those found in crystalline hydrates of thorium nitrate. The coordination numbers found for thorium(IV) in solution are compared with previously reported values for lower charged ions of similar size.On leave from Department of Inorganic Chemistry Royal Institute of Technology S-10044 Stockholm Sweden     

Multiple bonds between main group elements and transition metals, 155. (Hexamethylphosphoramide) methyl(oxo) bis(η-peroxo)rhenium(VII), the first example of an anhydrous rhenium peroxo complex: crystal structure and catalytic properties

Methyl(oxo)bis(η²-peroxo)rhenium(VII)1, the active species of the system CH₃ReO₃/H₂O₂ in the catalytic oxidation of different organic and organometallic compounds, is stabilized by a water molecule attached to the rhenium center. This water molecule can be removed and substituted by hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA) to yield (hexamethylphosphoramide)methyl(oxo)bis(η²-peroxo rhenium(VII) (3). The synthesis, crystal structure (X-ray difraction study), and catalytic properties of which compound are reported. Crystal data are as follows: monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, A = 900.76(7) pm, B = 1229.80(11) pm, C = 1318.57(11) pm, β = 90.251(7)°, R_w = 0.034 for 1878 reflections. The catalytic properties of compound 3 in the oxidation of olefins with H₂O₂ are similar to those of 1.     

Structure determination of zinc iodide complexes formed in aqueous solution

Structures of the complexes formed in aqueous solutions between zinc(II) and iodide ions have been determined from large-angle X-ray scattering, Raman and far-IR measurements. The coordination in the hydrated Zn²⁺ hexaaqua ion and the first iodide complex, [ZnI]⁺, is octahedral, but is changed into tetrahedral in the higher complexes, [ZnI₂(H₂O)₂], [ZnI₃(H₂O)]^– and [ZnI₄]^2–. The Zn-I bond length is 2.635(4)Å in the [ZnI₄]^2– ion and slightly shorter, 2.592(6)Å, in the two lower tetrahedral complexes. In the octahedral [ZnI(H₂O)₅]⁺ complex the Zn-I bond length is 2.90(1)Å. The Zn-O bonding distances in the complexes are approximately the same as that in the hydrated Zn²⁺ ion, 2.10(1)Å.     

Intensitätsverhalten von Molekülanionen organischer Substanzen unter verschiedenen Versuchsbedingungen

A modified commercial mass spectrometer was used to perform quantitative measurements on negative ions of selected organic compounds at about 10^?4 Torr source pressure. The pressure dependency of the molecular ion intensity on pure compounds and binary mixtures shows up two different sources of slow secondary electrons. At low total source pressures a log-log plot of the ion intensity against the sample amount is linear and slow electrons are produced predominantly by wall effects, whereas at high pressures plasma effects arise with a non-linear pressure dependency.     

Supramolecular cluster catalysis: facts and problems

By checking the chemistry underlying the concept of “supramolecular cluster catalysis” we identified two major errors in our publications related to this topic, which are essentially due to contamination problems. (1) The conversion of the “closed” cluster cation [H₃Ru₃(C₆H₆)(C₆Me₆)₂(O)]⁺ (1) into the “open” cluster cation [H₂Ru₃(C₆H₆)(C₆Me₆)₂(O)(OH)]⁺ (2), which we had ascribed to a reaction with water in the presence of ethylbenzene is simply an oxidation reaction which occurs in the presence of air. (2) The higher catalytic activity observed with ethylbenzene, which we had erroneously attributed to the “open” cluster cation [H₂Ru₃(C₆H₆)(C₆Me₆)₂(O)(OH)]⁺ (2), was due to the formation of RuO₂ · nH₂O, caused by a hydroperoxide contamination present in ethylbenzene.     

Formation of Iron-Carbon Nanoparticles behind Shock Waves

An attempt was made to obtain iron-carbon nanoparticles by two-step pyrolysis of Fe(CO)₅- and C₃O₂-containing mixtures behind incident and reflected shock waves in a shock tube. The formation of binary particles was monitored by recording the extinction of He-Ne laser radiation and laser-induced incandescence (LII). The LII method provides particle size estimates if the thermal and optical properties of the constituting material are known. Behind an incident shock wave, at temperatures of 700–1500 K, Fe(CO)₅ decomposes within a short period of time (∼50 µs). The resulting iron atoms combine into particles, which serve as condensation nuclei for carbon vapor resulting from C₃O₂ pyrolysis at 1500–3000 K behind the reflected shock wave. The binary particles thus produced are considerably larger than pure carbon or iron particles. As the mixture temperature behind the reflected shock wave is raised, the diameter of these binary particles decreases.__________Translated from Kinetika i Kataliz, Vol. 46, No. 3, 2005, pp. 333–343.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Gurentsov, Eremin, Roth, Starke.Based on a report at the VI Russian Conference on Mechanisms of Catalytic Reactions (Moscow, October 1–5, 2002).     

Density functional calculations of NMR chemical shifts and ESR g-tensors

An overview is given on recent advances of density functional theory (DFT) as applied to the calculation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts and electron spin resonance (ESR) g-tensors. This is a new research area that has seen tremendous progress and success recently; we try to present some of these developments. DFT accounts for correlation effects efficiently. Therefore, it is the only first-principle method that can handle NMR calculations on large systems like transition-metal complexes. Relativistic effects become important for heavier element compounds; here we show how they can be accounted for. The ESR g-tensor is related conceptually to the NMR shielding, and results of g-tensor calculations are presented. DFT has been very successful in its application to magnetic properties, for metal complexes in particular. However, there are still certain shortcomings and limitations, e.g., in the exchange-correlation functional, that are discussed as well. Received: 24 October 1997 / Accepted: 19 December 1997     

Bifunctional Lewis acid-nucleophile-based asymmetric catalysis: mechanistic evidence for imine activation working in tandem with chiral enolate formation in the synthesis of beta-lactams

We report a mechanistically based study of bifunctional catalyst systems in which chiral nucleophiles work in conjunction with Lewis acids to produce beta-lactams in high chemical yield, diastereoselectivity, and enantioselectivity. Chiral cinchona alkaloid derivatives work best when paired with Lewis acids based on Al(III), Zn(II), Sc(III), and, most notably, In(III). Homogeneous bifunctional catalysts, in which the catalyst contains both Lewis acidic and Lewis basic sites, were also studied in detail. Mechanistic evidence allows us to conclude that the chiral nucleophiles form zwitterionic enolates that react with metal-coordinated imines. Alternative scenarios, which postulated metal-bound enolates, were disfavored on the basis of our observations.     

Neutron diffraction structure determination of the high-temperature form of lithium tritantalate,HLiTa3O8

The crystal structure of HLiTa₃O₈ has been reexamined by electron and neutron diffraction techniques. Neutron Weissenberg and electron diffraction photographs show that the space group of the compound isPmmn and notPmma as determined previously by X-ray diffraction techniques. There are eight molecules in the unit cell of lattice parametersa = 16.718(2)A?,b = 7.696(1)A?,c = 8.931(1)A?. These values show that thebaxis of the new cell is doubled with respect to the parameter measured by X-rays. The structural refinement was based on 1074 independent reflections measured on a single crystal with a four-circle neutron diffractometer. The positions of all atoms, including the lithium atoms have been determined. The finalR andwRfactors were 0.036 and 0.035, respectively. The eight lithium cations occupy two sets of4fpositions(x,¼, z)of thePmmn space group. The ordering of four lithium ions over two sets of possible positions (4j) of space groupPmma is responsible for the doubling of theb axis. The other four Li⁺ occupy two sets of positions (2d) of space groupPmma. All lithium ions are surrounded by 12 oxygen atoms arranged as cuboctahedra. The large thermal vibrations found for the lithium atoms and the ionic conductivity of HLiTa₃O₈ at high temperatures are consistent with weak LiO bonding.     

Isomere Diamino-alkoxy-pyridin-carbonitrile — ihre Trennung und Verwendung als Kupplungskomponenten

The isomeric 4,6-diamino-2-alkoxy- (3), and 2,4-diamino-6-alkoxy-3-pyridine-carbonitriles (4) are obtained by treatment of 2-amino-1,1,3-tricyanopropene (1) with sodium alkoxides. Separation is based on their differentpK _a -values (3 a=2.01,4 a=4.17). Coupling reaction of3 a-c with benzenediazonium chloride in strong acidic medium leads to the yellow azo dyes5 a-c, whereas coupling of4 a requires a buffered solution (pH 4–6) to yield6. The UV-VIS spectra of the isomer pyridines and the azo dyes are discussed.