Copper(I)-catalysed homo-coupling of aryldiazonium salts: synthesis of symmetrical biaryls

Copper(I) triflate acts as an efficient stoichiometric reagent for the homo-coupling of aryldiazonium salts bearing electron-withdrawing group(s), to yield symmetrical biaryls in acetonitrile under mild reaction conditions. Aryldiazonium salts bearing electron-donating groups undergo the reaction by using catalytic amounts of a copper complex prepared in situ from copper(II) triflate and 2,2′-bipyridine with metallic copper as an ultimate reductant.     

Aromatic foldamers as scaffolds for metal second coordination sphere design

As metalloproteins exemplify, the chemical and physical properties of metal centers depend not only on their first but also on their second coordination sphere. Installing arrays of functional groups around the first coordination sphere of synthetic metal complexes is thus highly desirable, but it remains a challenging objective. Here we introduce a novel approach to produce tailored second coordination spheres. We used bioinspired artificial architectures based on aromatic oligoamide foldamers to construct a rigid, modular and well-defined environment around a metal complex. Specifically, aza-aromatic monomers having a tethered [2Fe–2S] cluster have been synthesized and incorporated in conical helical foldamer sequences. Exploiting the modularity and predictability of aromatic oligoamide structures allowed for the straightforward design of a conical architecture able to sequester the metal complex in a confined environment. Even though no direct metal complex–foldamer interactions were purposely designed in this first generation model, crystallography, NMR and IR spectroscopy concurred to show that the aromatic oligoamide backbone alters the structure and fluxional processes of the metal cluster.

Wrapping a [2Fe–2S] metal complex in an aromatic foldamer helix is introduced as a new approach to tailor a second coordination sphere.     

Modified synthesis of Ru–Rh heterobimetallic metallacarboranes based on ruthenium exo-nido complexes and not accompanied by exo-nido → closo rearrangement

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Temperature dependence of density, thermal expansion coefficient and shear viscosity of supercooled glycerol as a reflection of its structure

The relationship of the microstructure of supercooled, highly viscous glycerol to the temperature dependence of its density, thermal expansion coefficient, and shear viscosity are discussed. The character of this temperature dependence at the transition from low viscosity state to the solid amorphous state (solidified state without nuclei) is described with help of function psi, which can be interpreted as the effective number of degrees of freedom responsible for the change of viscosity of glycerol over a broad range; these degrees of freedom are those related to the alpha-relaxation process. It is shown that the change in effective activation energy of the viscosity is completely determined by the parameter psi. The change in the shear viscosity of glycerol due to the influence of the solid-phase nuclei is considered. It is shown that the introduction of the parameter phi, equal to the specific volume occupied by the nuclei of the solid phase, together with psi provides a natural explanation of the temperature dependence of density and thermal expansion coefficients of glycerol in its liquid, solid amorphous, glassy, and crystal states. The peculiarities of the temperature dependence of phi(T) and psi(T) for glycerol and o-terphenyl are compared.     

Orientational dynamics of water confined on a nanometer length scale in reverse micelles

The time-resolved orientational anisotropies of the OD hydroxyl stretch of dilute HOD in H(2)O confined on a nanometer length scale in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles are studied using ultrafast infrared polarization and spectrally resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, and the results are compared to the same experiments on bulk water. The orientational anisotropy data for three water nanopool sizes (4.0, 2.4, and 1.7 nm) can be fitted well with biexponential decays. The biexponential decays are analyzed using a wobbling-in-a-cone model that involves fast orientational diffusion within a cone followed by slower, full orientational relaxation. The data provide the cone angles, the diffusion constants for motion within the cones, and the final diffusion constants as a function of the nanopool size. The two processes can be interpreted as a local angular fluctuation of the OD and a global hydrogen bond network rearrangement process. The trend in the relative amplitudes of the long and short exponential decays suggest an increasing rigidity as the nanopool size decreases. The trend in the long decay constants indicates a longer hydrogen bond network rearrangement time with decreasing reverse micelle size. The anisotropy measurements for the reverse micelles studied extrapolate to approximately 0.33 rather than the ideal value of 0.4, suggesting the presence of an initial inertial component in the anisotropy decay that is too fast to resolve. The very fast decay component is consistent with initial inertial orientational motion that is seen in published molecular-dynamics simulations of water in AOT reverse micelles. The angle over which the inertial orientational motion occurs is determined. The results are in semiquantitative agreement with the molecular-dynamics simulations.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of two novel heterometallic clusters: [Rh4Pt2(CO)11(dppm)2] and [Ru2Rh2Pt2(CO)12(dppm)2

Two novel heterometallic octahedral clusters [Rh(4)Pt(2)(CO)(11)(dppm)(2)](1) and [Ru(2)Rh(2)Pt(2)(CO)(12)(dppm)(2)](2) were synthesized by the reaction of [Rh(2)Pt(2)(CO)(6)(dppm)(2)] with [Rh(6)(CO)(14)(NCMe)(2)] and Ru(3)(CO)(12), respectively. Solid state structures of 1 and 2 have been established by a single crystal X-ray diffraction study. Two dppm ligands in 1 are bonded to one platinum and three rhodium atoms, which form an equatorial plane of the Rh(4)Pt(2) octahedron. Two rhodium and two platinum atoms bound to the diphosphine ligands in 2 are nonplanar to give an octahedral C2 symmetric Ru(2)Rh(2)Pt(2)(dppm)2 framework. The (31)P NMR investigation of and (1D, (31)P COSY, (31)P-[(103)Rh] HMQC) and simulation of 1D spectral patterns showed that in both clusters the structures of the M(6)(PP)(2) fragments found in the solid state are maintained in solution.     

Fluorine containing coordination compounds of Cr(III)

Trans-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]I·H₂O (A) has monoclinic P2_l/m (No. 11) space group witha=5.033 (3),b=16.333 (10),c=5.539 (3) Å and =98.47 (3)°,Z=2.Cis-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]ClO₄ (B) has tetragonal space group I4_lmd (No. 109) witha=7.417 (1),c=16.610 (2) Å,Z=4. Cr–F and Cr–N bonding distances are 1.894 (3); 2.087 and 2.083 (5) Å for A and 1.887 (6); 2.062 (5) and 2.051 (7) Å for B. Octahedral angles within the cations are close to 90° for both compounds. Cr–N bondtrans to Cr–F bond in thecis compound is shorter. Structures were refined toR ₂ values of 0.072 (A) and 0.058 (B).Trans-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]I·H₂O has weak N–H–F hydrogen bonds between the cations. None such interactions were found incis-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]ClO₄.

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Fluorhältige Komplexe des Cr(III), 2. Mitt.: Kristall- und Molekülstruktur von trans-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]I·H₂O und cis-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]ClO₄

Zusammenfassung Trans-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]I·H₂O (A) kristallisiert in der Raumgruppe P2_l/m (No. 11) mitZ=2 unda=5,033 (3),b=16,333 (10),c=5,539 (3) Å und =98,47 (3)°.Cis-[Cr(NH₃)₄F₂]ClO₄ (B) kristallisiert in der Raumgruppe I4_lmd (No. 109) mitZ=4,a=7,417 (1) undc=16,610 (2) Å. Die Cr–F- und Cr–N-Abstände sind 1,894 (3); 2,087 (6), 2,083 (5) Å für A und 1,887 (6); 2,062 (5), 2,051 (7) Å für B. Die octaedrischen Bindungswinkel innerhalb der Kationen weichen nicht viel von 90° ab. Der Cr–N-Abstand intrans-Position der Cr–F-Bindung ist kürzer. Die Strukturen wurden bis zu GütefaktorenR ₂ 0,072 (A) und 0,058 (B) verfeinert. Bei der Verbindung A wurden schwache N–H ... F-Wasserstoff-Bindungen zwischen verschiedenen Kationen beobachtet, während bei der Verbindung B keine Wasserstoff-Bindungen vorhanden sind.

     

Hybrid microgels photoresponsive in the near-infrared spectral range

We report for the first time a photothermally responsive composite material based on polymer microgel particles doped with gold nanorods. We used the dependence of the longitudinal surface plasmon of the gold nanorods on their aspect ratio to synthesize nanoparticles with strong absorption in the near-IR spectral range (in the "water window"). The nanoparticles were incorporated in the interior of temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylic acid) microgels. Upon irradiation at lambda = 810 nm, hybrid microgel particles doped with Au nanorods underwent a strong deswelling phase transition. These photothermally responsive microgels can be used to carry and release small molecules (e.g., small protein molecules and drugs).     

Topological effect on MO energies,IV. The total π-electron energy ofS- andT-isomers

A novel general property of theS- andT-isomers (a concept which has been introduced and elaborated elsewhere^{1, 2}) of alternant hydrocarbons is demonstrated, namely that due to the HMO total -electron energy theS-isomer should always be more stable than theT-isomer. Some other classes of conjugated isomers are also constructed, for which similar inequalities are derived.

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Topologischer Effekt bei MO-Energien, 4. Mitt.: Die -Elektronen-Gesamtenergie vonS- undT-Isomeren

Zusammenfassung Es wird allgemein gezeigt, daß bei einemS-T-Isomerenpaar (beschrieben in^{1, 2}) eines alternierenden Kohlenwasserstoffes infolge der HMO -Elektronen-Gesamtenergie dasS-Isomere stets stabiler sein sollte als dasT-Isomere. Weitere Klassen konjugierter Isomere werden konstruiert und ähnliche Ungleichungen angegeben.