Unexpected ferromagnetic interaction in a new tetranuclear copper(II) complex: synthesis, crystal structure, magnetic properties, and theoretical studies

The new tetranuclear carbonate complex [Cu2L)2(CO3)] x 8H2O (1 x 8H2O) (H3L = (2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-bis[4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-azabut-3-enyl]-1,3-imidazolidine) has been obtained by two different synthetic routes and fully characterized. Recrystallization of 1 x 8H2O in methanol yields single crystals of {[(Cu2L)2(CO3)]}2 x 12H2O (1 x 6H2O), suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. The crystal structure of 1 x 6H2O shows two crystallographically different tetranuclear molecules in the asymmetric unit, 1a and 1b. Both molecules can be understood as self-assembled from two dinuclear [Cu2L]+ cations, joined by a mu4-eta(2):eta(1):eta(1) carbonate ligand. The copper atoms of each crystallographically different [(Cu2L)2(CO3)] molecule present miscellaneous coordination polyhedra: in both 1a and 1b, two metal centers are in square pyramidal environments, one displays a square planar chromophore and the other one has a geometry that can be considered as an intermediate between square pyramid and trigonal bipyramid. Magnetic studies reveal net intramolecular ferromagnetic coupling between the metal atoms. Density functional calculations allow the assignment of the different magnetic coupling constants and explain the unexpected ferromagnetic behavior, because of the presence of an unusual NCN bridging moiety and countercomplementarity of the phenoxo (or carbonate) and NCN bridges.     

Holo- and hemidirected lead(II) in the polymeric [Pb(4)(mu-3,4-TDTA)2(H2O)2]*4H2O complex. N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate ligands derived from o-phenylenediamines as sequestering agents for lead(II)

The coordinating ability of the ligands 3,4-toluenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (3,4-TDTA), o-phenylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (o-PhDTA), and 4-chloro-1,2-phenylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetate (4-Cl-o-PhDTA) (H4L acids) toward lead(II) is studied by potentiometry (25 degrees C, I = 0.5 mol x dm(-3) in NaClO4), UV-vis spectrophotometry, and 207Pb NMR spectrometry. The stability constants of the complex species formed were determined. X-ray diffraction structural analysis of the complex [Pb4(mu-3,4-TDTA)4(H2O)2]*4H2O (1) revealed that 1 has a 2-D structure. The layers are built up by the polymerization of centrosymmetric [Pb4L2(H2O)2] tetranuclear units. The neutral layers have the aromatic rings of the ligands pointing to the periphery, whereas the metallic ions are located in the central part of the layers. In compound 1, two types of six-coordinate lead(II) environments are produced. The Pb(1) is coordinated to two nitrogen atoms and four carboxylate oxygens from the ligand, whereas Pb(2) has an O6 trigonally distorted octahedral surrounding. The lead(II) ion is surrounded by five carboxylate oxygens and a water molecule. The carboxylate oxygens belong to four different ligands that are also joined to four other Pb(1) ions. The selective uptake of lead(II) was analyzed by means of chemical speciation diagrams as well as the so-called conditional or effective formation constants K(Pb)eff. The results indicate that, in competition with other ligands that are strong complexing agents for lead(II), our ligands are better sequestering agents in acidic media.     

Halonickel(I) complexes

Summary The reduction of nickel(II) halides with NaBH₄ in the presence of different ligands, L=PPh₃, AsPh₃, SbPh₃, has been studied. With a molar ratio L/Ni=3, new complexes NiX(SbPh₃)₃, X=Cl, Br, I, were obtained. With a molar ratio L/Ni=2, dimeric species [NiXL₂]₂, X=Cl, Br, I; L=PPh₃, AsPh₃, SbPh₃, were isolated. They are unstable and decompose easily in the solid and rapidly in solution, so that pure samples were only identified for X=Cl, L=PPh₃, AsPh₃, SbPh₃; X=Br, L=PPh₃ and X=I, L=PPh₃. With a molar ratio L/Ni=1, complexes [NiXL]_n (probably polymeric) were obtained. They are very unstable and pure samples could only be isolated when X=Cl, L=PPh₃. Impure substances containing variable amounts of decomposition products were obtained in all the remaining cases. The chemical and structural behaviour of these complexes is discussed.     

Diels-Alder reaction of optically active (E)-γ-keto-α,β-unsaturated p-tolylsulfoxides with cyclopentadiene

The Diels-Alder reaction of enantiomerically pure (E)-γ-keto-α,β-unsaturated p-tolylsulphoxides 3 with cyclopentadiene give four easily separable diastereomers. The effect of several Lewis acids on the reaction was studied, finding a high endo selectivity with respect to the carbonyl group and moderate π-diastereoselectivity using BF₃·Et₂O as catalyst. The reactivity of compounds 3 as well as their endo selectivity are both higher than those observed for the corresponding (E)-3-sulfinylacrylates.     

Cross-linking of polyolefins: a study by thermoporosimetry with benzene derivatives as swelling solvents.

The solvents o-, m-, p-xylene, p-dichlorobenzene, 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene, and naphthalene were calibrated as condensates used in the thermoporosimetry technique. Exponential relationships were found connecting the pore radii R(p) (in nm) and the freezing-point depression of the swelling solvent deltaT (in degrees C) on the one hand and the apparent energy of crystallization W(a) (in J cm(-3)) and deltaT on the other hand: R(p) = t exp[-1/(c deltaT)]; W(a) = W0 exp(deltaT/f). Pore- or mesh-size distributions can be derived from differential scanning calorimetry results by using the following equation: dV(p)/dR(p) = k{[cY(T)deltaT2]/[W(a)R(p)]}. All the numerical parameters were determined. Polyethylene and polypropylene samples, cross-linked with high-energy electrons or gamma-rays, were submitted to thermoporosimetry study. Relative mesh-size distributions, which depend on the polymer/solvent pair, were calculated for these polyolefins with o-, m-, and p-xylene as solvent and were found to be in the same sequence as those of their degrees of swelling and the irradiation doses received.     

Sequential injection system with higher dimensional electrochemical sensor signals Part 2. Potentiometric e-tongue for the determination of alkaline ions

An intelligent, automatic system based on an array of non-specific-response chemical sensors was developed. As a great amount of information is required for its correct modelling, we propose a system generating it itself. The sequential injection analysis (SIA) technique was chosen as it enables the processes of training, calibration, validation and operation to be automated simply. Detection was carried out using an array of potentiometric sensors based on PVC membranes of different selectivity. The diluted standard solutions needed for system learning and response modelling are automatically prepared from more concentrated standards. The electrodes used were characterised with respect to one and two analytes, by means of high-dimensionality calibrations, and the response surface of each was represented; this characterisation enabled an interference study of great practical utility. The combined response was modelled by means of artificial neural networks (ANNs), and thus it was possible to obtain an automated electronic tongue based on SIA. In order to identify the ANN which provided the best model of the electrode responses, some of the network's parameters were optimised and its usefulness in determining NH₄⁺, K⁺ and Na⁺ ions in synthetic samples was then tested. Finally, it was used to determine these ions in commercial fertilisers, the obtained results being compared with reference methods.     

Analysis of sorption and bioavailability of different species of mercury on model soil components using XAS techniques and sensor bacteria

The present work studies the adsorption behaviour of mercury species on different soil components (montmorillonite, kaolinite and humic acid) spiked with CH₃HgCl and CH₃HgOH at different pH values, by using XAS techniques and bacterial mercury sensors in order to evaluate the availability of methyl mercury on soil components. The study details and discusses different aspects of the adsorption process, including sample preparation (with analysis of adsorbed methyl mercury by ICP-OES), the various adsorption conditions, and the characterization of spiked samples by XAS techniques performed at two synchrotron facilities (ESRF in Grenoble, France and HASYLAB in Hamburg, Germany), as well as bioavailability studies using mercury-specific sensor bacteria. Results show that XAS is a valuable qualitative technique that can be used to identify the bonding character of the Hg in mercury environment. The amount of methyl in mercury adsorbed to montmorillonite was pH-dependent while for all soil components studied, the bond character was not affected by pH. On the other hand, clays exhibited more ionic bonding character than humic acids did with methyl mercury. This interaction has a higher covalent character and so it is more stable for CH₃HgOH than for CH₃HgCl, due to the higher reactivity of the hydroxyl group arising from the possible formation of hydrogen bonds.The bioavailability of methyl mercury adsorbed to montmorillonite, kaolinite and humic acids was measured using recombinant luminescent sensor bacterium Escherichia coli MC1061 (pmerBR_BSluc). In case of contact exposure (suspension assays), the results showed that the bioavailability was higher than it was for exposure to particle-free extracts prepared from these suspensions. The highest bioavailability of methyl mercury was found in suspensions of montmorillonite (about 50% of the total amount), while the bioavailabilities of kaolinite and humic acids were five times lower (about 10%). The behaviour of methyl mercury in the presence of montmorillonite could be explained by the more ionic bonding character of this system, in contrast to the more covalent bonding character observed for humic acids. Thus, XAS techniques seem to provide promising tools for investigating the mechanisms behind the observed bioavailabilities of metals in various environmental matrices, an important topic in environmental toxicology.     

Experimental and computational investigation of the energetics of the three isomers of monochloroaniline

The standard (p degrees = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation of 2-, 3-, and 4-chloroaniline were derived from the standard molar energies of combustion, in oxygen, at T = 298.15 K, measured by rotating bomb combustion calorimetry. The Calvet high-temperature vacuum sublimation technique was used to measure the enthalpies of vaporization or sublimation of the three isomers. These two thermodynamic parameters yielded the standard molar enthalpies of formation of the three isomers of chloroaniline, in the gaseous phase, at T = 298.15 K, as 53.4 +/- 3.1 kJ.mol(-1) for 2-chloroaniline, 53.0 +/- 2.8 kJ.mol(-1) for 3-chloroaniline, and 59.7 +/- 2.3 kJ.mol(-1) for 4-chloroaniline. These values, which correct previously published data, were used to test the computational methodologies used. Therewith, gas-phase acidities, proton affinities, electron donor capacities, and N-H bond dissociation enthalpies were calculated and found to compare well with available experimental data for these parameters.     

A study on the influence of the structure of the glycosyl acceptors on the stereochemistry of the glycosylation reactions with 2-azido-2-deoxy-hexopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates

The stereochemical outcome of glycosylations with 2-azido-2-deoxy-D-gluco- and D-galactopyranosyl trichloroacetimidates as glycosyl donors has been investigated by using a series of chiro-inositol derivatives as glycosyl acceptors. The influence of the absolute configuration, the conformation and the conformational flexibility of the glycosyl acceptor has been studied by using different glycosyl donors under similar pre-established experimental conditions. Although the structure of the acceptor may play a role in governing the stereochemistry of these glycosylations, the results show that, in general terms, the relative influence of these factors is difficult to evaluate. For a given set of experimental conditions, the stereochemical course of these glycosylations depends on structural features of both glycosyl donor and glycosyl acceptor. It is a balance of these factors, where the structure of the glycosyl donor always plays a major role, which determines the stereochemistry of the coupling reaction. Therefore, the examples reported in the literature in which the structure of the glycosyl acceptor appears to be crucial in determining the stereochemistry of the reaction constitute particularly favorable cases which do not presently allow any further generalization.     

Synthesis and spectral properties of new complexes between glycine and titanium(III), vanadium(III), chromium(III), iron(III), cobalt(II), nickel(II) and copper(II)

Summary Complexes of formula [MCl₃(glyH)₃] (M=Ti, V and Fe) [CrCl₃(glyH)₂H₂O], [MCl₂(glyH)₂(H₂O)₂] (M=Co and Cu) and [NiCl₂(glyH)₃H₂O] have been prepared and characterized by potentiometric curves, chemical analysis, magnetic properties, i.r. and electronic spectral data.