Large-scale ab initio calculations of archetypical ionic liquids

Fully ab initio large-scale calculations of archetypical ionic liquids consisting of up to eight ion pairs are presented for the first time. These are used to validate the computationally efficient Fragment Molecular Orbital approach applied to these semi-Coulombic systems, paving the way towards accurate prediction of their transport properties.     

Facile preparation of amine and amino acid adducts of [60]fullerene using chlorofullerene C60Cl6 as a precursor

We report a general synthetic approach to the preparation of highly functionalized amine and amino acid derivatives of [60]fullerene starting from readily available chlorofullerene C(60)Cl(6). The synthesized water-soluble amino acid derivative of C(60) demonstrated pronounced antiviral activity, while the cationic amine-based compound showed strong antibacterial action in vitro.     

Crucial role of paramagnetic ligands for magnetostructural anomalies in "breathing crystals"

Breathing crystals based on polymer-chain complexes of Cu(hfac)(2) with nitroxides exhibit thermally and light-induced magnetostructural anomalies in many aspects similar to a spin crossover. In the present work, we report the synthesis and investigation of a new family of Cu(hfac)(2) complexes with tert-butylpyrazolylnitroxides and their nonradical structural analogues. The complexes with paramagnetic ligands clearly exhibit structural rearrangements in the copper(II) coordination units and accompanying magnetic phenomena characteristic for breathing crystals. Contrary to that, their structural analogues with diamagnetic ligands do not undergo rearrangements in the copper(II) coordination environments. This confirms experimentally the crucial role of paramagnetic ligands and exchange interactions between them and copper(II) ions for the origin of magnetostructural anomalies in this family of molecular magnets.     

Lithium storage mechanisms and effect of partial cobalt substitution in manganese carbonate electrodes

A promising group of inorganic salts recently emerged for the negative electrode of advanced lithium-ion batteries. Manganese carbonate combines low weight and significant lithium storage properties. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and magnetic measurements are used to study the environment of manganese ions during cycling in lithium test cells. To observe reversible lithium storage into manganese carbonate, preparation by a reverse micelles method is used. The resulting nanostructuration favors a capacitive lithium storage mechanism in manganese carbonate with good rate performance. Partial substitution of cobalt by manganese improves cycling efficiency at high rates.     

A revised mechanism of thermal decay of arylnitroso oxides

The electronic spectra were measured and the unimolecular decay kinetics of the isomeric forms (cis and trans) of 4-methoxyphenylnitroso oxide in acetonitrile, benzene, and hexane was studied using flash photolysis. The cis form absorbed in a shorter wavelength region and was more labile than the trans form. The difference between the reactivity of the two species increased on going from hexane to acetonitrile. The temperature dependences of reaction rate constants were studied for both isomeric forms. The analysis of products of flash photolysis of 4-methoxyphenyl azide in the presence of oxygen allowed for understanding the mechanism of thermal decay of nitroso oxides. It was shown that the trans nitroso oxide is converted into cis nitroso oxide. The latter undergoes an unusual ring cleavage reaction to form 4-methoxy-6-oxohexa-2,4-dienenitrile N-oxide derivative. We conclude that the nitro- and nitrosobenzenes, which are the main products of the steady-state photolysis of aromatic azides in the presence of oxygen, are formed by the photochemical transformation of the nitroso oxides.     

Tuning photophysics and nonlinear absorption of bipyridyl platinum(II) bisstilbenylacetylide complexes by auxiliary substituents

The photophysics of six bipyridyl platinum(II) bisstilbenylacetylide complexes with different auxiliary substituents are reported. These photophysical properties have been investigated in detail by UV-vis, photoluminescence (both at room temperature and at 77 K) and transient absorption (nanosecond and femtosecond) spectroscopies, as well as by linear response time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. The photophysics of the complexes are found to be dominated by the singlet and triplet π,π* transitions localized at the stilbenylacetylide ligands with strong admixture of the metal-to-ligand (MLCT) and ligand-to-ligand (LLCT) charge-transfer characters. The interplay between the π,π* and MLCT/LLCT states depends on the electron-withdrawing or -donating properties of the substituents on the stilbenylacetylide ligands. All complexes exhibit remarkable reverse saturable absorption (RSA) at 532 nm for nanosecond laser pulses, with the complex that contains the NPh(2) substituent giving the strongest RSA and the complex with NO(2) substituent showing the weakest RSA.     

N‐phosphorylated 3,5‐bis(arylidene)4‐piperidones: Synthesis,X‐ray structure,and evaluation of antitumor activity

In a search for cytotoxic fluorescent materials, a series of N‐phosphorylated compounds 2a–c were prepared by phosphorylation of 3,5‐bis(4‐N,N‐dimethylbenzylidene)‐4‐piperidone 1 . According to X‐ray investigations, molecule 2a is E,E‐isomer with axial position of the P(O)(OCH₂CF₃)₂ substituent. Fluorescence of compounds 2a–c was found to be similar to fluorescence of nonphosphorylated compound 1 . The cytotoxicity of the compounds 2a–c was estimated on several human tumor cell lines (H9, K562, and MCF7). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 16:497–502, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20147     

Computational Studies of RAFT Polymerization–Mechanistic Insights and Practical Applications

Summary: Computational chemistry is a valuable complement to experiments in the study of polymerization processes. This article reviews the contribution of computational chemistry to understanding the kinetics and mechanism of reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Current computational techniques are appraised, showing that barriers and enthalpies can now be calculated with kcal accuracy. The utility of computational data is then demonstrated by showing how the calculated barriers and enthalpies enable appropriate kinetic models to be chosen for RAFT. Further insights are provided by a systematic analysis of structure‐reactivity trends. The development of the first computer‐designed RAFT agent illustrates the practical utility of these investigations.

     

CdBiO2Cl: synthesis and powder structure solution

The title compound, cadmium bismuth dioxide chloride, CdBiO₂Cl, was obtained as a white powder by reaction of solid BiOCl with CdO at 973 K. Ab initio crystal structure determination was carried out using X-ray powder diffraction techniques, including direct methods for atom location and Rietveld fitting for the final refinement. Being monoclinic, the crystal structure can be related to tetragonal Sillen layered phases. The main structural elements present are CdBiO₂⁺ pleated metal–oxy­gen layers alternating with Cl layers along the c axis, whereas along the b axis, all atoms are on mirror planes. The formation of a strong Cd—Cl bond draws the layers together, causing layer deformation and a monoclinic distortion in the layer arrangement.     

Energy transfer (EnT) photocatalysis enabled by gold-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes

We present the use of gold sensitizers [Au(SIPr)(Cbz)] (PhotAu 1) and [Au(IPr)(Cbz)] (PhotAu 2) as attractive alternatives to state-of-the-art iridium-based systems. These novel photocatalysts are deployed in [2 + 2] cycloadditions of diallyl ethers and N-tosylamides. The reactions proceed in short reaction times and in environmentally friendly solvents. [Au(SIPr)Cbz] and [Au(IPr)(Cbz)] have higher triplet energy (E_T) values (66.6 and 66.3 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively) compared to commonly used iridium photosensitizers. These E_T values permit the use of these gold complexes as sensitizers enabling energy transfer catalysis involving unprotected indole derivatives, a substrate class previously inaccessible with state-of-the-art Ir photocatalysts. The photosynthesis of unprotected tetracyclic spiroindolines via intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition using our simple mononuclear gold sensitizer is readily achieved. Mechanistic studies support the involvement of triplet–triplet energy transfer (TTEnT) for both [2 + 2] photocycloadditions.

We present the use of gold sensitizers [Au(SIPr)(Cbz)] (PhotAu 1) and [Au(IPr)(Cbz)] (PhotAu 2) as attractive alternatives to state-of-the-art iridium-based systems.