Quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering on hydrated calcium silicate pastes

Using the inverse geometry spectrometer QENS at the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source of the Argonne National Laboratory, we collected quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering spectra of hydrated tricalcium and dicalcium silicate, the main components of ordinary Portland cement. Data were obtained at different curing time, from a few hours to several months. Both the quasielastic and inelastic spectra have been analyzed at the same time according to the relaxing cage model, which is a model developed to describe the dynamics of water at supercooled temperatures. Short-time and long-time dynamics of hydration water in hydrated cement pastes as a function of the curing time have been simultaneously obtained. The results confirm the findings reported in previous experiments showing that it is possible to fit consistently the quasielastic and inelastic spectra giving insights on the effect of the curing time on the short-time vibrational dynamics of hydration water.     

Trinuclear and hexanuclear platinum clusters as building blocks for organometallic one-dimensional structures

The reaction between the new hexa- and trinuclear clusters [Pt6](CC-C6H4-CCH)2, (4) [[Pt6] = Pt6(CO)4(mu-PBu(t)2)4], and [Pt3]Cl, (6) [[Pt3] = Pt3(mu-PBu(t)2)3(CO)2], in CuI/Amine gives the thermally and air stable [Pt6](CC-C6H4-CC[Pt3])2 (7), where the cluster units are separated by conjugated 1,4-diethynylphenyl groups.     

Generation and intramolecular reactivity of acyl radicals from alkynylthiol esters under reducing tin-free conditions

[reaction: see text] The radical chain reaction of benzenethiol with alkynylthiol esters provides a new, valuable protocol for the tin-free generation of acyl radicals that arise from intramolecular substitution at sulfur by the initial sulfanylvinyl radicals.     

Reformulating the entropic contribution in molecular docking scoring functions

We have derived, in the context of the Rigid Rotor Harmonic Approximation (RRHO), a general mass and Planck's constant h independent expression for the dissociation free energy in ligand–receptor systems, featuring a systematically (anti‐binding) additive negative entropic term depending on readily available ligand–receptor quantities. The proposed RRHO expression allows to straightforwardly compute the absolute standard dissociation free energy without resorting to expensive normal mode analysis or other dynamical matrix‐based techniques for evaluating the entropic contribution, hence providing an effective scoring function for assessing docking poses with no adjustable parameters. Our RRHO formula was tested on a set of 55 ligand–receptor systems obtaining correlation coefficients and unsigned mean errors comparable to or better than those obtained with computationally demanding techniques for the dissociation entropy assessment. The proposed compact reformulation of the RRHO entropy term could constitute the basis for new and more effective scoring functions in molecular docking‐based high‐throughput virtual screening for drug discovery. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Synthesis and Chemical and Electrochemical Characterization of Fe-S Carbonyl Clusters. X-ray Crystal Structures of [N(PPh(3))(2)](2)[Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)] and [N(PPh(3))(2)](2)[Fe(6)S(6)(CO)(12)

A reinvestigation of the redox behavior of the [Fe(3)(&mgr;(3)-S)(CO)(9)](2)(-) dianion led to the isolation and characterization of the new [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](2)(-), as well as the known [Fe(6)S(6)(CO)(12)](2)(-) dianion. As a corollary, new syntheses of the [Fe(3)S(CO)(9)](2)(-) dianion are also reported. The [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](2)(-) dianion has been obtained by oxidative condensation of [Fe(3)S(CO)(9)](2)(-) induced by tropylium and Ag(I) salts or SCl(2), or more straightforwardly through the reaction of [Fe(4)(CO)(13)](2)(-) with SCl(2). The [Fe(6)S(6)(CO)(12)](2)(-) dianion has been isolated as a byproduct of the synthesis of [Fe(3)S(CO)(9)](2)(-) and [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](2)(-) or by reaction of [Fe(4)(CO)(13)](2)(-) with elemental sulfur. The structures of [N(PPh(3))(2)](2)[Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)] and [N(PPh(3))(2)](2)[Fe(6)S(6)(CO)(12)] were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Crystal data: for [N(PPh(3))(2)](2)[Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)], monoclinic, space group P2(1)/c (No. 14), a = 24.060(5), b = 14.355(6), c = 23.898(13) ?, beta = 90.42(3) degrees, Z = 4; for [N(PPh(3))(2)](2)[Fe(6)S(6)(CO)(12)], monoclinic, space group C2/c (No. 15), a = 34.424(4), b = 14.081(2), c = 19.674(2) ?, beta = 115.72(1) degrees, Z = 4. The new [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](2)(-) dianion shows a "bow tie" arrangement of the five metal atoms. The two Fe(3) triangles sharing the central Fe atom are not coplanar and show a dihedral angle of 55.08(3) degrees. Each Fe(3) moiety is capped by a triply bridging sulfide ligand. The 14 carbonyl groups are all terminal; two are bonded to the unique central atom and three to each peripheral iron atom. Protonation of the [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](2)(-) dianion gives reversibly rise to the corresponding [HFe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](-) monohydride derivative, which shows an (1)H-NMR signal at delta -21.7 ppm. Its further protonation results in decomposition to mixtures of Fe(2)S(2)(CO)(6) and Fe(3)S(2)(CO)(9), rather than formation of the expected H(2)Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14) dihydride. Exhaustive reduction of [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](2)(-) with sodium diphenyl ketyl progressively leads to fragmentation into [Fe(3)S(CO)(9)](2)(-) and [Fe(CO)(4)](2)(-), whereas electrochemical, as well as chemical oxidation with silver or tropylium tetrafluoroborate, in dichloromethane, generates the corresponding [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](-) radical anion which exhibits an ESR signal at g = 2.067 at 200 K. The electrochemical studies also indicated the existence of a subsequent one-electron anodic oxidation which possesses features of chemical reversibility in dichloromethane but not in acetonitrile solution. A reexamination of the electrochemical behavior of the [Fe(3)S(CO)(9)](2)(-) dianion coupled with ESR monitoring enabled the spectroscopic characterization of the [Fe(3)S(CO)(9)](-) radical monoanion and demonstrated its direct involvement in the generation of the [Fe(5)S(2)(CO)(14)](n)()(-) (n = 0, 1, 2) system.     

Cement: a two thousand year old nano-colloid

Since Roman times, cement is one of the synthetic materials with the largest production and usage by mankind. Its properties allowed the expansion of the Roman Empire and the building of still fascinating works. In spite of the diverse use of cement and the abundant literature accumulated during a century of systematic scientific research on this material, the understanding of its properties is still far from complete. Several issues are still open, ranging from the understanding of the hydration kinetics and the influence of the modern industrial additives, to the deep comprehension of the atomic arrangement and nanostructure of disordered hydrated calcium silicate phase (C-S-H) formed by hydration. This feature article briefly summarizes recent results in the field, highlighting the necessity for a colloidal model of the cement microstructure that, combined with the layer-like structure of the colloidal units, is the most effective approach to fully describe the characteristics of this peculiar material.     

New Ni–Pt Carbonyl Clusters with a Tetrahedron of Platinum Atoms Encapsulated in an Incomplete Tetrahedron of Nickel Atoms: [Ni36Pt4(CO)45]6− and [Ni37Pt4(CO)46]6−

A fully encapsulated Pt ₄ tetrahedron in an incomplete tetrahedron of 36 nickel atoms is present in [Ni₃₆Pt₄(CO)₄₅]⁶⁻ ( 1 ; see picture for the metal framework), which is obtained as an inseparable mixture with [Ni₃₇Pt₄(CO)₄₆]⁶⁻ ( 2 ) by reaction of [Ni₆(CO)₁₂]²⁻ with K₂[PtCl₄]. The trimethylbenzylammonium salts of 1 and 2 cocrystallize in a 1:1 ratio. The additional Ni atom of 2 caps the truncated vertex of 1 .