Coverage‐ and Temperature‐Dependent Metalation and Dehydrogenation of Tetraphenylporphyrin on Cu(111)

Using temperature‐programmed desorption, supported by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, a comprehensive overview of the main reactions of 5,10,15,20‐tetraphenyl‐21H,23H‐porphyrin (2HTPP) on Cu(111) as a function of coverage and temperature is obtained. Three reactions were identified: metalation with Cu substrate atoms, stepwise partial dehydrogenation, and finally complete dehydrogenation. At low coverage the reactions are independent of coverage, but at higher coverage metalation becomes faster and partial dehydrogenation slower. This behavior is explained by a weaker interaction between the iminic nitrogen atoms and the Cu(111) surface in the high‐coverage checkerboard structure, leading to faster metalation, and the stabilizing effect of T‐type interactions in the CuTPP islands formed at high coverage after metalation, leading to slower dehydrogenation. Based on the amount of hydrogen released and the appearance in STM, a structure of the partially dehydrogenated molecule is suggested.     

Determination of the Absolute Configuration of Perylene Quinone‐Derived Mycotoxins by Measurement and Calculation of Electronic Circular Dichroism Spectra and Specific Rotations

Altertoxins I–III, alterlosins I and II, alteichin (alterperylenol), stemphyltoxins I–IV, stemphyperylenol, stemphytriol, 7‐epi‐8‐hydroxyaltertoxin I, and 6‐epi‐stemphytriol are mycotoxins derived from perylene quinone, for which the absolute configuration was not known. Electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra were calculated for these compounds and compared with measured spectra of altertoxins I–III, alteichin, and stemphyltoxin III and with reported Cotton effects. Specific rotations were calculated and compared with reported specific rotations. The absolute configuration of all the toxins, except for stemphyltoxin IV, could thus be determined. The validity of the assignment was high whenever reported ECD data were available for comparison, and the validity was lower when the assignment was based only on the comparison of calculated and reported specific rotations. ECD spectra are intrinsically different for toxins with a biphenyl substructure and for toxins derived from dihydroanthracene.     

Organotin–Oxido Cluster‐Based Multiferrocenyl Complexes Obtained by Hydrolysis of Ferrocenyl‐Functionalized Organotin Chlorides

Three organotin–oxido clusters were formed by hydrolysis of ferrocenyl‐functionalized organotin chloride precursors in the presence of NaEPh (E=S, Se). [R^FcSnCl₃?HCl] ( C ; R^Fc = CMe₂CH₂C(Me)?N?N?C(Me)Fc) and [SnCl₆]^2? formed {(R^FcSnCl₂)₃[Sn(OH)₆]}[SnCl₃] ( 3 a ) and {(R^FcSnCl₂)₃[Sn(OH)₆]}[PhSeO₃] ( 3 b ), bearing an unprecedented [Sn₄O₆] unit, in a one‐pot synthesis or stepwise through [(R^FcSnCl₂)₂Se] ( 1 ) plus [(R^FcSnCl₂)SePh] ( 2 ). A one‐pot reaction starting out from FcSnCl₃ gave [(FcSn)₉(OH)₆O₈Cl₅] ( 4 ), which represents the largest Fc‐decorated Sn/O cluster reported to date.     

K4[PbSe4]⋅en⋅NH3: A Non‐Oxide,Non‐Halide Inorganic Lead(IV) Compound

The first inorganic lead(IV) compound without oxygen, nitrogen or halogen ligands attached to the lead atom was obtained as the potassium salt of the tetraselenidoplumbate(IV) anion [Pb^IVSe₄]^4?. It is stable under inert conditions which may enable the transfer of the chemistry of chalcogenidogermanate(IV) or chalcogenidostannate(IV) materials, to the lead homologues.     

Origin and Location of Electrons and Protons during the Formation of Intermetalloid Clusters [Sm@Ga3−xH3−2xBi10+x]3− (x=0, 1)

Reaction of [GaBi₃]^2? with [Sm(C₅Me₄H)₃] yielded the first protonated ternary intermetalloid clusters [Sm@Ga_3?xH_3?2xBi_10+x]^3? ( 1 ; x=0,1). The presence of the Ga? H bonds and the transfer of electrons and protons during the formation of 1 were elucidated by a combination of experimental and quantum chemical methods, thereby rationalizing the role of the solvent ethane‐1,2‐diamine as a Brønsted acid. As an organic by‐product, we observed the previously unknown octamethylfulvene ( 2 ) upon C? C coupling of (C₅Me₄H)^?.     

Rapid Autoxidation Forms Highly Oxidized RO2 Radicals in the Atmosphere

Gas‐phase oxidation routes of biogenic emissions, mainly isoprene and monoterpenes, in the atmosphere are still the subject of intensive research with special attention being paid to the formation of aerosol constituents. This laboratory study shows that the most abundant monoterpenes (limonene and α‐pinene) form highly oxidized RO₂ radicals with up to 12 O atoms, along with related closed‐shell products, within a few seconds after the initial attack of ozone or OH radicals. The overall process, an intramolecular ROO→QOOH reaction and subsequent O₂ addition generating a next R′OO radical, is similar to the well‐known autoxidation processes in the liquid phase (QOOH stands for a hydroperoxyalkyl radical). Field measurements show the relevance of this process to atmospheric chemistry. Thus, the well‐known reaction principle of autoxidation is also applicable to the atmospheric gas‐phase oxidation of hydrocarbons leading to extremely low‐volatility products which contribute to organic aerosol mass and hence influence the aerosol–cloud–climate system.     

Stability and Conversion of Tin Zintl Anions in Liquid Ammonia Investigated by NMR Spectroscopy

Homoatomic polyanions of post‐transition main‐group metals, namely, Zintl anions, are precast in analogous Zintl phases and can react in solution to form new materials. Despite comprehensible reaction approaches, the formed products cannot be planned in advance, as hitherto undetected and therefore disregarded side reactions take place. The outcomes and interpretations of the reactions of Zintl anions are so far based mainly on crystal structures, which only allow characterization of the product that has the lowest solubility. Here we present the results of our investigation of the stability of highly charged tin Zintl anions in liquid ammonia, which is not exclusively based on solution effects but also on the oxidative influence of the solvent. This allows for a deeper understanding of the ongoing processes in solution and opens doors to the directed synthesis of transition metal complexes of Sn₄^4?, here shown by its reactivity towards MesCu.     

Very Facile Polarity Umpolung and Noncovalent Functionalization of Inorganic Nanoparticles: A Tool Kit for Supramolecular Materials Chemistry

The facile assembly of shell‐by‐shell (SbS)‐coated nanoparticles [TiO₂?PAC₁₆]@shell 1 – 7 (PAC₁₆=hexadecylphosphonic acid), which are soluble in water and can be isolated as stable solids, is reported. In these functional architectures, an umpolung of dispersibility (organic apolar versus water) was accomplished by the noncovalent binding of ligands 1 – 7 to titania nanoparticles [TiO₂?PAC₁₆] containing a first covalent coating with PAC₁₆. Ligands 1 – 7 are amphiphilic and form the outer second shell of [TiO₂?PAC₁₆]@shell 1 – 7 . The tailor‐designed dendritic building blocks 3 – 5 contain negative and positive charges in the same molecule, and ligands 6 and 7 contain a perylenetetracarboxylic acid dimide (PDI) core ( 6 / 7 ) as a photoactive reporter component. In the redox and photoactive system [TiO₂?PAC₁₆]@shell 7 , electronic communication between the inorganic core to the PDI ligands was observed.     

Structural Transformation of Three‐Dimensional Bimetallic Phosphites Containing Corner‐Sharing 4‐Ring Chains

Two open‐framework bimetallic phosphites, [C₆H₁₈N₂][Co_0.3Zn_2.7 (HPO₃)₄] ( 1 ) and [C₂H₈N]₂[Co_0.3Zn_2.7(HPO₃)₄] ( 2 ) were synthesized and characterized. The inorganic frameworks of the two compounds are constructed from strictly alternating MO₄ (M = Zn, Co)tetrahedra and HPO₃ pseudo pyramids, forming three‐dimensional networks with 8‐ring and 12‐ring channels for 1 and 16‐ring channels for 2 . The anionic frameworks of the two compounds can be easily transformed to a neutral framework structure with 16‐ring channels at room temperature.     

Atom Exchange Versus Reconstruction: (GexAs4−x)x− (x=2, 3) as Building Blocks for the Supertetrahedral Zintl Cluster [Au6(Ge3As)(Ge2As2)3]3−

The Zintl anion (Ge₂As₂)^2? represents an isostructural and isoelectronic binary counterpart of yellow arsenic, yet without being studied with the same intensity so far. Upon introducing [(PPh₃)AuMe] into the 1,2‐diaminoethane (en) solution of (Ge₂As₂)^2?, the heterometallic cluster anion [Au₆(Ge₃As)(Ge₂As₂)₃]^3? is obtained as its salt [K(crypt‐222)]₃[Au₆(Ge₃As)(Ge₂As₂)₃]?en?2 tol ( 1 ). The anion represents a rare example of a superpolyhedral Zintl cluster, and it comprises the largest number of Au atoms relative to main group (semi)metal atoms in such clusters. The overall supertetrahedral structure is based on a (non‐bonding) octahedron of six Au atoms that is face‐capped by four (Ge_xAs_4?x)^x? (x=2, 3) units. The Au atoms bind to four main group atoms in a rectangular manner, and this way hold the four units together to form this unprecedented architecture. The presence of one (Ge₃As)^3? unit besides three (Ge₂As₂)^2? units as a consequence of an exchange reaction in solution was verified by detailed quantum chemical (DFT) calculations, which ruled out all other compositions besides [Au₆(Ge₃As)(Ge₂As₂)₃]^3?. Reactions of the heavier homologues (Tt₂Pn₂)^2? (Tt=Sn, Pb; Pn=Sb, Bi) did not yield clusters corresponding to that in 1 , but dimers of ternary nine‐vertex clusters, {[AuTt₅Pn₃]₂}^4? (in 2 – 4 ; Tt/Pn=Sn/Sb, Sn/Bi, Pb/Sb), since the underlying pseudo‐tetrahedral units comprising heavier atoms do not tend to undergo the said exchange reactions as readily as (Ge₂As₂)^2?, according to the DFT calculations.