Photooptical Properties of Polymethacrylates Having Cyanoazobenzene‐Containing Side Groups with Lateral Methyl Substituents and Different Spacer Length

New photochromic polymethacrylates with different spacer length having azobenzene side groups and lateral methyl substituents were synthesized. The phase behavior of polymethacrylates and their photooptical properties were studied and compared with unsubstituted analogues. It is shown that an introduction of lateral methyl substituents results in almost complete suppression of liquid crystalline (LC) phase formation and strong decrease of photoinduced dichroism values. It is found that rates of the photoinduced E‐Z isomerization and back thermal Z‐E isomerization are almost independent on spacer lengths. Due to the presence of lateral substituents, the photoinduced azobenzene Z‐form shows remarkable long lifetime, and back thermal conversion at room temperature takes more than 10 days. Specific peculiarities of the photoorientation process in polymer films under the polarized UV and visible light action were studied and their mechanism is suggested. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1337–1342     

High Blocking Temperature of Magnetization and Giant Coercivity in the Azafullerene Tb2@C79N with a Single‐Electron Terbium–Terbium Bond

The azafullerene Tb₂@C₇₉N is found to be a single‐molecule magnet with a high 100‐s blocking temperature of magnetization of 24 K and large coercivity. Tb magnetic moments with an easy‐axis single‐ion magnetic anisotropy are strongly coupled by the unpaired spin of the single‐electron Tb?Tb bond. Relaxation of magnetization in Tb₂@C₇₉N below 15 K proceeds via quantum tunneling of magnetization with the characteristic time τ_QTM=16 462±1230 s. At higher temperature, relaxation follows the Orbach mechanism with a barrier of 757±4 K, corresponding to the excited states, in which one of the Tb spins is flipped.     

Atomic‐Scale Observation of the Metal–Promoter Interaction in Rh‐Based Syngas‐Upgrading Catalysts

The direct conversion of syngas to ethanol, typically using promoted Rh catalysts, is a cornerstone reaction in CO₂ utilization and hydrogen storage technologies. A rational catalyst development requires a detailed structural understanding of the activated catalyst and the role of promoters in driving chemoselectivity. Herein, we report a comprehensive atomic‐scale study of metal–promoter interactions in silica‐supported Rh, Rh–Mn, and Rh–Mn–Fe catalysts by aberration‐corrected (AC) TEM. While the catalytic reaction leads to the formation of a Rh carbide phase in the Rh–Mn/SiO₂ catalyst, the addition of Fe results in the formation of bimetallic Rh–Fe alloys, which further improves the selectivity and prevents the carbide formation. In all promoted catalysts, Mn is present as an oxide decorating the metal particles. Based on the atomic insight obtained, structural and electronic modifications induced by promoters are revealed and a basis for refined theoretical models is provided.     

Electronic Communication between S=1/2 Spins in Negatively‐charged Double‐caged Fullerene C60 Derivative Bonded by Two Single Bonds and Pyrrolizidine Bridge

Radical anion salt {cryptand[2.2.2] (K⁺)}₂(bispheroid)^2??3.5C₆H₄Cl₂ ( 1 ) of the double‐caged fullerene C₆₀ derivative, in which fullerene cages are linked by a cyclobutane bridging cycle and additionally by a pyrrolizidine moiety, was obtained. Each fullerene cage in this derivative accepts one electron on reduction, thus forming the (bispheroid)^2? dianions with two interacting S=1/2 spins on the neighboring cages. Low‐temperature magnetic measurements reveal a singlet ground state of the bispheroid dianions whereas triplet contributions prevail at increased temperature. An estimated exchange interaction between two spins J/k_B=?78 K in 1 indicates strong magnetic coupling between them, nearly two times higher than that (J/k_B=?44.7 K) in previously studied (C₆₀^?)₂ dimers linked via a cyclobutane bridge only. The enhancement of magnetic coupling in 1 can be explained by a shorter distance between the fullerene cages and, possibly, an additional channel for the magnetic exchange provided by a pyrrolizidine bridge. Quantum‐chemical calculations of the lowest electronic state of the dianions by means of multi‐configuration quasi‐degenerate perturbation theory support the experimental findings.     

Uranium-mediated reductive conversion of CO(2) to CO and carbonate in a single-vessel, closed synthetic cycle

The new neopentyl (Neop)-substituted tris(aryloxide) U(iii) complex [(((Neop,Me)ArO)(3)tacn)U(III)] reacts with CO(2) to form CO and the bridging carbonate complex [{(((Neop,Me)ArO)(3)tacn)U(IV)}(2)(μ-CO(3))]. The uranium(iv) bridging oxo [{(((Neop,Me)ArO)(3)tacn)U(IV)}(2)(μ-O)] has been determined to be the intermediate in this reaction. For the first time, both U(iv) complexes can be reduced back to the U(iii) starting material. Thus, with KC(8) as reductant, [(((Neop,Me)ArO)(3)tacn)U(III)] engages in a synthetic cycle, in which CO(2) is converted to CO and CO(3)(2-).     

REACTIONS OF TETRAPHOSPHORUS DECASULFIDE AND LAWESSON'S REAGENT WITH SILANES CONTAINING A FEW Si-O BONDS

Abstract

The reactions of tetraphosphorus decasulfide and Lawesson's reagent with tetra-, tri- and dialkoxysilanes were studied. On the basis of these reactions, new S-silyl esters of phosphorus(V) thioacids have been prepared. The prepared compounds were identified by IR, ¹H, and ³¹P NMR and mass spectra as well as elemental analyses.     

Lead Finder docking and virtual screening evaluation with Astex and DUD test sets

Lead Finder is a molecular docking software. Sampling uses an original implementation of the genetic algorithm that involves a number of additional optimization procedures. Lead Finder's scoring functions employ a set of semi-empiric molecular mechanics functionals that have been parameterized independently for docking, binding energy predictions and rank-ordering for virtual screening. Sampling and scoring both utilize a staged approach, moving from fast but less accurate algorithm versions to computationally more intensive but more accurate versions. Lead Finder includes tools for the preparation of full atom protein and ligand models. In this exercise, Lead Finder achieved 72.9% docking success rate on the Astex test set when the original author-prepared full atom models were used, and 74.1% success rate when the structures were prepared by Lead Finder. The major cause of docking failures were scoring errors resulting from the use of imperfect solvation models. In many cases, docking errors could be corrected by the proper protonation and the use of correct cyclic conformations of ligands. In virtual screening experiments on the DUD test set the early enrichment factor of several tens was achieved on average. However, the area under the ROC curve ("AUC ROC") ranged from 0.70 to 0.74 depending on the screening protocol used, and the separation from the null model was not perfect-0.12-0.15 units of AUC ROC. We assume that effective virtual screening in the whole range of enrichment curve and not just at the early enrichment stages requires more accurate solvation modeling and accounting for the protein backbone flexibility.     

Synthesis, isolation, and spectroscopic characterization of holmium-based mixed-metal nitride clusterfullerenes: HoxSc3-xN@C80 (x=1, 2)

The synthesis, isolation and spectroscopic characterization of holmium-based mixed metal nitride clusterfullerenes Ho(x) Sc(3-x) N@C(80) (x=1, 2) are reported. Two isomers of Ho(x) Sc(3-x) N@C(80) (x=1, 2) were synthesized by the reactive gas atmosphere method and isolated by multistep recycling HPLC. The isomeric structures of Ho(x) Sc(3-x) N@C(80) (x=1, 2) were characterized by laser-desorption time-of-flight (LD-TOF) mass spectrometry and UV/Vis/NIR, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. A comparative study of M(x) Sc(3-x) N@C(80) (M=Gd, Dy, Lu, Ho) demonstrates the dependence of their electronic and vibrational properties on the encaged metal. Despite the distinct perturbation induced by 4f(10) electrons, we report the first paramagnetic (13) C?NMR study on Ho(x) Sc(3-x) N@C(80) (I; x=1, 2) and confirm I(h) -symmetric cage structure. A (45) Sc NMR study on HoSc(2) N@C(80) (I, II) revealed a temperature-dependent chemical shift in the temperature range of 268-308?K.