A supramolecularly-caged ionic iridium(III) complex yielding bright and very stable solid-state light-emitting electrochemical cells

A new iridium(III) complex showing intramolecular interligand pi-stacking has been synthesized and used to improve the stability of single-component, solid-state light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) devices. The pi-stacking results in the formation of a very stable supramolecularly caged complex. LECs using this complex show extraordinary stabilities (estimated lifetime of 600 h) and luminance values (average luminance of 230 cd m-2) indicating the path toward stable ionic complexes for use in LECs reaching stabilities required for practical applications.     

XAFS16 at KIT: Five Days of Cutting-Edge X-ray Science in Karlsruhe

The sixteenth international conference on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure, XAFS16, was held August 23–28, 2015, at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. Since the first such meeting in 1981, the XAFS conference series has become the foremost international meeting covering developments and applications in X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Jointly organized by KIT, DESY (Hamburg), HZB (Berlin), and the European XFEL (Hamburg), under the auspices of the International X-ray Absorption Society (IXAS), the XAFS16 conference hosted over 550 participants (including more than 160 young scientists) from 37 different countries, establishing a new record for the number of participants. The local organization was provided by the KIT institutes INE, IKFT, and ITCP and the ANKA synchrotron facility, with Jan-Dierk Grunwaldt leading the local organizing committee.     

Optimal TBHP allylic oxidation of Delta5-steroids catalyzed by dirhodium caprolactamate

Dirhodium caprolactamate is the most efficient catalyst for the oxidation of Delta5-steroids to 7-keto-Delta5-steroids by 70% tert-butyl hydroperoxide in water (T-HYDRO). Isolated product yields range from 38 to 87%.     

A2B2-type push-pull porphyrins as reverse saturable and saturable absorbers

A(2)B(2)-type push-pull porphyrins with a strong intramolecular dipole moment have been prepared via Heck and Suzuki coupling reactions as novel materials for use in nonlinear optics (NLO); they display saturable (SA) and reverse saturable absorption (RSA) properties at 532 nm and their nonlinear optical response is characterized by RSA occurring at lower intensity levels whereas the onset of SA prevails at higher levels.     

Chemistry of amidrazones—IV : Addition-cyclisation of amidrazones with isocyanate esters and ethoxycarbonyl isothiocyanate

The interaction of amidrazones and isocyanate esters in dimethylformamide produces good yields of 4-substituted -1-imidoylsemicarbazides. They are unaffected by acids, but are cyclised to 3-alkyl (or aryl)-1,2,4-triazol-3-ones or their 4-substituted analogues in alkaline media. Analogous linear adducts arising in good yields from amidrazones and ethoxycarbonyl isothiocyanates are cyclised to 3-substituted 5-ethoxycarbonamido-1,3,4-thiadiazoles by acids, but are cleaved into small fragments by alkalis.     

New group 14 element(IV) β-diiminates and a Sn(II) analogue

Seven group 14 element(IV) compounds 2-7 have been prepared, derived either (2-5) from the potassium β-diketiminate K(L) [L = {N(Ar)C(Me)}₂CH, Ar = C₆H₃Prⁱ₂-2,6] (1) or the known lithium β-dialdiminate Li(L′)] [L′ = {N(Ar)C(H)}₂CPh, Ar = C₆H₃Prⁱ₂-2,6]. Treatment of 1 with Bu^tC(O)Cl, Me₃SiCl, Ph₃SnCl, or Me₃SnCl afforded {N(Ar)C(Me)}₂C(H)C(O)Bu^t (2), [ArNC(Me)C(H)C(Me)N(Ar)SiMe₃] (3), [HN(Ar)C(Me)C(H)C(CH₂SnPh₃)N(Ar)] (4), or (5), respectively. Compounds 4 and 5 are remarkable as they have arisen from a tautomer of 1; crystalline centrosymmetric 5 has a fused tricyclic structure, a central eight-membered ring flanked by two six-membered rings. The compounds [GeCl₂(L′)(OGeCl₃)] (6) or [SnCl(L′)Me₂] (7), the first group 14 metal β-dialdiminates, were obtained from Li(L′) and (GeCl₃)₂O or Me₂SnCl₂, respectively. The Sn(II) compound SnCl(L′) (8) was prepared from SnCl₂ and K(L′). The molecular structures of the crystalline compounds 3-8 are reported.     

Evidence of enhanced conjugation in ortho-arylene ethynylenes with transition metal coordination

The effective conjugation of ortho and ortho-alt-para-arylene ethynylenes, with appropriately positioned pyridine and pyrazine heterocycles, increases upon binding to Ag(I) and Pd(II) cations. Significant bathochromic shifts in the electronic spectra, witnessed upon introduction of these metal bridges, are consistent with enhanced electron delocalization in the unsaturated backbone. Control studies suggest that this electronic behavior is attributable exclusively (in the case of Ag(I)) or partially (in the case of Pd(II)) to conformational restrictions of the conjugated backbones.     

Effect of radiative cooling on collapsing charged grains

The effect of the radiative cooling of electrons on the gravitational collapse of cold dust grains with fluctuating electric charge is investigated. We find that the radiative cooling as well as the charge fluctuations, both, enhance the growth rate of the Jeans instability. However, the Jeans length, which is zero for cold grains and nonradiative plasma, becomes finite in the presence of radiative cooling of electrons and is further enhanced due to charge fluctuations of grains resulting in an increased threshold of the spatial scale for the Jeans instability.     

Exo-metal coordination by a tricyclic [(P(mu-N-2-NC5H4))2(mu-O)]2 dimer in [(P(mu-N-2-NC5H4))2(mu-O)]2(CuCl x (C5H5N)2)4 (2-NC5H4 = 2-pyridyl, C5H5N = pyridine)

The in situ reaction of the phosphazane dimer [CIP(mu-N-2-NC5H4)]2 (2) with CuCl in the presence of CsH5N/H2O gives the title complex [(P(mu-N-2-NC5H4))2(mu-O)]2(CuCl x (C5H5N)2)4 (1), containing a tricyclic [(P(mu-N-2-NC5H4))2(mu-O)]2 ligand which is isoelectronic with species of the type [(P(mu-NR))2NR]2.