Solid-state structural characterization of a rigid framework of lacunary heteropolyniobates

In our ongoing investigations of heteropolyniobate chemistry, a phase featuring decorated, A-type trivacant alpha-Keggin ions linked by their charge-balancing sodium cations has been isolated and structurally characterized. This is the first heteropolyniobate reported that has a true lacunary structure type. Na15[(PO2)3PNb9O34] x 22 H2O (1) [triclinic space group P1 (No. 2); a = 12.242 (2) A, b = 12.291 (3) A, c = 22.056 (4) A; alpha = 93.12 (3) degrees, beta = 99.78 (3) degrees, gamma = 119.84 (3) degrees; Z = 4, V = 2799.2 (10) A3] is composed of bilayers of the heteropolyanions alternating with layers of hydrated Na+ cations. Sodium cations also bridge the clusters within their layers through Na-O(t)-Nb, Na-O(b)-Nb2, and Na-O(t)-P bonds (t = terminal and b = bridging). This phase is poorly soluble in water, suggesting that it is more characteristic of a framework of linked heteropolyanions rather than a water-soluble heteropolyanion salt. Two-dimensional solid-state 23Na multiple-quantum magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR of 1 reveals five distinctive chemical and structural environments for sodium, which agrees with the crystallographic data. The 23Na and 1H MAS NMR studies further illustrate the rigid and immobile nature of this framework of cations and anions.     

Continuous‐Flow Synthesis of ZIF‐8 Biocomposites with Tunable Particle Size

Zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) biocomposites show the capacity to protect and deliver biotherapeutics. To date, the progress in this research area is based on laboratory batch methods. Now, the first continuous flow synthetic method is presented for the encapsulation of a model protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) and a clinical therapeutic (α1‐antitrypsin, AAT) in ZIF‐8. The in situ kinetics of nucleation, growth, and crystallization of BSA@ZIF‐8 were studied by small‐angle X‐ray scattering. By controlling the injection time of ethanol, the particle growth could be quenched by ethanol‐induced crystallization from amorphous particles to ZIF‐8 crystals. The particle size of the biocomposite was tuned in the 40–100 nm range by varying residence time prior to introduction of ethanol. As a proof‐of‐concept, this procedure was used for the encapsulation of AAT in ZIF‐8. Upon release of the biotherapeutic from the composite, the trypsin inhibitor function of AAT was preserved.     

Synthetic ferric sulfate trihydrate,Fe2(SO4)3·3H2O,a new ferric sulfate salt

Ferric sulfate trihydrate has been synthesized at 403 K under hydrothermal conditions. The structure consists of quadruple chains of [Fe₂(SO₄)₃(H₂O)₃] parallel to [010]. Each quadruple chain is composed of equal proportions of FeO₄(H₂O)₂ octahedra and FeO₅(H₂O) octahedra sharing corners with SO₄ tetrahedra. The chains are joined to each other by hydrogen bonds. This compound is a new hydration state of Fe₂(SO₄)₃·nH₂O; minerals with n = 0, 5, 7.25–7.75, 9 and 11 are found in nature.     

Poly[(μ4‐adamantane‐1,3‐dicarboxylato‐κ5O1:O1′:O3,O3′:O3′)(μ3‐adamantane‐1,3‐dicarboxylato‐κ5O1,O1′:O3,O3′:O3′)dimagnesium]: a layered coordination polymer

The title compound, [Mg₂(C₁₂H₁₄O₄)₂]_n, is the first example of an s‐block metal adamantanedicarboxylate coordination polymer. The asymmetric unit comprises two crystallographically unique Mg^II centers and two adamantane‐1,3‐dicarboxylate ligands. The compound is constructed from a combination of chains of corner‐sharing magnesium‐centered polyhedra, parallel to the a axis, connected by organic linkers to form a layered polymer. The two Mg^II centers are present in distorted tetrahedral and octahedral coordination environments derived from carboxylate O atoms. Tetrahedrally coordinated Mg^II centers have been reported in organometallic compounds, but this is the first time that such coordination has been observed in a magnesium‐based coordination polymer. The bond valance sums of the two Mg^II centers are 2.05 and 2.11 valence units, matching well with the expected value of 2.     

The baddeleyite-type high pressure phase of Ca(OH)2

Abstract

A phase transition from Ca(OH)₂ I (portlandite) to Ca(OH)₂ II at high pressure and temperature has been confirmed, using in situ x-ray diffraction in a multianvil high pressure device (DIA). The structure was determined at 9.5 GPa and room temperature from data collected after heating the sample at 300°C at 7.2 GPa in a diamond anvil cell. Both the Le Bail fit and preliminary Rietveld refinement suggest that the new phase, which reverts to Ca(OH), I during pressure release, has a structure related to that of baddeleyite (ZrO₁); it is monoclinic (P2₁/c) with a= 4.887(2), b= 5.834(2), c = 5.587(2), β = 99.74(2)°. The coordination number of Ca increases from six to seven (5 + 2) across the transition. At 500°C, the phase boundary is bracketed at 5.7 ± 0.4 GPa by reversal experiments performed in the DIA.     

Synthesis of new cyano-substituted analogues of Tröger's bases from bromo-derivatives. A stereochemical dependence of long-range (nJHH,n = 4, 5, and 6) proton–proton and proton–carbon (nJCH,n = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) coupling constants of these compounds

A free-catalyst microwave-assisted cyanation of brominated Tröger's base derivatives ( 2a - f ) is reported. The procedure is simple, efficient, and clean affording the nitrile compounds ( 3a - e, I ) in very good yields. Complete assignment of ¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts of 2a - f, I and 3a - d, I was achieved using gradient selected 1D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques (1D zTOCSY, PSYCHE, DPFGSE NOE, and DEPT), homonuclear 2D NMR techniques (gCOSY and zTOCSY), and heteronuclear 2D NMR techniques (gHSQCAD/or pure-shift gHSQCAD, gHMBCAD, bsHSQCNOESY, and gHSQCAD-TOCSY) with adiabatic pulses. Determination of the long-range proton–proton coupling constants ⁿJ_HH (n = 4, 5, 6) was accomplished by simultaneous irradiation of two protons at appropriate power levels. In turn, determined coupling constants were tested by an iterative simulation program by calculating the ¹H NMR spectrum and comparing it to the experimental spectrum. The excitation-sculptured indirect-detection experiment (EXSIDE) and ¹H-¹⁵N CIGARAD-HMBC (constant time inverse-detection gradient accordion rescaled heteronuclear multiple bond correlation) were applied for determination of long-range carbon–proton coupling constants ⁿJ_CH (n = 2, 3, and 4) and for assignment of ¹⁵N chemical shift at natural abundance, respectively. DFT/B3LYP optimization studies were performed in order to determine the geometry of 2c using 6-31G(d,p), 6-311G(d,p), and 6–311 + G(d,p) basis sets. For calculation of ¹H and ¹³C chemical shifts, ⁿJ_HH (n = 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), and ⁿJ_CH (n = 1, 2, 3, and 4) coupling constants, the GIAO method was employed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p), B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p), B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p), B3LYP/cc-pVTZ), and B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ) levels of theory. For the first time, a stereochemical dependence magnitude of the long-range ⁿJ_HH (n = 4, 5, and 6) and ⁿJ_CH (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) have been found in bromo-substituted analogues of Tröger's bases.     

A highly accurate analytical solution for the surface fields of a short vertical wire antenna lying on a multilayer ground

A highly accurate analytical solution is derived to the electromagnetic problem of a short vertical wire antenna located on a stratified ground. The derivation consists of three steps. First, the integration path of the integrals describing the fields of the dipole is deformed and wrapped around the pole singularities and the two vertical branch cuts of the integrands located in the upper half of the complex plane. This allows to decompose the radiated field into its three contributions, namely the above-surface ground wave, the lateral wave, and the trapped surface waves. Next, the square root terms responsible for the branch cuts are extracted from the integrands of the branch-cut integrals. Finally, the extracted square roots are replaced with their rational representations according to Newton’s square root algorithm, and residue theorem is applied to give explicit expressions, in series form, for the fields. The rigorous integration procedure and the convergence of square root algorithm ensure that the obtained formulas converge to the exact solution. Numerical simulations are performed to show the validity and robustness of the developed formulation, as well as its advantages in terms of time cost over standard numerical integration procedures.     

Pressure-induced volume expansion of zeolites in the natrolite family

Powder diffraction patterns of the zeolites natrolite (Na(16)Al(16)Si(24)O(80).16H(2)O), mesolite (Na(5.33)Ca(5.33)Al(16)Si(24)O(80).21.33H(2)O), scolecite (Ca(8)Al(16)Si(24)O(80).24H(2)O), and a gallosilicate analogue of natrolite (K(16)Ga(16)Si(24)O(80).12H(2)O), all crystallizing with a natrolite framework topology, were measured as a function of pressure up to 5.0 GPa with use of a diamond-anvil cell and a 200 microm focused monochromatic synchrotron X-ray beam. Under the hydrostatic conditions mediated by an alcohol and water mixture, all these materials showed an abrupt volume expansion (ca. 2.5% in natrolite) between 0.8 and 1.5 GPa without altering the framework topology. Rietveld refinements using the data collected on natrolite show that the anomalous swelling is due to the selective sorption of water from the pressure-transmission fluid expanding the channels along the a- and b-unit cell axes. This gives rise to a "superhydrated" phase of natrolite with an approximate formula of Na(16)Al(16)Si(24)O(80).32H(2)O, which contains hydrogen-bonded helical water nanotubes along the channels. In mesolite, which at ambient pressure is composed of ordered layers of sodium- and calcium-containing channels in a 1:2 ratio along the b-axis, this anomalous swelling is accompanied by a loss of the superlattice reflections (b(mesolite) = 3b(natrolite)). This suggests a pressure-induced order-disorder transition involving the motions of sodium and calcium cations either through cross-channel diffusion or within the respective channels. The powder diffraction data of scolecite, a monoclinic analogue of natrolite where all sodium cations are substituted by calcium and water molecules, reveal a reversible pressure-induced partial amorphization under hydrostatic conditions. Unlike the 2-dimensional swelling observed in natrolite and mesolite, the volume expansion of the potassium gallosilicate natrolite is 3-dimensional and includes the lengthening of the channel axis. In addition, the expanded phase, stable at high pressure, is retained at ambient conditions after pressure is released. The unprecedented and intriguing high-pressure crystal chemistry of zeolites with the natrolite framework topology is discussed here relating the different types of volume expansion to superhydration.     

Role of the hydroxyl-water hydrogen-bond network in structural transitions and selectivity toward cesium in Cs0.38(D1.08H0.54)SiTi2O7.(D0.86H0.14)2O crystalline silicotitanate

The crystal structure of the selective Cs+ ion exchanger D1.6H0.4Ti2SiO7.D2.66H0.34O1.5, known as crystalline silicotitanate or CST, has been determined in both native (D-CST) and in the Cs+-exchanged forms ((Cs, D)-CST) from angle-dispersive and time-of-flight neutron diffraction studies. The final fully exchange Cs+ form transformed from D-CST with unit cell parameters a = 11.0704(3) A c = 11.8917(5) A and space group P42/mbc, to one with a = 7.8902(1) A c = 11.9051(4) A and space group P42/mcm. Rietveld structure refinements of both D-CST and (Cs, D)-CST suggest the transition, and ultimately the selectivity, is driven by changes in the positions of water molecules, in response to the initial introduction of Cs+. The changes in water position appear to disrupt the D-O-O-D dihedral associated with the CST framework in space group P42/mbc which ultimately leads to the structural transition. The new geometric arrangement of the water-deuteroxyl network in (Cs, D)-CST suggests that Dwater-Ddeuteroxyl repulsion forced by Cs+ exchange drives the structural transformation.