Neutron diffraction study of [H(4)Co(4)(C(5)Me(4)Et)(4)], a tetrahedral metal cluster complex with four face-bridging hydride ligands

A single-crystal neutron diffraction analysis of the cluster complex [H(4)Co(4)(C(5)Me(4)Et)(4)] was carried out on the new quasi-Laue diffractometer VIVALDI at the Institut Laue-Langevin. The structure consists of four face-bridging hydrides attached to a tetrahedral cobalt metal core. Average distances and angles in the core of the molecule are as follows: Co-Co = 2.571(8), Co-C = 2.158(6), Co-H = 1.749(7), H.H = 2.366(9) A; Co-H-Co = 94.6(3), H-Co-H = 85.1(3) degrees. The hydride ligands are located off the Co-Co-Co planes by an average distance of 0.923(8) A. It is suggested that the dimensions of the HCo(3) fragments found in this molecule provide reasonable estimates for analogous distances and angles associated with chemisorbed H atoms situated on the 3-fold hollows of a cobalt surface. Crystallographic details: space group P2(1)/a (monoclinic); a = 21.979(2), b = 10.924(1), c = 34.406(2) A; beta = 90.81(1) degrees; Z = 8. Final agreement factor: R(F) = 0.099 for 3779 reflections [I > 2sigma(I)] collected at 20 K.     

Cooperative hydrogen-bonding effects in a water square: a single-crystal neutron and partial atomic charges and hardness analysis study

Four isomorphous complexes of formula [M(L)(4)(H(2)O)(2)]SO(4).2H(2)O (M = Co, 1a; Ni, 1b; Cu, 1c; Zn, 1d) have been isolated and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction using the quasi-Laue diffractometer VIVALDI at the Institut Laue-Langevin as well as by thermogravimetric analysis. The structures contain a discrete, strongly hydrogen-bonded water tetramer which causes a significant distortion of the metal coordination sphere in each case. Partial atomic charges and hardness analysis (PACHA) calculations reveal that the shortest hydrogen bonds are not the strongest in this constrained, cyclic solid-state structure and show that the distortion at the metal center is caused by the drive to maintain the integrity of the water tetramer. The system undergoes a disorder-order transition on slow cooling that provides insight into the nature of communication between water squares.     

Neutron Diffraction Analysis of H3Co2[C5H2(t-Bu)3]2, a Molecule with a Triply Hydrogen-Bridged Metal–Metal Bond: Some Comments on Structural Patterns in M(μ-H)nM Systems (n=1, 2, 3, 4)

The structure of H₃Co₂[C₅H₂(t-Bu)₃]₂ has been analyzed by low-temperature single-crystal neutron diffraction techniques, and shown to consist of two CoCp moieties with three hydride ligands bridging the central Co–Co bond. Despite a fairly extensive twinning problem, the structure could be solved and successfully refined to a final R factor of 9.2% for 2024 reflections. Average molecular parameters in the H₃Co₂ core of the molecule are as follows: Co–Co=2.275(21) Å, Co–H=1.637(16) Å, HH=2.050(20) Å, Co–H–Co=88.0(9)°, H–Co–H=77.0(7)°. Also included in this paper is a discussion on the molecular dimensions of symmetric hydride-bridged dinuclear systems (M(-H)_nM, n=1, 2, 3, 4) that have been studied to date by neutron diffraction.     

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of a biomimetic artificial photolyase model

Two new artificial photolyase models that recognize pyrimidine dimers in protic and aprotic organic solvents as well as in water through a combination of charge and hydrogen-bonding interactions and use a mimic of the flavine to achieve repair through reductive photoinduced electron transfer are presented. Fluorescence and NMR titration studies show that it forms a 1:1 complex with pyrimidine dimers with binding constants of approximately 10(3) M(-1) in acetonitrile or methanol, while binding constants in water at pH 7.2 are slightly lower. Excitation of the complex with visible light leads to clean and rapid cycloreversion of the pyrimidine dimer through photoinduced electron transfer catalysis. The reaction in water is significantly faster than in organic solvents. The reaction slows down at higher conversions due to product inhibition.     

One pot solid phase synthesis of 2-substituted 2,3-dihydropyridin-4(1H)-ones on Rinkamide-resin

A novel solid phase synthesis of 2-substituted 2,3-dihydropyridin-4(1H)-ones using Rinkamide-polystyrene-resin is described. The key step involves a hetero-Diels-Alder reaction of Danishefsky's diene with solid phase bound imines, which was carefully optimized. Using this method even ketones are transformed into 2,2-disubstituted dihydropyridones.     

Is Electrostatics Sufficient to Describe Hydrogen‐Bonding Interactions?

The stability and geometry of a hydrogen‐bonded dimer is traditionally attributed mainly to the central moiety A?H???B, and is often discussed only in terms of electrostatic interactions. The influence of substituents and of interactions other than electrostatic ones on the stability and geometry of hydrogen‐bonded complexes has seldom been addressed. An analysis of the interaction energy in the water dimer and several alcohol dimers—performed in the present work by using symmetry‐adapted perturbation theory—shows that the size and shape of substituents strongly influence the stabilization of hydrogen‐bonded complexes. The larger and bulkier the substituents are, the more important the attractive dispersion interaction is, which eventually becomes of the same magnitude as the total stabilization energy. Electrostatics alone are a poor predictor of the hydrogen‐bond stability trends in the sequence of dimers investigated, and in fact, dispersion interactions predict these trends better.