The Role of Radical Bridges in Polynuclear Single-Molecule Magnets

Employing radical bridges between anisotropic metal ions has been a viable route to achieve high-performance single-molecule magnets (SMMs). While the bridges have been mainly considered for their ability to promote exchange interactions, the crystal-field effect arising from them has not been taken into account explicitly. This lack of consideration may distort the understanding and limit the development of the entire family. To shed light on this aspect, herein we report a theoretical investigation of a series of N -radical-bridged diterbium complexes. It is found that while promoting strong exchange coupling between the terbium ions, the N -radical induces a crystal field that interferes destructively with that of the outer ligands, and thus reduces the overall SMM behavior. Based on the theoretical results, we conclude that the SMM behavior in this series could be further maximized if the crystal field of the outer ligands is designed to be collinear with that of the radical bridge. This conclusion can be generalized to all exchange-coupled SMMs.     

Thermal behaviour of polyacrylamidoxime-copper chelates

The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of several factors (anion type in the copper salt, pH and concentration of the salt solution) on the structure and thermo-oxidative degradation of the polyacrylamidoxime-copper chelates, by using elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and dynamic thermogravimetry. The chelates containing copper ions as sulphate exhibit a better initial thermal stability than the polyacrylamidoxime fibre presumably due to the crosslinking generated by the intermolecular complexation of the ions; the removal of the sulphate anions takes place concomitantly with the second step of polymeric chain decomposition. The initial thermal decomposition of the chelates formed by copper ions as nitrate begins at lower temperatures as compared to the polyacrylamidoxime fibre, probably by the nitrate anion release, which partly overlaps the initial decomposition of the copper ion-crosslinked polymeric chains. Copper ions as either sulphate or nitrate catalyse the reactions involved in the main step of polyacrylamidoxime fibre decomposition; the higher the copper amount, the stronger the catalytic effect.     

Periodic unfolding and Robin problems in perforated domains

The periodic unfolding method was introduced in 2002 by D. Cioranescu et al. for the study of classical periodic homogenization. In this Note, we extend this method to perforated domains introducing also a boundary unfolding operator. As an application, we study the homogenization of some elliptic problems with Robin condition on the boundary of the holes. To cite this article: D. Cioranescu et al., C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 342 (2006).     

Superacid cyclization of esters of some bishomoisoprenoid acids

It is shown that on the superacid cyclization of esters of bishomobicyclogeranylgeranic and E,E-bishomofarnesic acids fully cyclized hydroxyesters are formed in good yield, while on the interaction of esters of 6-hydroxy- and 6-acyloxy-15-bishomobicyclogeranylgeranic acids with a superacid no carbocyclization takes place.     

Cyclization and rearrangements of diterpenoids. IX. Isomerization of (1R,2S,7S,10S,11R,12S,13S)-2,6,6,10,12-pentamethylpentacyclo[10.2.1.01,10.02,7.011,13]pentadecane by fluorosulfonic acid

It has been shown that the opening of the cyclopropane ring in (1R, 2S, 7S, 10S, 11R, 12S, 13S)-2,6,6,10,12-pentamethylpentacyclo[10.2.1.0^1,10.0^2,7.0^11,13]pentadecane takes place under the action of fluorosulfonic acid at all three carbon-carbon bonds, but at low temperatures the main isomerization product is (1R, 2S, 7S, 10S, 12S, 13S)-2,6,6,10,12-pentamethyltetracyclo[10.2.1.0^1,10.0^2,7]pentadecan-13-ol, and at the ordinary temperature the main products are (1R, 2S, 7S, 11S, 12R, 13R)-2,6,6,11,13-pentamethyltetracyclo[10.2.1.0^1,10.0^2,7]pentadeca-9-ene and (1S, 2R, 11S, 12R, 15R)-2,7,7,11,15-pentamethyltetracyclo[10.2.1.0^2,11.0^3,8]pentadeca-3(8)-ene.Institute of Chemistry, Moldavian SSR Academy of Sciences, Kishinev. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 4, pp. 497–500, July–August, 1989.     

Cyclization and rearrangement of diterpenoids. VII. Composition of the hydrocarbon fraction of a mixture of the products of cyclization of manool and sclareol by ordinary acids

The hydrocarbon fractions of the products of the cyclization of manool and sclareol by a mixture of conc. sulfuric and formic or acetic acids have been investigated. It has been established that they contain, in addition to the ⁸/⁹-pimaradiene, ⁸(⁹)-isopimaradiene, roasadiene, and 13-epirosadiene identified previously, the tetracyclic hydrocarbons (1R, 2S, 7S, 11S, 12R, 13R)-2, 6, 6, 11, 13-pentamethyl-tetracyclo [10.2.1.0^1.10.0^2.7] pentadeca-9-ene and (1S, 2R, 11S, 12R, 1R)-2, 7, 7, 11, 15-pentamethyltetracyclo[10.2.1.0^2.11.0^3.8] pentadeca(8)-ene.Institute of Chemistry of the Moldavian SSR Academy of Sciences, Kishinev. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinii, No. 5, pp. 719–721, September–October, 1988.     

Superacid cyclization of 13E,17E- and 13E,17Z-bicyclogeranylfarnesols and their acetates — An effective structurally selective stereospecific route to scalarane sesterterpenoids

Institute of Chemistry, Moldavian SSR Academy of Sciences, Kishinev. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 5, pp. 759–760, September–October, 1988.     

Synthesis of 20-deoxoluteone

20-Deoxoluteone has been synthesized from sclareol. Sclareol was brominated with phosphorus tribromide to form a mixture of primary allyl bromides, from which, by the malonic synthesis, a mixture of bicyclogeranylgeranylacetic acids was obtained which was cyclized with fluorosulfonic acid to form a mixture of two diastereomeric -lactones. The predominating lactone was converted by successive reduction with lithium tetrahydroaluminate, oxidation with oxalyl chloride in dimethyl sulfoxide, reaction with methylmagnesium iodide, and oxidation by the chromium trioxide/pyridine complex into 20-deoxyluteone.Institute of Chemistry, Moldavian SSR Academy of Science, Kishinev. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 346–353, May–June, 1990.     

Transformation of sclareol under ritter reaction conditions

Sclareol under the mild conditions of Ritter reaction is converted into N,N′-[(8R,13)-labdan-14(15)-ene-8,13-diyl]diacetamides stereoisomeric at the C¹³ atom possessing the unrearranged skeleton of the initial diol. One of the minor reaction products is the N-[(8α,13)-epoxylabdan-14-yl]acetamide whose formation requires the intermediate cyclization of the sclareol. Under more severe conditions and at the reversed order of the reagents addition the prevailing components of the reaction mixture are cyclized and rearranged N-[(8α,14)-epoxy-16(13→14)-abeo-labdan-13-yl]acetamides stereoisomeric at the C¹³ atom, and minor compounds, (8α,13)-epoxy-16(13→14)-abeo-labdan-12(13)-ene and (8α,14)-epoxy-16(13→4)-abeo-labdan-12(13)-ene.     

Mesomorphic behaviour and TSDC measurements of ortho-metallated palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes with S,O-donor co-ligands

A series of ortho-metallated Pd and Pt complexes containing an imine ligand carrying three alkoxy chains and N-benzoylthiourea derivatives as co-ligands were prepared and their liquid crystalline properties investigated. Their structures were assigned based on elemental analysis, IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, whereas thermal properties were investigated by differential scanning calotimetry and polarising optical microscopy. All the compounds exhibit monotropic transitions involving nematic and smectic A phases, with the mesomorphic behaviour strongly related to the type of N-benzoylthiourea as well as the metal centre used. The thermally stimulated depolarisation current technique was employed to determine the conduction mechanism, phase transition temperature and the activation energies for one of the ortho-metallated Pd complexes.