Lanthanide SMMs Based on Belt Macrocycles: Recent Advances and General Trends

Enhancement of axial magnetic anisotropy is the central objective to push forward the performance of Single-Molecule Magnet (SMM) complexes. In the case of mononuclear lanthanide complexes, the chemical environment around the paramagnetic ion must be tuned to place strongly interacting ligands along either the axial positions or the equatorial plane, depending on the oblate or prolate preference of the selected lanthanide. One classical strategy to achieve a precise chemical environment for a metal centre is using highly structured, chelating ligands. A natural approach for axial-equatorial control is the employment of macrocycles acting in a belt conformation, providing the equatorial coordination environment, and leaving room for axial ligands. In this review, we present a survey of SMMs based on the macrocycle belt motif. Literature systems are divided in three families (crown ether, Schiff-base and metallacrown) and their general properties in terms of structural stability and SMM performance are briefly discussed.     

Cis‐trans Isomerism in Copper(II) Complexes with N‐acyl Thiourea Ligands

The N‐acyl thiourea complexes bis[N,N‐diethyl‐N′‐(p‐nitrobenzoyl)‐thioureato]copper(II) ( 1a,1b ) and bis(N,N‐diphenyl‐N′‐benzoylthioureato)copper(II) ( 2a,2b ) crystallize in each case in two modifications. X‐ray structural analysis shows that 1a and 1b are cis‐trans isomers. This is very unusual for N‐acyl thioureato complexes because with exception of one platinum(II) complex up to now only cis complexes have been found. In contrast X‐ray structural analysis of both forms 2a and 2b of the other complex shows no cis‐trans pair. Both modifications are cis complexes. In solution both isomers of the copper(II) complexes are observable by EPR spectroscopy.     

New dirhenium(III) compounds bridged by carboxylate ligands: N(C(4)H(9))(4)[Re(2)(OOCCF(3))Cl(6)] and Re(2)(OOCCCHCo(2)(CO)(6))(4)Cl(2)

The solvothermal reaction of (N(C(4)H(9))(4))(2)[Re(2)Cl(8)] with trifluoroacetic acid and acetic anhydride leads to the new rhenium trifluoroacetate dimer N(C(4)H(9))(4)[Re(2)(OOCCF(3))Cl(6)] (1) and to the rhenium carbonyl dimer Re(2)(mu(2)-Cl)(2)(CO)(8) as the rhenium-reduced byproduct. The reaction of the precursor complex, N(C(4)H(9))(4)[Re(2)(OOCCF(3))Cl(6)] (1), with the organometallic carboxylic acid (CO)(6)Co(2)HCCCOOH leads to the cluster of clusters compound Re(2)(OOCCCHCo(2)(CO)(6))(4)Cl(2) (2), which has the dimer structure of Re(2)(OOCR)(4)Cl(2). Cyclic voltammetric measurements show that Re(2)(OOCCCHCo(2)(CO)(6))(4)Cl(2) (2) has one reduction centered on the dirhenium core and a reduction centered on the cobalt atoms. DFT calculations have been used to rationalize the observed displacements of the voltammetric signals in Re(2)(OOCCCHCo(2)(CO)(6))(4)Cl(2) (2) compared to the parent ligand (CO)(6)Co(2)HCCCOOH and rhenium pivalate.     

Helical Ullazine-Quinoxaline-Based Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic azomethine ylides (PAMYs) are powerful building blocks in the bottom-up synthesis of internally nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (N-PAHs) through 1,3-cycloaddition reactions. In this work, the cycloaddition reaction of PAMYs to asymmetric ortho-quinones is presented, which, in contrast to the addition to symmetric para-quinones, facilitates subsequent condensation reactions and allows the synthesis of three helical N-PAHs with ullazine-quinoxaline ( UQ - 1 – 3 ) backbones. UQ - 1 and UQ - 2 possess two helical centers; however, single-crystal X-ray analysis together with the computational modeling of UQ - 3 elucidate the formation of only the thermodynamically most stable geometry with four helical centers in a (P,P,M,M) configuration. For the series UQ - 1 – 3 , the number of redox steps is directly correlated with the number of ullazine or quinoxaline units incorporated into the targeted molecular backbones. A detailed investigation of the spectroscopic and magnetic properties of the radical cation and anion as well as the dication and dianion species by in situ EPR/UV/Vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry is provided. The excellent optical and redox properties combined with helical geometries render them possibly applicable as chiral emitter or ambipolar charge transport material in organic electronics.     

Synthesis and EPR/UV/Vis‐NIR Spectroelectrochemical Investigation of a Persistent Phosphanyl Radical Dication

The reaction of the bis(imidazoliumyl)‐substituted P^I cation [(2‐Im^Dipp)P(4‐Im^Dipp)]⁺ ( 10 ⁺) (2‐Im=imidazolium‐2‐yl; 4‐Im=imidazolium‐4‐yl; Dipp=2,6‐di‐isopropylphenyl) with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (HOTf) or methyl trifluoromethylsulfonate (MeOTf) yields the corresponding protonated [(2‐Im^Dipp)PH(4‐Im^Dipp)]²⁺ ( 11 ²⁺) and methylated [(2‐Im^Dipp)PMe(4‐Im^Dipp)]²⁺ ( 12 ²⁺) dications, respectively. EPR/UV/Vis‐NIR spectroelectrochemical investigation of the low‐coordinated P^I cation 10 ⁺ predicted a stable and “bottleable” P‐centered radical dication [(2‐Im^Dipp)P(4‐Im^Dipp)]^2+. ( 13 ^2+.). The reaction of 10 ⁺ with the nitrosyl salt NO[OTf] yields the persistent phosphanyl radical dication 13 ^2+. as triflate salt in crystalline form. Quantum chemical investigation revealed an exceptional high spin density at the P atom.     

A novel copper cobalt inorganometallic cluster. Synthesis,structure and bonding analysis of Cu(3)[mu(2)-(CCHCo(2)(CO)(6))](3)

The reaction of the organometallic carboxylic acid HOOCCCHCo(2)(CO)(6) with copper(II) methoxide leads to a new inorganometallic cluster; Cu(3)[mu(2)-(CCHCo(2)(CO)(6))](3). This cluster has a triangular core of copper(I) centers surrounded by three CCHCo(2)(CO)(6) fragments. The structure of the cluster has short Cu-Cu and Cu-Co distances (average 2.500 and 2.540 A, respectively). DFT calculations provide a rationalization of the peculiar bonding in this cluster.     

Dynamic of the Fluorescence of the Complex Zn++/Bis-N-Carbazolyl-Distyrylbenzene

The discrimination between similar concentrations of the different metal ions is one of the important roles of fluorescent sensors. Here we present the study of the fluorescence dynamic of the chromophore bis-N-carbazolyl-distyrylbenzene (BCDSB) in acetonitrile/water (mmol/L), doped with metal ions such as K+; Ca++; Mg++; Zn++(10 micromol/L). BCDSB has the fluorescence with lambda(max) at 448 nm by excitation at lambda(exc) = 378 nm, lifetime 1.089 ns: quantum yield of the fluorescence is 0.68. With continuation of irradiation fluorescence quenching has been registered for all investigated metal ions. However, in the presence of Zn++ oscillation of the intensity was observed. The energy activation of the oscillation as much as 15 kcal/mol was estimated. We believe, that the specificity of the complex Zn++/BCDSB, is in an asymmetrical structure, formed via binding sites of Zn++ with the electron-enriched binding sites of the BCDSB, excited in n(pi)* state. This asymmetrical complex structure can cause the photoinduced structural fluctuation in the complex coordination.     

Existence of Solutions and of Multiple Solutions for Nonlinear Nonsmooth Periodic Systems

In this paper we examine nonlinear periodic systems driven by the vectorial p-Laplacian and with a nondifferentiable, locally Lipschitz nonlinearity. Our approach is based on the nonsmooth critical point theory and uses the subdifferential theory for locally Lipschitz functions. We prove existence and multiplicity results for the sublinear problem. For the semilinear problem (i.e. p = 2) using a nonsmooth multidimensional version of the Ambrosetti-Rabinowitz condition, we prove an existence theorem for the superlinear problem. Our work generalizes some recent results of Tang (PAMS 126(1998)).     

Two nontrivial solutions for quasilinear periodic equations

In this paper we study a nonlinear periodic problem driven by the ordinary scalar p-Laplacian and with a Carathéodory nonlinearity. We establish the existence of at least two nontrivial solutions. Our approach is variational based on the smooth critical point theory and using the ``Second Deformation Theorem".