Antipolar 2D Metallicity with Tunable Valence Wx+ (5 ≤ x ≤ 5.6) in the Layered Monophosphate Tungsten Bronzes [Ba(PO4)2]WmO3m-3.

The newly discovered series of layered monophosphate tungsten bronzes (L-MPTB) [Ba(PO4)2]WmO3m-3 consist of m-layer-thick slabs of WO6 octahedra separated by barium-phosphate spacers. They display a 2D metallic behavior confined in the central part of the perovskite slabs. Here, we report the missing m = 2 member of this series, containing the rather uncommon W5+ oxidation state. We have analyzed its structure-property relationships in relation to the other members of the L-MPTB family. In particular, we have determined its crystal structure by means of single-crystal X-ray and electron diffraction and investigated its physical properties from resistivity, Seebeck-coefficient and heat-capacity measurements combined with first-principles calculations. All the L-MPTB compounds show metallic behavior down to 1.8 K without any clear charge-density-wave (CDW) order. The m = 2 member, however, displays an increased influence of the spacer that translates into anisotropic negative thermal expansion, reversed thermopower and reversed crystal-field splitting of the tungsten t2g orbitals. Our analysis of the full [Ba(PO4)2]WmO3m-3 series reveals a systematic and significant W off-centering in their octahedral coordination. We identify the resulting anti-polar character of these W displacements as the crucial aspect behind the 2D metallicity of these systems: It leads to the presence of bound charges whose screening determines the distribution of mobile charges, tending to accumulate at the center of the [WmO3-m] block. We argue that this mechanism is analogous to enhanced conductivity observed for charged domain walls in ferroelectrics, thus providing a general design rule to promote 2D metallicity in layered systems.

Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis, inter-action energy and energy framework calculations, as well as density functional theory (DFT) com-putation, of methyl 2-oxo-1-(prop-2-yn-yl)-1,2-di-hydro-quinoline-4-carboxyl-ate.

In the title mol-ecule, C14H11NO3, the di-hydro-quinoline core deviates slightly from planarity, indicated by the dihedral angle of 1.07 (3)° between the two six-membered rings. In the crystal, layers of mol-ecules almost parallel to the bc plane are formed by C-H⋯O hydro-gen bonds. These are joined by π-π stacking inter-actions. A Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed that the most important contributions to the crystal packing are from H⋯H (36.0%), H⋯C/C⋯H (28.9%) and H⋯O/O⋯H (23.5%) inter-actions. The evaluation of the electrostatic, dispersion and total energy frameworks indicates that the stabilization is dominated by the dispersion energy contribution. Moreover, the mol-ecular structure optimized by density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level is com-pared with the experimentally determined mol-ecular structure in the solid state. The HOMO-LUMO behaviour was elucidated to determine the energy gap.

Rapid and Efficient Access to Novel Bio-Inspired 3-Dimensional Tricyclic SpiroLactams as Privileged Structures via Meyers' Lactamization.

The concept of privileged structure has been used as a fruitful approach for the discovery of novel biologically active molecules. A privileged structure is defined as a semi-rigid scaffold able to display substituents in multiple spatial directions and capable of providing potent and selective ligands for different biological targets through the modification of those substituents. On average, these backbones tend to exhibit improved drug-like properties and therefore represent attractive starting points for hit-to-lead optimization programs. This article promotes the rapid, reliable, and efficient synthesis of novel, highly 3-dimensional, and easily functionalized bio-inspired tricyclic spirolactams, as well as an analysis of their drug-like properties.

Fast Protein Modification in the Nanomolar Concentration Range Using an Oxalyl Amide as Latent Thioester.

We show that latent oxalyl thioester surrogates are a powerful means to modify peptides and proteins in highly dilute conditions in purified aqueous media or in mixtures as complex as cell lysates. Designed to be shelf-stable reagents, they can be activated on demand to enable ligation reactions with peptide concentrations as low as a few hundred nM at rates approaching 30 M-1 s-1 .

Synthesis and crystal structure of a new chiral α-amino-oxime nickel(II) complex.

A dinuclear nickel complex with (S)-limonene based amino-oxime ligand has been isolated and its crystal structure determined. The resolved structure of dichloridobis-{(2S,5R)-2-methyl-5-(prop-1-en-2-yl)-2-[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl-amino]-cyclo-hexan-1-one oxime}dinickel(II), [Ni2Cl2(C16H23ClN3O)2], at 100 K has monoclinic (P21) symmetry. The two NiII ions in the dinuclear complex are each coordinated in a distorted octa-hedral environment by three nitro-gen atoms, a terminal chloride and two µ bridging chlorides. Each oxime ligand is coordinated to nickel(II) by the three nitro-gen atoms, leading to two five-membered chelate rings, each displaying an envelope conformation. In the crystal, numerous inter-molecular and intra-molecular hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of a three-dimensional network structure.

Isonitrile ruthenium and iron PNP complexes: synthesis, characterization and catalytic assessment for base-free dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols.

Neutral and ionic ruthenium and iron aliphatic PNHP-type pincer complexes (PNHP = NH(CH2CH2PiPr2)2) bearing benzyl, n-butyl or tert-butyl isocyanide ancillary ligands have been prepared and characterized. Reaction of [RuCl2(PNHP)]2 with one equivalent CN-R per ruthenium center affords complexes [RuCl2(PNHP)(CNR)] (R = benzyl, 1a, R = n-butyl, 1b, R = t-butyl, 1c), with cationic [RuCl(PNHP)(CNR)2]Cl 2a-c as side-products. Dichloride species 1a-c react with excess NaBH4 to afford [RuH(PNHP)(BH4)(CN-R)] 3a-c, analogues to benchmark Takasago catalyst [RuH(PNHP)(BH4)(CO)]. Reaction of 1a-c with a single equivalent of NaBH4 results in formation of [RuHCl(PNHP) (CN-R)] (4a-c), from which 3a-c can be prepared upon reaction with excess NaBH4. Use of one equivalent of NaHBEt3 with 4a and 4c affords bishydrides [Ru(H)2(PNHP)(CN-R)] 5a and 5c. Deprotonation of 4c by KOtBu generates amido derivative [RuH(PNP)(CN-t-Bu)] (6, PNP = -N(CH2CH2PiPr2)2), unstable in solution. Addition of excess benzylisonitrile to 4a provides cationic hydride [RuH(PNHP) (CN-CH2Ph)2]Cl (7). Concerning iron chemistry, [Fe(PNHP)Br2] reacts with one equivalent of benzylisonitrile to afford [FeBr(PNHP)(CNCH2Ph)2]Br (8). The outer-sphere bromide anion can be exchanged by salt metathesis with NaBPh4 to generate [FeBr(PNHP) (CNCH2Ph)2](BPh4) (9). Cationic hydride species [FeH(PNHP) (CN-t-Bu)2](BH4) (10) is prepared from consecutive addition of excess CN-t-Bu and NaBH4 on [Fe(PNPH)Br2]. Ruthenium complexes 3a-c are active in acceptorless alcohol dehydrogenative coupling into ester under base-free conditions. From kinetic follow-up, the trend in initial activity is 3a ≈ 3b > [RuH(PNHP)(BH4)(CO)] ≫ 3c; for robustness, [RuH(BH4)(CO)(PNHP)] > 3a > 3b ≫ 3c. Hypotheses are given to account for the observed deactivation. Complexes 3b, 3c, 4a, 4c, 5c, 7, cis-8 and 9 were characterized by X-ray crystallography.

Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and DFT studies of 5-bromo-1-{2-[2-(2-chloro-eth-oxy)eth-oxy]eth-yl}indoline-2,3-dione.

The title compound, C14H15BrClNO4, consists of a 5-bromo-indoline-2,3-dione unit linked to a 1-{2-[2-(2-chloro-eth-oxy)eth-oxy]eth-yl} moiety. In the crystal, a series of C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the molecules to form a supramolecular three-dimensional structure, enclosing R 2 2(8), R 2 2(12), R 2 2(18) and R 2 2(22) ring motifs. π-π contacts between the five-membered dione rings may further stabilize the structure, with a centroid-centroid distance of 3.899 (2) Å. The Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯H (28.1%), H⋯O/O⋯H (23.5%), H⋯Br/Br⋯H (13.8%), H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H (13.0%) and H⋯C/C⋯H (10.2%) inter-actions. Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals inter-actions are the dominant inter-actions in the crystal packing. Density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined mol-ecular structure in the solid state. The HOMO-LUMO behaviour was elucidated to determine the energy gap. The chloro-eth-oxy-ethoxyethyl side chain atoms are disordered over two sets of sites with an occupancy ratio of 0.665 (8):0.335 (6).

Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface analysis and inter-action energy and DFT studies of 5,5-diphenyl-1,3-bis-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)imidazolidine-2,4-dione.

The title compound, C21H16N2O2, consists of an imidazolidine unit linked to two phenyl rings and two prop-2-yn-1-yl moieties. The imidazolidine ring is oriented at dihedral angles of 79.10 (5) and 82.61 (5)° with respect to the phenyl rings, while the dihedral angle between the two phenyl rings is 62.06 (5)°. In the crystal, inter-molecular C-HProp⋯OImdzln (Prop = prop-2-yn-1-yl and Imdzln = imidazolidine) hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules into infinite chains along the b-axis direction. Two weak C-HPhen⋯π inter-actions are also observed. The Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯H (43.3%), H⋯C/C⋯H (37.8%) and H⋯O/O⋯H (18.0%) inter-actions. Hydrogen bonding and van der Waals inter-actions are the dominant inter-actions in the crystal packing. Computational chemistry indicates that the C-HProp⋯OImdzln hydrogen-bond energy in the crystal is -40.7 kJ mol-1. Density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined mol-ecular structure in the solid state. The HOMO-LUMO behaviour was elucidated to determine the energy gap.

Grafting of a new bis-silylamido aluminum species on silica: insight from solid-state NMR into interactions with the surface.

The new bisamido aluminum species [AlCl{N(SiMe3)2}2(THF)] (1) was prepared and fully characterized by 27Al and 35Cl solid-state NMR, along with X-ray diffraction studies. 1 was grafted on silica partially dehydroxylated at 700 °C, affording silica-supported Al species. The resulting material (2) was characterized by IR, elemental analysis and 1H, 13C and 27Al solid-state MAS NMR. The 1D and 2D 27Al MAS NMR studies showed the occurrence of two types of species, where the Al center adopts a tetracoordinated coordination sphere, with as an additional coordinated Lewis base, either a THF ligand or a silica-surface siloxane moiety. DFT calculations allowed understanding the grafting mechanism and the spectroscopic properties of the material.

Crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of 4-allyl-6-bromo-2-(4-chloro-phen-yl)-4H-imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine.

The title compound, C15H11BrClN3, is built up from a planar imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine unit linked to phenyl and allyl substituents. The allyl substituent is rotated significantly out of the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine plane, while the benzene ring is inclined by 3.84 (6)° to the ring system. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via a pair of weak inter-molecular C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming an inversion dimer with an R 2 2(20) ring motif. The dimers are further connected by π-π stacking inter-actions between the imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine ring systems [centroid-centroid distances = 3.7161 (13) and 3.8478 (13) Å]. The important contributions to the Hirshfeld surface are H⋯H (35.9%), H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H (15.0%), H⋯C/C⋯H (12.4%), H⋯Br/Br⋯H (10.8%), H⋯N/N⋯H (7.5%), C⋯Br/Br⋯C (5.9%), C⋯C (5.5%) and C⋯N/N⋯C (4.0%) contacts.

Diastereoselective auxiliary- and catalyst-controlled intramolecular aza-Michael reaction for the elaboration of enantioenriched 3-substituted isoindolinones. Application to the synthesis of a new pazinaclone analogue.

A new asymmetric organocatalyzed intramolecular aza-Michael reaction by means of both a chiral auxiliary and a catalyst for stereocontrol is reported for the synthesis of optically active isoindolinones. A selected cinchoninium salt was used as phase-transfer catalyst in combination with a chiral nucleophile, a Michael acceptor and a base to provide 3-substituted isoindolinones in good yields and diastereomeric excesses. This methodology was applied to the asymmetric synthesis of a new pazinaclone analogue which is of interest in the field of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists.

Mixed Allyl Rare-Earth Borohydride Complexes: Synthesis, Structure, and Application in (Co-)Polymerization Catalysis of Cyclic Esters.

A series of new trivalent rare-earth allyl-borohydride complexes with the formula [RE(BH4 )2 (C3 H5 )(thf)x ] (RE=Sc (1), x=2; RE=Y (2) and La (3), x=3) were synthesized by reaction of the corresponding rare-earth trisborohydrides [RE(BH4 )3 (thf)x ] with half an equivalent of bis(allyl)magnesium. The complexes were fully characterized by determining their X-ray structure. Similar to their previously described Nd (4) and Sm (5) analogues, these complexes display a monomeric structure with two terminal trihapto BH4 groups, one π-η3 allyl ligand, three THF molecules for complexes 2 and 3, and two THF molecules for complex 1. The catalytic behavior of complexes 1-5 toward the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of l-lactide (l-LA) and ϵ-caprolactone (ϵ-CL) was assessed. The Nd complex featured the best activity toward l-LA (turnover frequency (TOF)=1300 h-1 ) and the order was Nd>La>Sm>Y>Sc. Complexes 1-3 were found very active for the ROP of ϵ-CL (TOF=166 000 h-1 ), which is in line with the already established exceptionnally high performance of complexes 4 and 5. With both monomers, it was shown that the borohydride moiety was the preferentially initiating group, rather than the allyl one. The random copolymerization of l-LA and ϵ-CL was performed with complexes 1-5, in the absence or in the presence of benzyl alcohol as a chain-transfer agent, affording copolymers with ϵ-caprolactone up to 62 % inserted. The copolymers synthesized display a variety of microstructures, that is, blocky, random, or quasi-alternating.

Gold(I)-Catalysed Asymmetric Hydroamination of Alkenes: A†Silver- and Solvent-Dependent Enantiodivergent Reaction.

In the present study, we report the first silver-dependent enantiodivergent gold-catalysed reaction. The asymmetric intramolecular hydroamination of alkenes catalysed by the combination of a single chiral binuclear gold(I) chloride complex and silver perchlorate can afford both enantiomers of the products by a simple solvent change from toluene to methanol. Such an enantiodivergent reaction is strictly independent of the reaction temperature or of the nature of the catalyst anion and displays the same first-order kinetic rate law with respect to substrate concentration in both solvents. Beyond a simple solvent effect the enantioinversion is controlled by gold-silver chloride adducts which occur only in methanol and allow a dual activation of the reagent. While one single gold atom activates the alkene moiety, the other gold atom forms an oxophilic gold-silver chloride adduct which is likely to interact with the carbamate function. By comparison with toluene, which affords (S)-enantiomer, this proximal and bimetallic activation would allow an opposite stereodifferentiation of the two diastereomeric intermediates during the final protodeauration step and lead therefore to the (R)-enantiomer.

Selective Hydrosilylation of Esters to Aldehydes Catalysed by Iridium(III) Metallacycles through Trapping of Transient Silyl Cations.

The combination of an iridium(III) metallacycle and 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene catalyses rapidly and selectively the reduction of esters to aldehydes at room temperature with high yields through hydrosilylation followed by hydrolysis. The ester reduction involves the trapping of transient silyl cations by the 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene co-catalyst, supposedly by formation of an arenium intermediate whose role was addressed by DFT calculations.

Catalytic Conversion of Alcohols into Carboxylic Acid Salts in Water: Scope, Recycling, and Mechanistic Insights.

The catalytic conversion of alcohols into carboxylic acid salts in water was performed in the presence of ruthenium complexes supported by aliphatic PNP pincer ligands preformed or formed in situ. High activity toward a wide substrate scope was achieved with turnover number values of up to 4000. The air-stable catalytic system can be recycled by using toluene as a catalyst-immobilizing phase; the activity is maintained after five consecutive runs. Finally, mechanistic studies allowed some fundamental aspects related to water activation to be unveiled and to the mechanism postulated.

Crystal structure of tris-[4-(di-methyl-amino)-pyridinium] tris-(oxalato-κ(2) O,O')chromate(III) tetra-hydrate.

In the title hybrid salt, (C7H11N2)3[Cr(C2O4)3]·4H2O, the central Cr(III) ion of the complex anion (point group symmetry 2) is coordinated by six O atoms from three chelating oxalate(2-) ligands in a slightly distorted octa-hedral coordination sphere. The Cr-O bond lengths vary from 1.9577 (11) to 1.9804 (11) Å, while the chelate O-Cr-O angles range from 82.11 (6) to 93.41 (5)°. The 4-(di-methyl-amino)-pyridinium cations (one situated in a general position and one on a twofold rotation axis) are protonated at the pyridine N atoms. In the crystal, N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the cations and anions into a three-dimensional network. π-π inter-actions between the pyridine rings of adjacent cations provide additional stabilization of the crystal packing, with the closest centroid-to-centroid distances being 3.541 (1) and 3.575 (1) Å.

Crystal structure of 4-(di-methyl-amino)-pyridinium cis-di-aqua-bis-(oxalato-κ(2) O,O')ferrate(III) hemihydrate.

The Fe(III) ions in the hybrid title salt, (C7H11N2)[Fe(C2O4)2(H2O)2]·0.5H2O, show a distorted octa-hedral coordination environment, with four O atoms from two chelating oxalate dianions and two O atoms from two cis aqua ligands. The average Fe-O(oxalate) bond length [2.00 (2) Å] is shorter than the average Fe-O(water) bond length [2.027 (19) Å]. The ionic components are connected via inter-molecular N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network.

Novel La3Fe(MoO4)6 phase: magnetic properties and ethanol reactivity.

Single crystals of a new oxide, La3Fe(MoO4)6, were grown from fluxes of oxide precursors, and a polycrystalline sample was also prepared by a standard solid state reaction. La3Fe(MoO4)6 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbca with unit cell parameters a = 19.3164(11), b = 10.4143(5) and c = 22.0594(12) Å. This crystal structure exhibits a singular architectural type built on infinite chains of Fe(MoO4)4, each of them being surrounded by two isolated MoO4 tetrahedra and three isolated La(3+) cations. Fe(3+) ions in La3Fe(MoO4)6 are antiferromagnetically ordered below TN = 6.6 K in chains and between chains, as refined from neutron diffraction data. Further the redox stability of this compound - pure powder - was checked using temperature-programmed X-ray diffraction under a controlled atmosphere; under air, we observed a reversible phase transition above 523 K. The same phenomenon was observed under a reductive atmosphere, followed by a destruction of the as-formed phase above 923 K owing to iron III to II reduction. Reactivity of ethanol was then evaluated to get insights into the redox properties of the material under working conditions. After 4 hours of reaction at 648 K, the ethanol conversion was 97% with a selectivity to acetaldehyde of ∼60%, the other products being formaldehyde (∼10%) and CO2 (∼30%), underlining a better acetaldehyde selectivity than that of the La-free conventional Fe2(MoO4)3 catalytic formulation.

Evaluation and comparison of three different separation techniques for analysis of retroamide enantiomers and their biological evaluation against h-P2X7 receptor.

The P2X receptors are seven-transmembrane domain G protein-coupled receptors and the 7 subtypes of P2X receptors identified in humans, and named P2X1 to P2X7, are channel receptors whose endogenous ligand is ATP. New antagonists of the P2X7 receptor were developed, since this purinergic receptor was highlighted to be involved in many diseases such as different types of pain, cancer, ischemia, neurodegenerative diseases (including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases) characterized by inflammatory processes. With the aim of evaluate the impact of chirality on the pharmacological activity of a new P2X7R antagonist, a semi-preparative method was developed in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Among four polysaccharide based chiral stationary phases: Chiralcel OD-H and OJ-H and Chiralpak AS-H and AD-H, the last one namely amylose tris (3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) with a mobile phase consisted of carbon dioxide-ethanol (80:20, v/v), led to the successful separation of the enantiomers in short run time and with good resolution. Limits of detection and quantification were calculated and were found equal for compound 1, to 1.37 µM and 4.57 µM respectively, for peak 1 and were equal to 1.60 µM and 5.30 µM respectively, for peak 2 at λ=210 nm. Before carrying out the pharmacological evaluation of each enantiomer, two complementary methodologies, e.g. liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis were performed in parallel to improve the limits of detection and quantification to assess the enantiomeric purity. HPLC using a Chiralpak AD stationary phase led to four times lower limits of detection and quantification with regard to SFC. In the same time, capillary electrophoresis involving dual cyclodextrins system constituted of a SBE-ß-CD and a MM-ß-CD mixture enhanced the signal-to-noise ratio and led to similar limits of detection and quantification with regard to SFC. No trace of the other enantiomer was found in the isolated one. Biological activities of individual enantiomers were then evaluated and revealed no cytotoxicity against cell lines and a significant difference in terms of their IC50 values with respect to the investigated racemate (6.43 µM): 3.49 µM for the (R)-enantiomer and >10(-4)µM for the (S)-enantiomer, for compound 1, showing that, this antagonist activity is stereospecific.