A solution-processed n-type conducting polymer with ultrahigh conductivity.

Conducting polymers (CPs) with high conductivity and solution processability have made great advances since the pioneering work on doped polyacetylene1-3, thus creating the new field of 'organic synthetic metals,4. Various high-performance CPs have been realized, which enable the applications of several organic electronic devices5,6. Nevertheless, most CPs exhibit hole-dominant (p-type) transport behaviour7,8, whereas the development of n-type analogues lags far behind and only a few exhibit metallic state, typically limited by low doping efficiency and ambient instability. Here we present a facilely synthesized highly conductive n-type polymer poly(benzodifurandione) (PBFDO). The reaction combines oxidative polymerization and in situ reductive n-doping, greatly increasing the doping efficiency, and a doping level of almost 0.9 charges per repeating unit can be achieved. The resultant polymer exhibits a breakthrough conductivity of more than 2,000 S cm-1 with excellent stability and an unexpected solution processability without extra side chains or surfactants. Furthermore, detailed investigations on PBFDO show coherent charge-transport properties and existence of metallic state. The benchmark performances in electrochemical transistors and thermoelectric generators are further demonstrated, thus paving the way for application of the n-type CPs in organic electronics.

3 nm-wide Cyanometallate Fe-Co Tape Exhibiting Single-Chain Magnet Behavior.

Treatment of Co(OTf)2·6H2O, Li[(pzTp)FeIII(CN)3], and H3PMo12O40·nH2O in protic solvents afforded two structurally related Fe-Co cyanometallate complexes: [{(pzTp)Fe(CN)3}3Co3(MeOH)10][PMo12O40]·H2O·11MeOH (1, pzTp- = tetra(pyrazolyl)borate) and {[(pzTp)Fe(CN)3]4Co3(MeOH)5(H2O)3}n[HPMo12O40]n·3 nMeOH·6.5nH2O (2). Complex 1 consists of a cyanide-bridged hexanuclear [Fe3Co3] cage, characterized by the fused conjunction of two mutually perpendicular trigonal bipyramids (TBPs, [Fe2Co3] and [Co2Fe3]), while complex 2 showcases an intricate cyanide-bridged Fe-Co tape comprising a central chain backbone of vertex-sharing [Fe2Co3] TBPs alongside peripheral [Fe2Co2] squares. Complex 2 is among the widest one-dimensional coordination assemblies characterized by the single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Magnetic studies revealed that complex 2 behaved as a single chain magnet with an effective energy barrier (Ueff/kB) of 46.8 K. Our findings highlight the possibilities in the development of cyanometallate-POM hybrid materials with captivating magnetic properties.

Macrophage-derived exosomes rescue the TNF-ɑ-suppressed osteo-/cementogenic differentiation of hPDLCs.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammatory stimuli compromise the differentiation potency of human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs). Macrophage-derived exosomes (M-Exo) play a role in several aspects of cellular activity. This study investigated how M-Exo contributes to the osteo-/cementogenic differentiation of hPDLCs under inflammation and the mechanism involved. METHODS: M-Exo was identified by transmission electron microscopy, western blotting (WB), and dynamic light scattering. The internalization of M-Exo by hPDLCs was observed. After M-Exo treatment, the osteo-/cementogenic markers were detected by RT-qPCR and WB, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity by ALP staining. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-ɑ) was applied to simulate inflammation. The rescue effect of M-Exo on TNF-ɑ-suppressed differentiation was validated. The p38 MAPK pathway activity was tested and a specific inhibitor was applied to explore the mechanism. RESULTS: M-Exo was successfully isolated, identified and internalized by hPDLCs. M-Exo enhanced the osteo-/cementogenic differentiation of hPDLCs, as indicated by upregulated osteo-/cementogenic markers and elevated ALP activity. Moreover, TNF-ɑ inhibited the differentiation capabilities of hPDLCs, on which M-Exo showed a rescue effect. M-Exo activated the p38 MAPK pathway and SB203580 attenuated its promotion effect. CONCLUSION: This study showed that M-Exo ameliorated the TNF-ɑ-suppressed osteo-/cementogenic differentiation of hPDLCs partly through the p38 MAPK pathway.

Predicting the effect of confinement on the COVID-19 spread using machine learning enriched with satellite air pollution observations.

The real-time monitoring of reductions of economic activity by containment measures and its effect on the transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is a critical unanswered question. We inferred 5,642 weekly activity anomalies from the meteorology-adjusted differences in spaceborne tropospheric NO2 column concentrations after the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak relative to the baseline from 2016 to 2019. Two satellite observations reveal reincreasing economic activity associated with lifting control measures that comes together with accelerating COVID-19 cases before the winter of 2020/2021. Application of the near-real-time satellite NO2 observations produces a much better prediction of the deceleration of COVID-19 cases than applying the Oxford Government Response Tracker, the Public Health and Social Measures, or human mobility data as alternative predictors. A convergent cross-mapping suggests that economic activity reduction inferred from NO2 is a driver of case deceleration in most of the territories. This effect, however, is not linear, while further activity reductions were associated with weaker deceleration. Over the winter of 2020/2021, nearly 1 million daily COVID-19 cases could have been avoided by optimizing the timing and strength of activity reduction relative to a scenario based on the real distribution. Our study shows how satellite observations can provide surrogate data for activity reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic and monitor the effectiveness of containment to the pandemic before vaccines become widely available.

Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Periodontitis and Associated Systemic Diseases: Implications for Pathomechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies.

Periodontitis is a chronic infectious disorder damaging periodontal tissues, including the gingiva, periodontal ligament, cementum, and alveolar bone. It arises from the complex interplay between pathogenic oral bacteria and host immune response. Contrary to the previous view of "energy factories", mitochondria have recently been recognized as semi-autonomous organelles that fine-tune cell survival, death, metabolism, and other functions. Under physiological conditions, periodontal tissue cells participate in dynamic processes, including differentiation, mineralization, and regeneration. These fundamental activities depend on properly functioning mitochondria, which play a crucial role through bioenergetics, dynamics, mitophagy, and quality control. However, during the initiation and progression of periodontitis, mitochondrial quality control is compromised due to a range of challenges, such as bacterial-host interactions, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Currently, mounting evidence suggests that mitochondria dysfunction serves as a common pathological mechanism linking periodontitis with systemic conditions like type II diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, targeting mitochondria to intervene in periodontitis and multiple associated systemic diseases holds great therapeutic potential. This review provides advanced insights into the interplay between mitochondria, periodontitis, and associated systemic diseases. Moreover, we emphasize the significance of diverse therapeutic modulators and signaling pathways that regulate mitochondrial function in periodontal and systemic cells.

Astragalus Polysaccharide Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis by Regulating the Balance of mTh17/mTreg Cells through TIGIT/CD155 Signaling.

The balance between memory Th17 cells (mTh17) and memory Treg cells (mTreg) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC), and TIGIT signaling is involved in the differentiation of mTh17/mTreg cells. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) has good immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. Here, the regulatory effects and potential mechanisms of APS on mTh17/mTreg cells in UC are explored. A UC model was induced with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and treated simultaneously with APS (200 mg/kg/day) for 10 days. After APS treatment, the mice showed a significant increase in colonic length and a significant decrease in colonic weight, colonic weight index and colonic weight/colonic length, and more intact mucosa and lighter inflammatory cell infiltration. Notably, APS significantly down-regulated the percentages of Th17 (CD4+CCR6+), cmTh17 (CD4+CCR7+CCR6+) and emTh17 (CD4+CCR7-CCR6+) cells and significantly up-regulated the percentages of cmTreg (CD4+CCR7+Foxp3+) and emTreg (CD4+CCR7-Foxp3+) cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes of the colitis mice. Importantly, APS reversed the expression changes in the TIGIT molecule on mTh17/mTreg cells in the colitis mice with fewer CD4+CCR6+TIGIT+, CD4+CCR7-CCR6+TIGIT+ and CD4+CCR7-CCR6+TIGIT+ cells and more CD4+Foxp3+TIGIT+, CD4+CCR7-Foxp3+TIGIT+ and CD4+CCR7-Foxp3+TIGIT+ cells. Meanwhile, APS significantly inhibited the protein expression of the TIGIT ligands CD155, CD113 and CD112 and downstream proteins PI3K and AKT in the colon tissues of the colitis mice. In conclusion, APS effectively alleviated DSS-induced UC in mice by regulating the balance between mTh17/mTreg cells, which was mainly achieved through regulation of the TIGIT/CD155 signaling pathway.

Cyanide-Bridged Rope-like Chains Based on Trigonal-Bipyramidal [Fe2Cu3] Subunits.

Extending a selected cyanometalate block into a higher dimensional framework continues to present intriguing challenges in the fields of chemistry and material science. Here, we prepared two rope-like chain compounds of {[(Tp*Me)Fe(CN)3]2Cu2X2(L)}·sol (1, X = Cl, L = (MeCN)0.5(H2O/MeOH)0.5, sol = 2MeCN·1.5H2O; 2, X = Br, L = MeOH, sol = 2MeCN·0.75H2O; Tp*Me = tris(3, 4, 5-trimethylpyrazole)borate) in which the cyanide-bridged trigonal-bipyramidal [Fe2Cu3] subunits were linked with the adjacent ones via two vertex Cu(II) centers, providing a new cyanometallate chain archetype. Direct current magnetic study revealed the presence of ferromagnetic couplings between Fe(III) and Cu(II) ions and uniaxial anisotropy due to a favorable alignment of the anisotropic tricyanoiron(III) units. Moreover, compound 1 exhibits single-chain magnet behavior with an appreciable energy barrier of 72 K, while 2 behaves as a metamagnet, likely caused by the subtle changes in the interchain interactions.

Anterior bone loss: A common phenomenon which should be considered as bone remodeling process existed not only in patients underwent cervical disk replacement but also those with anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion.

OBJECTIVE: Anterior bone loss (ABL) was considered as a non-progressive process secondary only to motion-preserving implant and has been noticed recently in cervical disk replacement (CDR) let alone patients with anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF). Our purpose is to reveal this unnoticed phenomenon in ACDF and further explore its clinical and radiological outcomes. METHODS: A total of 77 patients underwent ACDF with a minimum follow-up of at least one year were retrospectively reviewed. The average follow-up time was 22.51 ± 16.31 months. There were 50 patients in group A with ABL, while there were 27 patients in group B without ABL. ABL was measured and classified into four grades according to Kieser's methods. Clinical evaluation, radiological parameters and fusion rate were recorded. RESULTS: The incidence of bone ABL was 64.9% of Zero-P and 55.2% of endplates. The incidence of upper and lower endplates was 61% and 49%, respectively, and such difference was not significant. Mild ABL occurred in 22%, moderate ABL in 38% and severe ABL of 40% patients underwent ACDF with ABL. ABL would not affect both clinical outcomes and fusion rate. However, ABL would result in a higher incidence of subsidence. CONCLUSION: ABL should be considered as a common phenomenon that both CDR and ACDF owned a non-progressive process which confined in one year. ABL would result in a higher incidence of subsidence. Luckily, this phenomenon does not have an effect on postoperative clinical and fusion rate.

Manipulating Electron-Transfer Events in [Fe4 Co4 ] Cubes via a Mixed-Ligand Approach: The Impact of Elastic Frustration.

The engineering of intermolecular interaction is challenging but critical for magnetically switchable molecules. Here, we prepared two cyanide-bridged [Fe4 Co4 ] cube complexes via the alkynyl- and alcohol-functionalized trispyrazoyl capping ligands. The alkynyl-functionalized complex 1 exhibited a thermally-induced incomplete metal-to-metal electron transfer (MMET) behaviour at around 220 K, while the mixed alkynyl/alcohol-functionalized cube of 2 showed a complete and abrupt MMET behaviour at 232 K. Remarkably, both compounds showed a long-lived photo-induced metastable state up to 200 K. The crystallographic study demonstrated that the incomplete transition of 1 was likely due to the possible elastic frustration originating from the competition between the anion-propagated elastic interactions and inter-cluster alkynyl-alkynyl & CH-alkynyl interactions, whereas the latter are eliminated in 2 as a result of the partial substitution by the alcohol-functionalized ligand. Additionally, the introduction of chemically distinguishable cobalt centers within the cube unit of 2 did not lead to a two-step but a one-step transition, possibly because of the strong ferroelastic intramolecular interaction through the cyanide bridges.

CDC6 is a prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in glioma.

BACKGROUND: Cell division cycle 6 (CDC6) has been proven to be associated with the initiation and progression of human multiple tumors. However, it's role in glioma, which is ranked as one of the common primary malignant tumor in the central nervous system and is associated with high morbidity and mortality, is unclear. METHODS: In this study, we explored CDC6 gene expression level in pan-cancer. Furthermore, we focused on the relationships between CDC6 expression, its prognostic value, potential biological functions, and immune infiltrates in glioma patients. We also performed vitro experiments to assess the effect of CDC6 expression on proliferative, apoptotic, migrant and invasive abilities of glioma cells. RESULTS: As a result, CDC6 expression was upregulated in multiple types of cancer, including glioma. Moreover, high expression of CDC6 was significantly associated with age, IDH status, 1p/19q codeletion status, WHO grade and histological type in glioma (all p < 0.05). Meanwhile, high CDC6 expression was associated with poor overall survival (OS) in glioma patients, especially in different clinical subgroups. Furthermore, a univariate Cox analysis showed that high CDC6 expression was correlated with poor OS in glioma patients. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that CDC6 was mainly involved in pathways related to DNA transcription and cytokine activity, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) revealed that MAPK pathway, P53 pathway and NF-κB pathway in cancer were differentially enriched in glioma patients with high CDC6 expression. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) showed CDC6 expression in glioma was positively correlated with Th2 cells, Macrophages and Eosinophils, and negative correlations with plasmacytoid dendritic cells, CD8 T cells and NK CD56bright cells, suggesting its role in regulating tumor immunity. Finally, CCK8 assay, flow cytometry and transwell assays showed that silencing CDC6 could significantly inhibit proliferation, migration, invasion, and promoted apoptosis of U87 cells and U251 cells (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, high CDC6 expression may serve as a promising biomarker for prognosis and correlated with immune infiltrates, presenting to be a potential immune therapy target in glioma.

Polyoxometalate-Assisted Assembly of Pearl-Chain-Like Cyanide-Bridged Single-Chain Magnets.

The introduction of Keggin-type POMs of [PMo12O40]3- or [SiW12O40]4- as counteranions into the FeIII-MII cyanometalate system afforded three chain complexes: [(Tp*)Fe(CN)3Ni(DMF)4]2{[(Tp*)Fe(CN)3Ni(DMF)3(H2O)]2Ni(DMF)4}[PMo12O40]2·14DMF (1, Tp*= hydridotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate) and {[(Tp*)Fe(CN)3M(DMF)3(H2O)]2M(DMF)4}[SiW12O40]·3DMF (2, M = NiII; 3, M = CoII). Complex 1 contains both discrete cationic [Fe2Ni2]2+ squares and less-studied {Fe2Ni3}n pearl chains, namely 3,2-chains, while 2 and 3 consist of pure 3,2-chains due to the replacement of [PMo12O40]3- with [SiW12O40]4- bearing one more negative charge. Magnetic studies revealed that all of the complexes exhibit single-chain-magnet (SCM) behaviors with the effective thermal barriers of Δτ1/kB = 61.6 K (infinite regime) and Δτ2/kB = 36.5 K (finite regime) for 1, Δτ/kB = 46.9 K for 2 (finite), and Δτ/kB = 30.6 K for 3 (finite). The POM moieties may play a pivotal role for the realization of this promising archetype of favoring SCM property: (1) the highly negatively charged POMs may facilitate the formation of the uncommon highly positive "pearl chain"; (2) the nanosized POMs necessarily led to the good isolation of the chains in the title complexes, and (3) the employment of POMs with different charges may regulate the resultant complexes in both structure and magnetism.

Series of Benzoquinone-Bridged Dicobalt(II) Single-Molecule Magnets.

Mononuclear complexes within a particular coordination geometry have been well recognized for high-performance single-molecule magnets (SMMs), while the incorporation of such well-defined geometric ions into multinuclear complexes remains less explored. Using the rigid 2-(di(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methyl)-6-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (PyPz3) ligand, here, we prepared a series of benzoquinone-bridged dicobalt(II) SMMs [{(PyPz3)Co}2(L)][PF6]2, (1, L = 2,5-dioxo-1,4-benzoquinone (dhbq2-); 2, L = chloranilate (CA2-); and 3, L = bromanilate (BA2-)), in which each Co(II) center adopts a distorted trigonal prismatic (TPR) geometry and the distortion increases with the sizes of 3,6-substituent groups (H (1) < Cl (2) < Br (3)). Accordingly, the magnetic study revealed that the axial anisotropy parameter (D) of the Co ions decreased from -78.5 to -56.5 cm-1 in 1-3, while the rhombic one (E) increased significantly. As a result, 1 exhibited slow relaxation of magnetization under a zero dc field, while both 2 and 3 showed only the field-induced SMM behaviors, likely due to the increased rhombic anisotropy that leads to the serious quantum tunneling of the magnetization. Our study demonstrated that the relaxation dynamics and performances of a multinuclear complex are strongly dependent on the coordination geometry of the local metal ions, which may be engineered by modifying the substituent groups.

A 1D Mixed-Valence Cuprofullerene Pyrazolate Polymer as a Semiconductor Material.

Polymeric {Cu6[(µ3-η2:η2:η2)2-C60](FPz)6Cl·3C6H5Cl}∞ [FPz = 4-(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolate], synthesized solvothermally with chlorobenzene as the solvent, is a doubly-connecting trans bis-adduct hexanuclear cuprofullerene that has copper in mixed valence. The compound is an example of a metallofullerene having semiconductivity character.

[AuI(CN)2]-Armed [FeIII2FeII2] Square Complex Showing Unusual Spin-Crossover Behavior Due to a Symmetry-Breaking Phase Transition.

The incorporation of two different cyanide building blocks of [(TpR)FeIII(CN)3]- and [AuI(CN)2]- into one molecule afforded a novel hexanuclear [FeIII2FeII2AuI2] complex (1·2Et2O), in which the cyanide-bridged [FeIII2FeII2] square was further grafted by two [AuI(CN)2]- fragments as long arms in syn orientations. Complex 1·2Et2O undergoes a gradual spin crossover (SCO) ffrom low-spin (LS) to high-spin (HS) state for the Fe(II) centers upon desolvation. Remarkably, its desolvated phase (1) exhibits a reversible but atypical two-step (sharp-gradual) SCO behavior with considerable hysteresis (21 K). Variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray structural studies reveal that the hysteretic spin transition takes place synchronously with the concerted displacive motions of the molecules, representing another rare example including multistep and hysteretic spin transitions due to the synergetic SCO and structural phase transition.

Anion-Dependent Electron Transfer in the Cyanide-Bridged [Fe2Co2] Capsules.

A family of molecular capsules, {[(Tp*)Fe(CN)3Co(bpyC═N(CH2)7N═Cbpy)]2[X]2}·sol (1, X = ClO4, sol = 6DMF; 2, X = PF6, sol = 6DMF; 3, X = OTf, sol = 6DMF; 4, X = BPh4, sol = 2DMF; Tp* = hydrotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate; bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine), were prepared via the Schiff-base condensation of the aldehyde-substituted bpy (bpyCHO) and 1,7-diaminoheptane (H2N(CH2)7NH2). All the complexes contain the same cyanide-bridged cationic square cores ([Fe2Co2]2+), which are encapsuled by the flexible alkyl chains. Variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectra, and magnetic studies reveal the abrupt and complete, thermo- and photo-induced electron-transfer-coupled spin transition for 1-3, while the pure high-spin phase for 4. Such distinct behavior is attributed to the effective long-range cooperative interactions mediated by the intercluster π-π couplings in 1-3, which, however, are significantly blocked in 4 due to the steric effect of interstitial BPh4- anions. Furthermore, the shift in the thermally induced transition temperatures of 254 K for 1, 233 K for 2, and 187 K for 3, respectively, is likely correlated to the variable H···O and H···F interactions between the solvent molecules, anions, and the bipyridine ligands of the [Fe2Co2] squares, suggesting the significant anion-dependent effect in such a system.

A Dicobalt(II) Single-Molecule Magnet via a Well-Designed Dual-Capping Tetrazine Radical Ligand.

The recent years have witnessed the glory development for the construction of high-performance mononuclear single molecule magnets (SMMs) within a specific coordination geometry, which, however, is not well applied in cluster-based SMMs due to the synthetic challenges. Given that the monocobalt(II) complexes within a trigonal-prismatic (TPR) coordination geometry have been classified as excellent SMMs with huge axial anisotropy (D ≈ -100 cm-1), here we designed and synthesized a new dual-capping tetrazine ligand, 3,6-bis(6-(di(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)methyl)pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (bpptz), and prepared a novel dicobalt(II) complex, [Cp2CoIII][{(hfac)CoII}2(bpptz•-)][hfac]2·2Et2O (1, hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate). In the structure of 1, the bpptz•- radical ligand enwraps two Co(II) centers within quasi-TPR geometries, which are further bridged by the tetrazine radical in the trans mode. The magnetic study revealed that the interaction between the Co centers and the tetrazine radical is strongly antiferromagnetic with a coupling constant (J) of -65.8 cm-1 (in the -2J formalism). Remarkably, 1 exhibited the typical SMM behavior with an effective energy barrier of 69 cm-1 under a 1.5 kOe dc field, among the largest for polynuclear transition metal SMMs. In addition, DFT and ab initio calculations suggested that the presence of a strong Co(II)-radical magnetic interaction effectively quenches the QTM effect and enhances the barrier height for the magnetization reversal.

Strong Coupling and Slow Relaxation of the Magnetization for an Air-Stable [Co4] Square with Both Tetrazine Radicals and Azido Bridges.

Introducing both tetrazine radical and azido bridges afforded two air-stable square complexes [MII4(bpztz•-)4(N3)4] (MII = Zn2+, 1; Co2+, 2; bpztz = 3,6-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine), where the metal ions are cobridged by µ1,1-azido bridges and tetrazine radicals. Magnetic studies revealed strong antiferromagnetic metal-radical interaction with a coupling constant of -64.7 cm-1 in the 2J formalism in 2. Remarkably, 2 exhibits slow relaxation of magnetization with an effective barrier for spin reverse of 96 K at zero applied field.

Incorporating Trigonal-Prismatic Cobalt(II) Blocks into an Exchange-Coupled [Co2Cu] System.

Taking advantage of a rigid tetradentate ligand of bis(pyrazoly)(3-pyrazolypyridinyl)methane (PyPz3) and the [CuII(opba)]2- unit [opba4- = o-phenylenebis(oxamato)], the trinuclear complex [{CoII(PyPz3)}2CuII(opba)][ClO4]2·5MeCN·MeOH (1) was constructed, in which the CoII centers adopt a trigonal-prismatic geometry, while considerable intramolecular magnetic coupling was successfully introduced through the oxamido bridges, representing another very first example of single-molecule magnets marrying both selected coordination geometry and magnetic exchanges.

Trigonal Prismatic Cobalt(II) Single-Ion Magnets: Manipulating the Magnetic Relaxation Through Symmetry Control.

Two mononuclear trigonal prismatic Co(II) complexes [Co(tppm*)][BPh4]2 (1) and [Co(hpy)][BPh4]2·3CH2Cl2 (2) (tppm* = 6,6',6″-(methoxymethanetriyl)tris(2-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine; hpy = tris(2,2'-bipyrid-6-yl)methanol) were synthesized by incorporating the Co(II) ions in two pocketing tripodal hexadentate ligands. Magnetic studies indicate similar uniaxial magnetic anisotropy while having distinct dynamic magnetic properties for two complexes, of which 1 exhibits clear hysteresis loops and Orbach process governed magnetic relaxation with an effective energy barrier (Ueff) of 192 cm-1, among the best examples in transition metallic SIMs, about 10 times larger than that of 2 (Ueff = 20 cm-1, extracted by fitting the data to an Orbach relaxation process but there is no real state at this energy). Such pronounced difference is ascribed to the dominant Raman process and quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM) in 2 owing to the structural distortion and symmetry breaking, indicated by a nearly perfect trigonal prismatic geometry (D3 local symmetry) for 1 and a more distorted configuration for 2 (C3 local symmetry). Ab initio calculations predict strong axial anisotropy for 1 with minimal QTM probability, with the transverse component of anisotropy being estimated to be much higher for 2 than 1, leading to a 10-fold lower Ueff value than 1.

Cyanide-Bridged Fe-Co Polynuclear Clusters Based on Four-Coordinate Cobalt(II).

Treatment of CoCl2·6H2O and tris(pyrazolyl-1-yl)borate tricyanoiron(III) anions at 55 °C afforded a series of new Fe-Co polynuclear clusters: {Co2Cl2(DMF)4[(Tp4-Me)Fe(CN)3]2} (1; Tp4-Me = hydridotris(4-methylpyrazol-1-yl)borate), (H3O+)@{Co4Cl4[(Tp4-Me)Fe(CN)3]4} (2), (MePh3P)4{Co6Cl6[(Tp4-Me)Fe(CN)3]6}·15CH3CN·3CH3OH·2H2O (3), and (BnEt3N)4{Co5Cl8[(Tp*)Fe(CN)3]4}·4CH3CN·2H2O (4; Tp*= hydridotris(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)borate). They feature an asymmetric [Fe2Co2(CN)4] square, a pseudocubic [Fe4Co4(CN)12] cluster, a distorted-hexagonal-prism-shaped [Fe6Co6(CN)18] cage, and a bis(trigonal-bipyramidal) cluster of [Fe4Co5(CN)12] fused at one cobalt center, respectively. The Co(II) ions adopt a four-coordinate tetrahedral geometry except for half of 1 in an octahedral geometry. It should be mentioned that 3 and 4 provide two novel molecular skeletons in the cyanometalate family. Interestingly, 1 behaved as a single-molecule magnet with an effective energy barrier for spin reverse of 30.7 K at zero dc field. Our result demonstrated a possible self-assembly route toward high-nuclearity cyanide-bridged clusters by introducing four-coordinate cobalt(II) ions.