Exploring the full range of N⋯I⋯X halogen-bonding interactions within a single compound using pressure.

The response of the trimethylammonium-iodinechloride and diiodide (TMA-ICl/I2) crystal structures have been examined under high pressure using neutron powder diffraction. TMA-ICl exhibits impressive pressure-driven electronic flexibility, where the N⋯I-Cl interactions progressively encompass all the distances represented in analogous structures recorded in the Cambridge Structural Database. Comparison with the TMA-I2 complex reveals that this flexibility is owed to the electronegativity of the chlorine atom which induces increased distortion of the iodine electron cloud. This structural flexibility may be influential in the future design of functional molecular materials.

Pressure-Induced Polymorphism of Caprolactam: A Neutron Diffraction Study.

Caprolactam, a precursor to nylon-6 has been investigated as part of our studies into the polymerization of materials at high pressure. Single-crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction data have been used to explore the high-pressure phase behavior of caprolactam; two new high pressure solid forms were observed. The transition between each of the forms requires a substantial rearrangement of the molecules and we observe that the kinetic barrier to the conversion can aid retention of phases beyond their region of stability. Form II of caprolactam shows a small pressure region of stability between 0.5 GPa and 0.9 GPa with Form III being stable from 0.9 GPa to 5.4 GPa. The two high-pressure forms have a catemeric hydrogen-bonding pattern compared with the dimer interaction observed in ambient pressure Form I. The interaction between the chains has a marked effect on the directions of maximal compressibility in the structure. Neither of the high-pressure forms can be recovered to ambient pressure and there is no evidence of any polymerization occurring.

Nanoscale Coatings for Ultralow Dose BMP-2-Driven Regeneration of Critical-Sized Bone Defects.

While new biomaterials for regenerative therapies are being reported in the literature, clinical translation is slow. Some existing regenerative approaches rely on high doses of growth factors, such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) in bone regeneration, which can cause serious side effects. An ultralow-dose growth factor technology is described yielding high bioactivity based on a simple polymer, poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), and mechanisms to drive stem cell differentiation and bone regeneration in a critical-sized murine defect model with translation to a clinical veterinary setting are reported. This material-based technology triggers spontaneous fibronectin organization and stimulates growth factor signalling, enabling synergistic integrin and BMP-2 receptor activation in mesenchymal stem cells. To translate this technology, plasma-polymerized PEA is used on 2D and 3D substrates to enhance cell signalling in vitro, showing the complete healing of a critical-sized bone injury in mice in vivo. Efficacy is demonstrated in a Münsterländer dog with a nonhealing humerus fracture, establishing the clinical translation of advanced ultralow-dose growth factor treatment.

Pressure-structure relationships in the 10 K layered carbide halide superconductor Y2C2I2.

The electronic structures of the 10 K layered yttrium carbide halide superconductor Y2C2I2 is characterized by bands of low dispersion and narrow peak-valley features in the electronic density of states at the Fermi level. In order to investigate to what extent the superconducting properties can be modified by external pressure we have studied the pressure dependence of the superconducting critical temperature and the crystal structure of Y2C2I2 to pressures of 7.4 GPa. Up to ~2.5 GPa we observe an increase of T c from 10 K to about 12 K. A structural phase transition from a 1s to a 3s stacking variant occurs at about 2.5 GPa above which T c rapidly decreases to a value of ~7.5 K at 7.5 GPa. Density functional calculations corroborate the structural phase transition to occur at a critical cell volume of ~270 Å(3) corresponding to a pressure of ~2.4 GPa, in good agreement with the experimental findings. The pressure dependence of T c and inter-atomic distances and angles are discussed with respect to the results of density functional calculations of the electronic and crystal structure.

Investigation of Methacrylic Acid at High Pressure Using Neutron Diffraction.

This article shows that pressure can be a low-intensity route to the synthesis of polymethacrylic acid. The exploration of perdeuterated methacrylic acid at high pressure using neutron diffraction reveals that methacrylic acid exhibits two polymorphic phase transformations at relatively low pressures. The first is observed at 0.39 GPa, where both phases were observed simultaneously and confirm our previous observations. This transition is followed by a second transition at 1.2 GPa to a new polymorph that is characterized for the first time. On increasing pressure, the diffraction pattern of phase III deteriorates significantly. On decompression phase III persists to 0.54 GPa before transformation to the ambient pressure phase. There is significant loss of signal after decompression, signifying that there has been a loss of material through polymerization. The orientation of the molecules in phase III provides insight into the possible polymerization reaction.

The effect of temperature and pressure on the crystal structure of piperidine.

BACKGROUND: The response of molecular crystal structures to changes in externally applied conditions such as temperature and pressure are the result of a complex balance between strong intramolecular bonding, medium strength intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonds, and weaker intermolecular van der Waals contacts. At high pressure the additional thermodynamic requirement to fill space efficiently becomes increasingly important. RESULTS: The crystal structure of piperidine-d11 has been determined at 2 K and at room temperature at pressures between 0.22 and 1.09 GPa. Unit cell dimensions have been determined between 2 and 255 K, and at pressures up to 2.77 GPa at room temperature. All measurements were made using neutron powder diffraction. The crystal structure features chains of molecules formed by NH…N H-bonds with van der Waals interactions between the chains. Although the H-bonds are the strongest intermolecular contacts, the majority of the sublimation enthalpy may be ascribed to weaker but more numerous van der Waals interactions. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of the thermal expansion data in the light of phonon frequencies determined in periodic DFT calculations indicates that the expansion at very low temperature is governed by external lattice modes, but above 100 K the influence of intramolecular ring-flexing modes also becomes significant. The principal directions of thermal expansion are determined by the sensitivity of different van der Waals interactions to changes in distance. The principal values of the strain developed on application of pressure are similarly oriented to those determined in the variable-temperature study, but more isotropic because of the need to minimise volume by filling interstitial voids at elevated pressure. Graphical AbstractThough H-bonds are important interactions in the crystal structure of piperidine, the response to externally-applied conditions are determined by van der Waals interactions.

Pressure-induced intersite Bi-M (M=Ru, Ir) valence transitions in hexagonal perovskites.

Pressure-induced charge transfer from Bi to Ir/Ru is observed in the hexagonal perovskites Ba(3+n)BiM(2+n)O(9+3n) (n=0,1; M=Ir,Ru). These compounds show first-order, circa 1% volume contractions at room temperature above 5 GPa, which are due to the large reduction in the effective ionic radius of Bi when the 6s shell is emptied on oxidation, compared to the relatively negligible effect of reduction on the radii of Ir or Ru. They are the first such transitions involving 4d and 5d compounds, and they double the total number of cases known. Ab initio calculations suggest that magnetic interactions through very short (ca. 2.6 Å) M-M bonds contribute to the finely balanced nature of their electronic states.

Investigation of acrylic acid at high pressure using neutron diffraction.

This article details the exploration of perdeuterated acrylic acid at high pressure using neutron diffraction. The structural changes that occur in acrylic acid-d4 are followed via diffraction and rationalized using the Pixel method. Acrylic acid undergoes a reconstructive phase transition to a new phase at ∼ 0.8 GPa and remains molecular to 7.2 GPa before polymerizing on decompression to ambient pressure. The resulting product is analyzed via Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry and found to possess a different molecular structure compared with polymers produced via traditional routes.

Maxillomandibular circular external skeletal fixation for repair of bilateral fractures of the caudal aspect of the mandible in a dog.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the novel use of circular external skeletal fixation (CESF) for repair of bilateral fractures of the caudal aspect of the mandibles. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical report. ANIMALS: A 5-month-old female Newfoundland. METHODS: A 2-ring CESF was used to immobilize the mandible relative to the maxillae. RESULTS: Anatomic dental occlusion and reduction of the right hemimandible were achieved with mild malalignment of the left hemimandible. Fracture healing occurred within 20 days. Transient epistaxis and reduced temporomandibular joint range of motion occurred at the time of fixator removal but normal use of the mandible was reported 6 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: CESF effectively immobilized the mandible permitting rapid fracture healing with minimal morbidity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Maxillomandibular CESF may represent a simple, effective option for the management of challenging fractures involving the caudal aspect of the mandible.

Pressure-cooking of explosives--the crystal structure of epsilon-RDX as determined by X-ray and neutron diffraction.

The high-pressure, high-temperature epsilon-form of the widely used explosive RDX has been structurally characterised using a combination of diffraction techniques, and a sample of this form has been successfully recovered to ambient pressure.

Octahedral tilting in Pb-based relaxor ferroelectrics at high pressure.

We have employed a combination of powder neutron diffraction and single-crystal synchrotron X-ray diffraction to characterize the pressure-induced phase transitions that occur in the perovskite-type relaxor ferroelectric PbSc(0.5)Ta(0.5)O(3) (PST) and Pb(0.78)Ba(0.22)Sc(0.5)Ta(0.5)O(3) (PST-Ba). At ambient pressure the symmetry of the average structure for both compounds is Fm3m as a result of partial ordering of the Sc and Ta cations on the octahedral sites. At pressures above the phase transition both the neutron and X-ray diffraction patterns exhibit an increase in the intensities of h,k,l = all odd reflections and no appearance of additional Bragg reflections. Synchrotron single-crystal X-ray diffraction data show that the intensity of hhh peaks, h = 2n + 1, does not change with pressure. This indicates that the structural distortion arising from the phase transition has a glide-plane pseudo-symmetry along the 111 cubic directions. Rietveld refinement to the neutron powder data shows that the high-pressure phase has either R3c or R3 symmetry, depending on whether the presence of 1:1 octahedral cation ordering is neglected or taken into account, and comprises octahedral tilts of the type a(-)a(-)a(-) that continuously evolve with pressure. The cubic-to-rhombohedral transition is also marked by a large increase in the anisotropy of the displacement ellipsoids of the Pb cations, indicating larger displacements of Pb cations along the rhombohedral threefold axis rather than within the perpendicular plane. For PST the anisotropy of the Pb displacement parameters decreases at approximately 3 GPa above the phase-transition pressure. For both PST and PST-Ba the average magnitudes of Pb-cation displacements expressed in terms of isotropic displacement ellipsoids gradually decrease over the entire pressure range from ambient to 7.35 GPa.

The effect of weight loss on lameness in obese dogs with osteoarthritis.

This paper describes the effect of weight loss on lameness in obese dogs with osteoarthritis (OA). Fourteen obese client-owned dogs with clinical and radiographic signs of OA participated in an open prospective clinical trial. After a screening visit and a visit for collection of baseline data, the dogs were fed a restricted-calorie diet over a study period of 16 weeks that incorporated six follow-up visits. At each visit, body weight and pelvic circumference were measured and severity of lameness was assessed using a numeric rating scale (NRS), a visual analogue scale (VAS) and kinetic gait analysis. This is the first study to assess both subjectively and objectively, the effect of weight loss alone on lameness in obese dogs with OA. The results indicate that body weight reduction causes a significant decrease in lameness from a weight loss of 6.10% onwards. Kinetic gait analysis supported the results from a body weight reduction of 8.85% onwards. These results confirm that weight loss should be presented as an important treatment modality to owners of obese dogs with OA and that noticeable improvement may be seen after modest weight loss in the region of 6.10 - 8.85% body weight.

The crystal structure of beta-RDX-an elusive form of an explosive revealed.

The crystal structure of the highly metastable beta-form of RDX shows that the molecules adopt different conformations compared to the alpha-form and that, contrary to previous reports, the beta-form obtained at ambient pressure is not the same form as that obtained at elevated temperatures and pressures.

Temperature- and pressure-induced proton transfer in the 1:1 adduct formed between squaric acid and 4,4'-bipyridine.

We have applied a combination of spectroscopic and diffraction methods to study the adduct formed between squaric acid and bypridine, which has been postulated to exhibit proton transfer associated with a single-crystal to single-crystal phase transition at ca. 450 K. A combination of X-ray single-crystal and very-high flux powder neutron diffraction data confirmed that a proton does transfer from the acid to the base in the high-temperature form. Powder X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrated that the transition was reversible but that a significant kinetic energy barrier must be overcome to revert to the original structure. Computational modeling is consistent with these results. Modeling also revealed that, while the proton transfer event would be strongly discouraged in the gas phase, it occurs in the solid state due to the increase in charge state of the molecular ions and their arrangement inside the lattice. The color change is attributed to a narrowing of the squaric acid to bipyridine charge-transfer energy gap. Finally, evidence for the possible existence of two further phases at high pressure is also presented.

In situ characterization of elusive salt hydrates. The crystal structures of the heptahydrate and octahydrate of sodium sulfate.

An important intermediate phase in the crystallization of aqueous solutions of sodium sulfate is the highly metastable sodium sulfate heptahydrate (Na(2)SO(4).7H(2)O). This has been structurally characterized for the first time by in situ single crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure shows that each sodium cation is octahedrally coordinated to water molecules, with a slight distortion due to one of the water molecules being disordered. The hydrated sodium cations are hydrogen-bonded to form a three-dimensional bonded network, which is markedly different from the architecture of one-dimensional bonded chains observed in sodium sulfate decahydrate (mirabilite). This major structural difference explains the reconstructive nature of the transformation observed between the heptahydrate and mirabilite. High-pressure crystallization of a 3.41 mol/kg water aqueous solution of sodium sulfate at 1.54 GPa in a diamond-anvil cell resulted in the formation of a previously unknown sodium sulfate hydrate, which we have determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods to be an octahydrate, Na(2)SO(4).8H(2)O. In this structure the sulfate ions are coordinated directly to sodium ions. This resembles anhydrous sodium sulfate (thenardite) but contrasts with the heptahydrate and decahydrate in which the sodium ions are coordinated exclusively by water molecules. This observation demonstrates how the delicate balance of inter- and intramolecular bonds in the crystal structure can be significantly altered by the application of pressure.

A new high pressure phase of sodium formate dihydrate; an experimental and computational study.

As part of an on-going programme to study the high pressure structural behaviour of hydrated small molecular systems, sodium formate dihydrate has been studied using high pressure single crystal X-ray and neutron powder diffraction methods. A new phase was initially identified at 17 kbar by X-ray diffraction and high level quantum mechanical calculations completed the structure, allowing definitive hydrogen atom positioning. The resulting structure compared favourably with that found subsequently by high pressure neutron diffraction. The neutron diffraction study also revealed that the deuterated form, NaDCO(2).2D(2)O, is stable in a different structural form to that of the non-deuterated material at ambient pressure. The structure of this phase is related to that of the high pressure phase via a simple translation of the molecular layers.

High-pressure neutron diffraction study of L-serine-I and L-serine-II, and the structure of L-serine-III at 8.1 GPa.

The hydrostatic compression of L-serine-d(7) has been studied to 8.1 GPa by neutron powder diffraction. Over the course of this pressure range the compound undergoes two phase transitions, the first between 4.6 and 5.2 GPa, yielding L-serine-II, and the second between 7.3 and 8.1 GPa, yielding L-serine-III. All three polymorphs are orthorhombic, P2(1)2(1)2(1), and feature chains of serine molecules connected via head-to-tail ND...O hydrogen bonds formed between ammonium and carboxylate groups. The chains are linked into a ribbon by a second set of ND...O hydrogen bonds. The hydroxyl moieties are distributed along the outer edges of the ribbon and in phase I they connect the ribbons into a layer by chains of OD...OD hydrogen bonds. The layers are connected together by a third set of ND...O hydrogen bonds, forming R;3_4(14) rings with substantial voids at their centres. In the transition from phase I to II these voids begin to close up, but at the cost of breaking the OD...OD chains. The OD...OD hydrogen bonds are replaced by shorter OD...O hydrogen bonds to carboxylate groups. At 7.3 GPa the O...O distance in the OD...O hydrogen bonds measures only 2.516 (17) A, which is short, and we propose that the phase transition to phase III that occurs between 7.3 and 8.1 GPa relieves the strain that has built up in this region of the structure. The hydroxyl D atom now bifurcates between the OD...O contact that had been present in phase II and a new OD...O contact formed to a carboxylate in another layer. Hirshfeld surface fingerprint plots show that D...D interactions become more numerous, while hydrogen bonds actually begin to lengthen in the transition from phase II to III.