Halogen-Dependent Diversity and Weak Interactions in the Heterometallic Ni/Cd Complex Solids: Structural and Theoretical Investigation.

Three novel heterometallic Ni/Cd coordination compounds [Ni(en)3][CdCl4]∙3dmso (1), [Ni(en)2(dmf)2][CdBr4] (2), and [Ni(en)3]2[CdI4](I)2 (3) have been synthesized through the self-assembly process in a one-pot reaction of cadmium oxide, nickel salt (or nickel powder), NH4X (X = Cl, Br, I), and ethylenediamine in non-aqueous solvents dmso (for 1) or dmf (for 2 and 3). Formation of the one- (1) or three-dimensional (2 and 3) hydrogen-bonded frameworks has been observed depending on the nature of the [CdX4]2- counter-anion, as well as on the nature of the solvent. The electronic structures of [Ni(en)3]2+ and [Ni(en)2(dmf)2]2+ cations were studied at the DFT and CASSCF levels, including the ab initio ligand field theory (AILFT) calculations. The non-covalent intermolecular contacts between the cationic nickel and anionic cadmium blocks in the solid state were investigated by the QTAIM analysis. The mechanism of ligand substitution at the nickel center in [Ni(en)2(dmf)2]2+ was theoretically investigated at the ωB97X-D4/ma-def2-TZVP//DLPNO-CCSD(T)/ma-def2-TZVPP level. The results demonstrate that thermodynamic factors are structure-determining ones due to low energy barriers of the rotation of dmf ligands in [Ni(en)2(dmf)2]2+ (below 3 kcal mol-1) and the reversible transformation of [Ni(en)2(dmf)2]2+ into [Ni(en)3]2+ (below 20 kcal mol-1).

Inert Transition Metal Ion Complexes in Organic Synthesis: Protection and Activation.

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies for a variety of metal ion complexes of functionalised sarcophagines (sarcophagine=sar=3,6,10,13,16,19-hexa-azabicyclo[6.6.6]icosane) have further confirmed not only that the form of the metal ion/sar unit is unique for each metal, albeit with a sensitivity of the conformation to the associated counter anions, but also that for any given metal and ligand substituent, the dimensions (bond lengths and angles) of the complex and the substituent at the secondary nitrogen centres do not differ significantly from those of the isolated components. Despite this, where the substituent contains reactive sites, the reactivity differs markedly from that of their form in an uncoordinated substrate. Rationalisations are offered for these differences, in part through the use of Hirshfeld surface analysis of the intermolecular interactions. The kinetic inertness of the complexes means that the metal ions can be considered to act as regioselective protecting groups.

Synthesis, crystal structure and Hirshfeld surface analysis of the hybrid salt bis-(2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-ium) tetra-chlorido-manganate(II).

The 0-D hybrid salt bis-(2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-ium) tetra-chlorido-manganate(II), (C8H9N2)2[MnCl4] or [L]2[MnCl4], consists of discrete L + cations and tetra-chlorido-manganate(II) anions. The fused heterocyclic rings in the two crystallographically non-equivalent monovalent organic cations are almost coplanar; the bond lengths are as expected. The tetra-hedral MnCl4 2- dianion is slightly distorted with the Mn-Cl bond lengths varying from 2.3577 (7) to 2.3777 (7) Šand the Cl-Mn-Cl angles falling in the range 105.81 (3)-115.23 (3)°. In the crystal, the compound demonstrates a pseudo-layered arrangement of separate organic and inorganic sheets alternating parallel to the bc plane. In the organic layer, pairs of centrosymmetrically related trans-oriented L + cations are π-stacked. Neighboring MnCl4 2- dianions in the inorganic sheet show no connectivity, with the minimal Mn⋯Mn distance exceeding 7 Å. The Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed the prevalence of the non-conventional C-H⋯Cl-Mn hydrogen bonding in the crystal packing.

Toward the Total Synthesis of Alpkinidine: Synthesis of Haloquinone CE Ring System Synthons and Attempted Nucleophilic Bisannulation.

Model chemistry involving the bisannulation of 2,3-dichloro-1,4-naphthoquinone with the ester enolate derived from ethyl o-nitrophenylacetic acid, which rapid assembled the ABCD ring system of a pentacyclic pyrroloacridine, has been applied to the attempted synthesis of the marine natural product alpkinidine. The reaction of ethyl o-nitrophenylacetic acid with 6,7-dichloro-2-methylisoquinoline-1,5,8(2H)-trione, required to extend the model strategy to alpkinidine, was unfruitful, giving only complex mixtures. Efforts to direct the regiochemistry of the key Michael substitution step using 6-bromo-2-methylisoquinoline-1,5,8(2H)-trione afforded an adduct sharing the complete carbon skeleton of alpkinidine, but this could not be elaborated to the natural product.

Toward the Total Synthesis of Alpkinidine: Michael Addition to Isoquinolinetrione CE Ring-System Synthons.

Strategies toward the total synthesis of the marine pyrroloacridine alkaloid alpkinidine have been explored, focusing on linking quinonoid CE ring-system synthons with the A ring, followed by condensation to form the B and D rings. The key Michael addition of the ester enolate derived from ethyl o-nitrophenylacetate to 2-methylisoquinoline-1,5,8(2H)-trione proceeded with the wrong regiochemistry. This issue was addressed by incorporating the D-ring nitrogen at an earlier stage, affording advanced intermediates possessing the complete carbon skeleton of alpkinidine. However, attempts to close the D and B rings were unsuccessful. The novel isoquinolinetriones reported here, and the general strategy of connecting CE- and A-ring synthons through Michael additions, may be useful in the synthesis of other pyrrolo- and pyridoacridines, in particular the anticancer lead neoamphimedine and analogues.

2,7- and 4,9-Dialkynyldihydropyrene Molecular Switches: Syntheses, Properties, and Charge Transport in Single-Molecule Junctions.

This paper describes the syntheses of several functionalized dihydropyrene (DHP) molecular switches with different substitution patterns. Regioselective nucleophilic alkylation of a 5-substituted dimethyl isophthalate allowed the development of a workable synthetic protocol for the preparation of 2,7-alkyne-functionalized DHPs. Synthesis of DHPs with surface-anchoring groups in the 2,7- and 4,9-positions is described. The molecular structures of several intermediates and DHPs were elucidated by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Molecular properties and switching capabilities of both types of DHPs were assessed by light irradiation experiments, spectroelectrochemistry, and cyclic voltammetry. Spectroelectrochemistry, in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, shows reversible electrochemical switching from the DHP forms to the cyclophanediene (CPD) forms. Charge-transport behavior was assessed in single-molecule scanning tunneling microscope (STM) break junctions, combined with density functional theory-based quantum transport calculations. All DHPs with surface-contacting groups form stable molecular junctions. Experiments show that the molecular conductance depends on the substitution pattern of the DHP motif. The conductance was found to decrease with increasing applied bias.

Organic-inorganic hybrid mixed-halide ZnII and CdII tetra-halometallates with the 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium cation.

Three isomorphous 0-D hybrid salts, namely, 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium tri-chlorido-iodido-zincate(II), (C8H9N2)2[ZnCl3.19I0.81] or [L]2[ZnCl3.19I0.81], (I), 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium di-bromido-dichlorido-cadmate(II), (C8H9N2)2[CdBr2.42Cl1.58] or [L]2[CdBr2.42Cl1.58], (II), and 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium tri-chlorido-iodido-cadmate(II), (C8H9N2)2[CdCl3.90I0.10] or [L]2[CdCl3.90I0.10], (III), are assembled from discrete 2-methyl-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium cations, L +, and mixed-halide tetra-halometallate anions. In the three structures, there are two crystallographically non-equivalent cations that were modelled as being rotationally disordered by 180°. In the lattices of the three compounds, a disordered state exists involving partial substitution of Cl by I for sites 2-4 in (I), Br by Cl for all four sites in (II) and Cl by I for site 2 in (III). In the solid state, the organic and inorganic sheets alternate parallel to the bc plane in a pseudo-layered arrangement. In the organic layer, pairs of centrosymmetic-ally related trans-oriented cations form π-bonded chains. The adjacent tetra-halometallate anions in the inorganic layer show no connectivity with the shortest M⋯M separations being greater than 7 Å. A variety of C-H⋯X-M (X = Cl, Br, I) contacts between the organic and inorganic counterparts provide additional structural stabilization. The title structures are isomorphous with the previously reported structures of the chloride analogues, [L]2[ZnCl4] and [L]2[CdCl4].

NiII mol-ecular complex with a tetra-dentate amino-guanidine-derived Schiff base ligand: structural, spectroscopic and electrochemical studies and photoelectric response.

The new mol-ecular nickel(II) complex, namely, {4-bromo-2-[({N'-[(2-oxidobenzylidene)amino]carbamimidoyl}imino)methyl]phenolato}nickel(II) N,N-di-methyl-formamide solvate monohydrate, [Ni(C15H11BrN4O2)]·C3H7NO·H2O, (I), crystallizes in the triclinic space group P with one mol-ecule per asymmetric unit. The guanidine ligand is a product of Schiff base condensation between amino-guanidine, salicyl-aldehyde and 5-bromo-salicyl-aldehyde templated by Ni2+ ions. The chelating ligand mol-ecule is deprotonated at the phenol O atoms and coordinates the metal centre through the two azomethine N and two phenolate O atoms in a cis-NiN2O2 square-planar configuration [average(Ni-N/O) = 1.8489 Å, cis angles in the range 83.08 (5)-95.35 (5)°, trans angles of 177.80 (5) and 178.29 (5)°]. The complex mol-ecule adopts an almost planar conformation. In the crystal, a complicated hydrogen-bonded network is formed through N-H⋯N/O and O-H⋯O inter-molecular inter-actions. Complex (I) was also characterized by FT-IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. It undergoes an NiII ↔ NiIII redox reaction at E 1/2 = +0.295 V (vs Ag/AgCl) in methanol solution. In a thin film with a free surface, complex (I) shows a fast photoelectric response upon exposure to visible light with a maximum photovoltage of ∼178 mV.

A novel o-vanillin Fe(III) complex catalytically active in C-H oxidation: exploring the magnetic exchange interactions and spectroscopic properties with different DFT functionals.

The novel complex [FeIIICl(L)2(H2O)] (1) was synthesized by interaction of iron(III) chloride with ethanol solution of o-vanillin (HL) and characterized by IR, UV/Vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The molecules of 1 in the solid state are joined into supramolecular dimeric units, where a set of strong hydrogen bonds predefines the structure of the dimer according to the "key-lock" principle. From the Hirshfield surface analysis the contribution of π⋯π stacking to the overall stabilization of the dimer was found to be negligible. Broken symmetry DFT calculations suggested the presence of long-range antiferromagnetic interactions (J = -0.12 cm-1 for H = -JS1S2 formalism) occurring through the Fe-O⋯O-Fe pathway, as evidenced by the studies of the model dimers where the water molecules were substituted by acetonitrile and acetone ones. The benchmark studies using a set of literature examples and various DFT functionals revealed the hybrid-GGA B3LYP as the best one for prediction of FeIII⋯FeIII antiferromagnetic exchange couplings of small magnitude. Magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed antiferromagnetic coupling between the metal atoms in 1 with a coupling constant of -0.35 cm-1. Catalytic studies demonstrated that 1 acts as an efficient catalyst in the oxidation of cyclohexane with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of nitric acid promoter and under mild conditions (yield up to 37% based on the substrate), while tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) and m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (m-CPBA) as oxidants exhibit less efficiency. Combined UV/TDDFT studies evidence the structural rearrangement of 1 in acetonitrile with the formation of [FeIIICl(L)2(CH3CN)] species. The TDDFT benchmark using nine common DFT functionals and two model compounds (o-vanillin and [FeIII(H2O)6]3+ ion) support the hybrid meta-GGA M06-2X functional as the one most correctly predicting the excited state structure for the Fe(III) complexes, under the conditions studied.

Ferro- vs. antiferromagnetic exchange between two Ni(II) ions in a series of Schiff base heterometallic complexes: what makes the difference?

Three new NiII/ZnII heterometallics, [NiZnL'2(OMe)Cl]2 (1), [NiZnL''(Dea)Cl]2·2DMF (2) and [Ni2(H3L''')2(o-Van)(MeOH)2]Cl·[ZnCl2(H4L''')(MeOH)]·2MeOH (3), containing three-dentate Schiff bases as well as methanol or diethanolamine (H2Dea) or o-vanillin (o-VanH), all deprotonated, as bridging ligands were synthesized and structurally characterized. The Schiff base ligands were produced in situ from o-VanH and CH3NH2 (HL'), or NH2OH (HL"), or 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-propane-1,3-diol (H4L'''); a zerovalent metal (Ni and Zn in 1, Zn only in 2 and 3) was employed as a source of metal ions. The first two complexes are dimers with a Ni2Zn2O6 central core, while the third compound is a novel heterometallic cocrystal salt solvate built of a neutral zwitterionic ZnII Schiff base complex and of ionic salt containing dinuclear NiII complex cations. The crystal structures contain either centrosymmetric (1 and 2) or non-symmetric di-nickel fragment (3) with NiNi distances in the range 3.146-3.33 Å. The exchange coupling is antiferromagnetic for 1, J = 7.7 cm-1, and ferromagnetic for 2, J = -6.5 cm-1 (using the exchange Hamiltonian in a form H = Js1s2). The exchange interactions in 1 and 2 are comparable to the zero-field splitting (ZFS). High-field EPR revealed moderate magnetic anisotropy of opposite signs: D = 2.27 cm-1, E = 0.243 cm-1 (1) and D = -4.491 cm-1, E = -0.684 cm-1 (2). Compound 3 stands alone with very weak ferromagnetism (J = -0.6 cm-1) and much stronger magnetic anisotropy with D = -11.398 cm-1 and E = -1.151 cm-1. Attempts to calculate theoretically the exchange coupling (using the DFT "broken symmetry" method) and ZFS parameters (with the ab initio CASSCF method) were successful in predicting the trends of J and D among the three complexes, while the quantitative results were less good for 1 and 3.

Organic-inorganic hybrid tetrachlorocadmates as promising fluorescent agents for cross-linked polyurethanes: synthesis, crystal structures and extended performance analysis.

The aim of this work is to apply organic-inorganic hybrid salts made of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium-based cations and halometallate anions as fluorescent agents to modify cross-linked polyurethane (CPU) for the creation of flexible photoluminescent films. The use of ionic compounds ensures excellent dispersion of the luminescent components in the polymer matrix and prevents solid-state quenching. The absence of phase segregation makes it possible to fabricate uniformly luminescent films with a large area. To this, new tetrachlorocadmate salts [L]2[CdCl4] (1) and [L']2[CdCl4] (2), where L+ is 2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium and [L']+ is 2-methylimidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium cations, have been prepared and characterized by IR, NMR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The organic cations resulted from the oxidative cyclization-condensation involving CH3NH2·HCl and 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde in methanol (1), and formaldehyde, CH3NH2·HCl and 2-pyridinecarbaldehyde in an aqueous media (2). In the crystal of 1, loosely packed tetrahedral cations and π-π stacked anions are arranged in separate columns parallel to the a-axis. The pseudo-layered structure of 2 is built of the organic and inorganic layers alternating along the a axis. The adjacent CdCl4 2- anions in the inorganic layer show no connectivity. The organic-inorganic hybrids 1 and 2 were immobilized in situ in the cross-linked polyurethane in low content (1 wt%). The photoluminescent properties of 1 and 2 in the solid state and in the polymer films were investigated. The semi-transparent CPU films, that remain stable for months, retain the photoluminescent ability of both hybrids in the blue region with a prominent red shift in their emission.

Crystal structures of [µ2-(Ra ,Sa ,3aR,7aR)-1,3-bis-(2,7-di-cyclo-hexyl-naphthalen-1-yl)octa-hydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazolidin-2-yl-idene]chlorido-(η4-1,5-cyclo-octa-diene)iridium di-chloro-methane monosolvate and [µ2-(Sa ,Sa ,3aR,7aR)-1,3-bis-(2,7-di-cyclo-hexyl-naphthalen-1-yl)octa-hydro-1H-benzo[d]imidazolidin-2-yl-idene]chlorido-(η4-1,5-cyclo-octa-diene)iridium.

The title compounds, [Ir(C51H64N2)Cl(C8H12)]·CH2Cl2, (I), and [Ir(C51H64N2)Cl(C8H12)], (II), represent the first two examples of hexa-hydro-benzo-imidazole-based N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) iridium complexes. The diastereomeric complexes differing only in their axial chirality, which could be separated via column chromatography, show noticeable differences in their 1H NMR spectra. Compound (I) crystallizes in the monoclinic system (P21) with two independent complexes and two half-occupied di-chloro-methane mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit, while compound (II) crystallizes in the ortho-rhom-bic system (P212121) with one complex in the asymmetric unit. The fused five-membered N-heterocycles of NHCs show unusually high backbone torsion angles of -34.1 (5) and -30.9 (5)° for (I) and -31.5 (7)° for (II), but the Ir-Ccarbene bond lengths of 2.046 (6) and 2.021 (6) Šfor (I) and 2.045 (8) Šfor (II) present typical NHC-Ir bond lengths. The solvent mol-ecule in the crystal of (I) was found to be highly disordered and its contribution to the scattering was masked using the solvent-masking routine smtbx.mask in OLEX2 [Dolomanov et al. (2009 ▸). J. Appl. Cryst. 42, 339-341]. The solvent contribution is not included in the reported chemical formula and other crystal data.

Crystal structure and characterization of a new copper(II) chloride dimer with meth-yl(pyridin-2-yl-methyl-idene)amine.

The new copper(II) complex, namely, di-µ-chlorido-bis-{chlorido-[meth-yl(pyri-din-2-yl-methyl-idene)amine-κ2 N,N']copper(II)}, [Cu2Cl4(C7H8N2)2], (I), with the ligand 2-pyridyl-methyl-N-methyl-imine (L, a product of Schiff base condensation between methyl-amine and 2-pyridine-carbaldehyde) is built of discrete centrosymmetric dimers. The coordination about the CuII ion can be described as distorted square pyramidal. The base of the pyramid consists of two nitro-gen atoms from the bidentate chelate L [Cu-N = 2.0241 (9), 2.0374 (8) Å] and two chlorine atoms [Cu-Cl = 2.2500 (3), 2.2835 (3) Å]. The apical position is occupied by another Cl atom with the apical bond being significantly elongated at 2.6112 (3) Å. The trans angles of the base are 155.16 (3) and 173.79 (2)°. The Cu⋯Cu separation in the dimer is 3.4346 (3) Å. In the crystal structure, the loosely packed dimers are arranged in stacks propagating along the a axis. The X-band polycrystalline 77 K EPR spectrum of (I) demonstrates a typical axial pattern characteristic of mononuclear CuII complexes. Compound (I) is redox active and shows a cyclic voltammetric response with E 1/2 = -0.037 V versus silver-silver chloride electrode (SSCE) assignable to the reduction peak of CuII/CuI in methanol as solvent.

Crystal structure of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium-based hybrid salt (C13H12N3)2[MnCl4].

A new organic-inorganic hybrid salt [L]2[MnCl4] (I) where L + is the 2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium cation, is built of discrete organic cations and tetra-chlorido-manganate(II) anions. The L + cation was formed in situ in the oxidative cyclo-condensation of 2-pyridine-carbaldehyde and CH3NH2·HCl in methanol. The structure was refined as a two-component twin using PLATON (Spek, 2020 ▸) to de-twin the data. The twin law (-1 0 0 0 - 1 0 0.5 0 1) was applied in the refinement where the twin component fraction refined to 0.155 (1). The compound crystallizes in the space group P21/c with two crystallographically non-equivalent cations in the asymmetric unit, which possess similar structural conformations. The fused pyridinium and imidazolium rings of the cations are virtually coplanar [dihedral angles are 0.89 (18) and 0.78 (17)°]; the pendant pyridyl rings are twisted by 36.83 (14) and 36.14 (13)° with respect to the planes of the remaining atoms of the cations. The tetra-hedral MnCl4 2- anion is slightly distorted with the Mn-Cl distances falling in the range 2.3469 (10)-2.3941 (9) Å. The distortion value of 0.044 relative to the ideal tetra-hedron was obtained by continuous shape measurement (CShM) analysis. In the crystal, the cations and anions form separate stacks propagating along the a-axis direction. The organic cations display weak π-π stacking. The anions, which are stacked identically one above the other, demonstrate loose packing; the minimum Mn⋯Mn separation in the cation stack is approximately 7.49 Å. The investigation of the fluorescent properties of a powdered sample of (I) showed no emission. X-band EPR data for (I) at 293 and 77 K revealed broad fine structure signals, indicating moderate zero-field splitting.

Chemically and Mechanically Controlled Single-Molecule Switches Using Spiropyrans.

Developing molecular circuits that can function as the active components in electrical devices is an ongoing challenge in molecular electronics. It demands mechanical stability of the single-molecule circuit while simultaneously being responsive to external stimuli mimicking the operation of conventional electronic components. Here, we report single-molecule circuits based on spiropyran derivatives that respond electrically to chemical and mechanical stimuli. The merocyanine that results from the protonation/ring-opening of the spiropyran form showed single-molecule diode characteristics, with an average current rectification ratio of 5 at ±1 V, favoring the orientation where the positively charged end of the molecule is attached to the negative terminal of the circuit. Mechanical pulling of a single spiropyran molecule drives a switch to a more conducting merocyanine state. The mechanical switching is enabled by the strong Au-C covalent bonding between the molecule and the electrodes, which allows the tensile force delivered by the STM piezo to break the molecule at its spiropyran C-O bond.

Crystal structures of an imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium-based ligand and its (C13H12N3)2[CdI4] hybrid salt.

The monocation product of the oxidative condensation-cyclization between two mol-ecules of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and one mol-ecule of CH3NH2·HCl in methanol, 2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium, was isolated in the presence of metal ions as bis-[2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-ium] tetra-iodo-cadmate, (C13H12N3)2[CdI4], (I), and the mixed chloride/nitrate salt, bis-[2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridin-2-ium] 1.5-chlor-ide 0.5-nitrate trihydrate, 2C13H12N3 +·1.5Cl-·0.5NO3 -·3H2O, (II). Hybrid salt (I) crystallizes in the space group P21/n with two [L]2[CdI4] mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit related by pseudosymmetry. In the crystal of (I), layers of organic cations and of tetra-halometallate anions are stacked parallel to the ab plane. Anti-parallel L + cations disposed in a herring-bone pattern form π-bonded chains through aromatic stacking. In the inorganic layer, adjacent tetra-hedral CdI4 units have no connectivity but demonstrate close packing of iodide anions. In the crystal lattice of (II), the cations are arranged in stacks propagating along the a axis; the one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded polymer built of chloride ions and water mol-ecules runs parallel to a column of stacked cations.

Photophysical and biological investigation of phenol substituted rhenium tetrazolato complexes.

The synthesis, structural and photophysical characterisation of four tricarbonyl rhenium(i) complexes bound to 1,10-phenanthroline and a tetrazolato ancillary ligand are reported. The complexes are differentiated by the nature (hydroxy or methoxy) and position (meta or para) of the substituent attached to the phenyl ring in conjugation to the tetrazole ring. The complexes exhibit phosphorescence emission from triplet charge transfer excited states, with the maxima around 600 nm, excited state lifetime decays in the 200-300 ns range, and quantum yield values of 4-6% in degassed acetonitrile solutions. The nature and position of the substituent does not significantly affect the photophysical properties, which remain unchanged even after deprotonation of the hydroxide group on the phenol ring. The interpretation of the photophysical data was further validated by resonance Raman spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory calculations. All the complexes are internalised within cells, albeit to variable degrees. As highlighted by a combination of flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, the species display diffuse cytoplasmic localisation except for the complex with the hydroxy functional group at the para position, which reveals lower accumulation in cells and more pronounced punctate staining. Overall, the complexes displayed low levels of cytotoxicity.

Long magnetic relaxation time of tetracoordinate Co2+ in imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium-based (C13H12N3)2[CoCl4] hybrid salt and [Co(C13H12N3)Cl3] molecular complex.

The novel organic-inorganic hybrid salt [L]2[CoCl4] (1) and molecular complex [CoLCl3] (2), where L+ is 2-methyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridinium cation, feature simple {CoCl4} and {CoCl3N} tetrahedral environments of negligible (1) and a slightly higher distortion (2) that are responsible for rather low positive magnetic anisotropy of CoII ion with D/hc = 12.1(6) (1) and 19.4(15) cm-1 (2). Both compounds exhibit field-induced slow magnetic relaxation with three relaxation channels [low- (LF), intermediate- and high-frequency (HF) modes] that is frequency and field dependent. With the increased DC field, the peaks referring to the LF relaxation path are moved to lower frequencies so that the applied DC field causes prolongation of the relaxation time. The opposite is true for the HF relaxation branch: the peak is moved to higher frequencies. Considering the simplicity of the coordination environment and moderate magnetic anisotropy of the metal ion in 1 and 2, the compounds are unique with respect to the remarkably long relaxation time for a given applied DC field and temperature: τLF = 0.54(4) s at BDC = 1.0 T and T = 2.0 K for 1, and τLF = 1.8(2) s at BDC = 1.2 T and T = 1.9 K for 2.

Crystal structure of bis-{µ-2-meth-oxy-6-[(methyl-imino)-meth-yl]phenolato}bis-({2-meth-oxy-6-[(methyl-imino)-meth-yl]phenolato}nickel(II)) involving different coordination modes of the same Schiff base ligand.

The structure of the title compound, [Ni2(C9H10NO2)4], is built up by discrete centrosymmetric dimers. Two nitro-gen and three oxygen atoms of two Schiff base ligands singly deprotonated at the phenolate site form a square-pyramidal environment for each metal atom. The ligands are bonded differently to the metal centre: one of the phenolic O atoms is bound to one nickel atom, whereas another bridges the two metal atoms to form the dimer. The Ni-N/O distances fall in the range 1.8965 (13)-1.9926 (15) Å, with the Ni-N bonds being slightly longer; the fifth contact of the metal to the bridging phenolate oxygen atom is substanti-ally elongated [2.533 (1) Å]. A similar coordination geometry was observed in the isomorphous Cu analogue previously reported by us [Sydoruk et al. (2013 ▸). Acta Cryst. E69, m551-m552]. In the crystal, the [Ni2 L 4] mol-ecules form sheets parallel to the ab plane with the polar meth-oxy groups protruding into the inter-sheet space and keeping the sheets apart. Within a sheet, the mol-ecules are stacked relative to each other in such a way that the Ni2O2 planes of neighbouring mol-ecules are orthogonal.

Carbon-Rich Trinuclear Octamethylferrocenophanes.

Several trinuclear ferrocenes are obtained by Friedel-Crafts reaction of octamethylferrocene with ferrocenoyl chloride and subsequent modifications. 1,1'-Diferrocenoyloctamethylferrocene (3) is transformed to the divinyl derivative (4a) by reaction with MeLi and AlCl3. The reactive 4a cyclizes spontaneously to a [4]ferrocenophane with buta-1,3-diene handle (5) or in the presence of AlCl3 to a [3]ferrocenophane with propene handle (6). Structure assignments are supported by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy, and mechanisms are proposed. Electrochemical behavior of the compounds was investigated with cyclic voltammetry, and assignments of the redox processes were carried out with the aid of density functional theory calculations. The synthesized compounds and demonstrated transformations represent useful tools for preparation of materials for charge-transport studies in metal-molecule-metal junctions.