Single-Crystal X-Ray Diffraction Study of Pressure and Temperature-Induced Spin Trapping in a Bistable Iron(II) Hofmann Framework.

High-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction has been used to trap both the low-spin (LS) and high-spin (HS) states of the iron(II) Hofmann spin crossover framework, [FeII (pdm)(H2 O)[Ag(CN)2 ]2 ⋅H2 O, under identical experimental conditions, allowing the structural changes arising from the spin-transition to be deconvoluted from previously reported thermal effects.

The relative stabilities of cyclic dicationic derivatives of diphosphanes with three (3P) or four (4P) linked phosphorus atoms.

Reaction of a diphosphane with a chlorophosphane in the presence of SnCl(2) or AlCl(3) leads to the formation of dicationic heterocycles with three (3P) or four (4P) linked phosphorus atoms. Some 3P derivatives with small alkyl substituents may also be prepared by direct alkylation of cyclic triphosphenium ions. Several new species were prepared in solution, some of which were isolated and characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Investigations into the factors favouring formation of 3P or 4P species are described.

Two-photon spectroscopy of cyclometalated iridium complexes.

The near-infrared two-photon absorption (TPA) spectra of a series of cyclometalated iridium complexes have been measured. These complexes exhibit moderately large TPA cross-sections of approximately 20 GM at the biological relevant wavelength of 800 nm. A new complex has been designed and synthesised, and found to have an increased cross-section of 44 GM at 800 nm. Full photophysical characterisation of this complex is presented.

Stereochemically inactive lone pairs in phosphorus(III) compounds: the characterisation of some derivatives with the 2,5-(CF3)2C6H3 (Ar) substituent and their complexation behaviour towards Pt(II) species.

Some new phosphorus(III) derivatives Ar(2)PX (X = Br, Cl, F or H), ArPX(2) (X = Br or Cl), Ar(3)P and Ar(t)BuPCl, with the 2,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl (Ar) substituent on phosphorus, have been prepared, and characterised by (31)P and (19)F NMR solution-state spectroscopy. The complexing ability of Ar(2)PX, Ar(3)P and Ar(t)BuPCl towards the dimeric platinum(II) complexes [PtY(µ-Y)(PEt(3))](2) (Y = Cl or Br, the latter for X = Br only) has also been investigated. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies at low temperature have been carried out for Ar(3)P, Ar(2)PCl and the hydrolysis or oxidation products Ar(2)P(H)OH and Ar(2)P(O)OH. The structures of Ar(3)P and Ar(2)PCl are particularly interesting as in each compound the geometry around P is approximately octahedral. In Ar(3)P there are three short contacts to fluorine as well as the three bonded C atoms for both of the independent molecules in the unit cell. For Ar(2)PCl there are two short P-F contacts, and the octahedron is completed by a weak P-P interaction to a neighbouring molecule. In both instances the lone pair on the P(III) centre appears to be stereochemically inactive, and does not play a significant role in the structure.

Ammonia oxide makes up some 20% of an aqueous solution of hydroxylamine.

Three independent indirect estimates based on structure-reactivity correlations indicate that ca. 20% of hydroxylamine exists in aqueous solution as ammonia oxide, NH(3)(+)-O(-).

Studying the origin of the antiferromagnetic to spin-canting transition in the beta-p-NCC6F4CNSSN* molecular magnet.

The crystal structure of the spin-canted antiferromagnet beta-p-NCC(6)F(4)CNSSN* at 12 K (reported in this work) was found to adopt the same orthorhombic space group as that previously determined at 160 K. The change in the magnetic properties of these two crystal structures has been rigorously studied by applying a first-principles bottom-up procedure above and below the magnetic transition temperature (36 K). Calculations of the magnetic exchange pathways on the 160 K structure reveal only one significant exchange coupling (J(d1)=-33.8 cm(-1)), which generates a three-dimensional diamond-like magnetic topology within the crystal. The computed magnetic susceptibility, chi(T), which was determined by using this magnetic topology, quantitatively reproduces the experimental features observed above 36 K. Owing to the anisotropic contraction of the crystal lattice, both the geometry of the intermolecular contacts at 12 K and the microscopic J(AB) radical-radical magnetic interactions change: the J(d1) radical-radical interaction becomes even more antiferromagnetic (-43.2 cm(-1)) and two additional ferromagnetic interactions appear (+7.6 and +7.3 cm(-1)). Consequently, the magnetic topologies of the 12 and 160 K structures differ: the 12 K magnetic topology exhibits two ferromagnetic sublattices that are antiferromagnetically coupled. The chi(T) curve, computed below 36 K at the limit of zero magnetic field by using the 12 K magnetic topology, reproduces the shape of the residual magnetic susceptibility (having subtracted the contribution to the magnetization arising from spin canting). The evolution of these two ferromagnetic J(AB) contributions explains the change in the slope of the residual magnetic susceptibility in the low-temperature region.

Acyl polysilanes: new acyl anion equivalents for additions to electron-deficient alkenes.

Silenes, generated through thermolysis of acylpolysilanes, add to alpha,beta-unsaturated esters to form cyclobutanes and silylsubstituted cyclopropanes in moderate yields. Upon Si-C bond oxidation the cyclopropanes are converted directly to 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds, thus demonstrating the formal acyl anion chemistry of acyl polysilanes.

Highly diastereoselective self-assembly of chiral tris(m-ureidobenzyl)amino capsules.

The self-assembly of chiral tris(m-ureidobenzyl)amines to give dimeric capsules is a highly diastereoselective process in solution, while in the solid state, the formation of the corresponding capsules is not only diastereoselective but also regioselective.

Alkyl and aryl dicationic derivatives of cyclic triphosphenium ions.

Direct alkylation of cyclic triphosphenium ions by triflates to give di-ium dications is only possible for small organic substituents on the attacking reagent. The dicationic products are not intrinsically unstable, however, and in many instances they may be synthesised by an alternative route, pioneered by Schmidpeter and co-workers. These species may be readily identified in solution by (31)P NMR spectroscopy. The crystal and molecular structures of five such derivatives have been ascertained for the first time by single crystal X-ray diffraction at 120 K. The results confirm that normal single P-P bond lengths are present in the dications, in contrast with the monocationic parent cyclic triphosphenium ions, where structural determinations have shown that the P-P bond lengths are intermediate between single and double bonds.

Thermal, pressure and light induced spin transition in the two-dimensional coordination polymer [Fe(pmd)2[Cu(CN)2]2].

A complete structural, calorimetric, and magnetic characterisation of the 2D coordination spin crossover polymer [Fe(pmd)(2)[Cu(CN)(2)](2)] is reported. The crystal structure has been investigated below room temperature at 180 K and 90 K, and at 30 K after irradiating the sample at low temperature with green light (lambda = 532 nm). The volume cell contraction through the thermal spin transition is only 18 A(3) which is lower than the usually observed value of around 25-30 A(3) while the average Fe-N bond distances decrease by the typical value of about 0.19 A. The structural data of the irradiated state indicate that the high spin state is well induced since the cell parameters are consistent with the data at 180 K. Calorimetric and photo-calorimetric experiments have also been performed. The entropy content for the thermal spin transition, DeltaS = 35-37 J mol(-1) K(-1) lies in the lowest range of the typical values and correlates with the low volume cell contraction. The combination of the crystallographic and calorimetric data predicts, in accordance with a mean-field approach, a linear pressure dependence of the critical temperature with a slope of 302 K GPa(-1). Magnetic measurements under pressure reveal an anomalous behaviour since the critical temperature and hysteresis do not change up to 0.22 GPa but an apparent linear dependence is obtained for higher pressures (up to 0.8 GPa) with a slope two times higher than the mean-field estimation.

Engineering a twist in 9,10-diethynylanthracenes by steric interactions.

A series of 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracenes decorated with sterically demanding tert-butyl substituents have been prepared and spectroscopically characterised. We demonstrate that the introduction of two bulky substituents in the ortho position of the phenyl rings effectively locks the ground state into a conformation in which the three rings are orthogonal. Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals evidence for partial planarisation of this compound in the excited state at ambient temperature, but this is prevented in low temperature solvent glasses.

Au...Au interactions: Z ' > 1 behavior and structural analysis.

The tendency of molecules containing an Au...Au interaction to crystallize with more than one molecule in the asymmetric unit (i.e., Z ' > 1) and the geometry of the Au...Au interaction in X-Au-Y species have been investigated. Au-containing compounds exhibiting Au...Au interactions are shown to form Z ' > 1 structures in 25.0% of cases, compared with 7.8% for Au-containing species where no Au...Au interactions exist and 8.8% for the Cambridge Structural Database as a whole. This propensity toward high Z ' behavior is investigated by considering the nature of the packing of the compounds as well as the characteristics of the ligands and, in particular, the difference in sizes of the X and Y ligands. The geometry and conformation of molecules linked by an Au...Au interaction is also analyzed, taking into account the steric and electronic characteristics of the ligands.

Templated crystal nucleation: mixed crystals of very different copper(II) N,N',N''-trimethyltriazacyclononane complexes.

Templation of a daughter phase by a parent crystal results from an equilibrating mixture of two very different copper(ii) N,N',N''-trimethyltriazacyclononane complexes.

Mössbauer investigation of the photoexcited spin states and crystal structure analysis of the spin-crossover dinuclear complex [{Fe(bt)(NCS)(2)}(2)bpym] (bt=2,2'-bithiazoline, bpym=2,2'-bipyrimidine).

The crystal structure of the complex [{Fe(bt)(NCS)(2)}(2)bpym] (1) (bt=2,2'-bithiazoline, bpym=2,2'-bipyrimidine) has been solved at 293, 240, 175 and 30 K. At all four temperatures the crystal remains in the P space group with a=8.7601(17), b=9.450(2), c=12.089(3) A, alpha=72.77(2), beta=79.150(19), gamma=66.392(18) degrees , V=873.1(4) Angstrom(3) (data for 293 K structure). The structure consists of centrosymmetric dinuclear units in which each iron(II) atom is coordinated by two NCS(-) ions in the cis position and two nitrogen atoms of the bridging bpym ligand, with the remaining positions occupied by the peripheral bt ligand. The iron atom is in a severely distorted octahedral FeN(6) environment. The average Fe--N bond length of 2.15(9) Angstrom indicates that compound 1 is in the high-spin state (HS-HS) at 293 K. Crystal structure determinations at 240, 175 and 30 K gave a cell comparable to that seen at 293 K, but reduced in volume. At 30 K, the average Fe--N distance is 1.958(4) Angstrom, showing that the structure is clearly low spin (LS-LS). At 175 K the average Fe--N bond length of 2.052(11) Angstrom suggests that there is an intermediate phase. Mössbauer investigations of the light-induced excited spin state trapping (LIESST) effect (lambda=514 nm, 25 mW cm(-2)) in 1 (4.2 K, H(ext)=50 kOe) show that the excited spin states correspond to the HS-HS and HS-LS pairs. The dynamics of the relaxation of the photoexcited states studied at 4.2 K and H(ext)=50 kOe demonstrate that HS-HS pairs revert with time to both HS-LS and LS-LS configurations. The HS-LS photoexcited pairs relax with time back to the ground LS-LS configuration. Complex [{Fe(0.15)Zn(0.85)(bt)(NCS)(2)}(2)bpym] (2) exhibits a continuous spin transition centred around 158 K in contrast to the two-step transition observed for 1. The different spin-crossover behaviour observed for 2 is due to the decrease of cooperativity (intermolecular interactions) imposed by the matrix of Zn(II) ions. This clearly demonstrates the role of the intermolecular interactions in the stabilization of the HS-LS intermediate state in 1.

Synthetic and structural studies on C-ethynyl- and C-bromo-carboranes.

A high-yield preparation of the C-monoethynyl para-carborane, 1-Me(3)SiC[triple bond]C-1,12-C2B10H11, from C-monocopper para-carborane and 1-bromo-2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyne, BrC[triple bond]CSiMe(3) is reported. The low-yield preparation of 1,12-(Me3SiC[triple bond]C)2-1,12-C2B10H10 from the C,C'-dicopper para-carborane derivative with 1-bromo-2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyne, BrC[triple bond]CSiMe3, has been re-investigated and other products were identified including the C-monoethynyl-carborane 1-Me3SiC[triple bond]C-1,12-C2B10H11 and two-cage assemblies generated from cage-cage couplings. The contrast in the yields of the monoethynyl and diethynyl products is due to the highly unfavourable coupling process between 1-RC[triple bond]C-12-Cu-1,12-C2B10H10 and the bromoalkyne. The ethynyl group at the cage carbon C(1) strongly influences the chemical reactivity of the cage carbon at C(12)-the first example of the "antipodal effect" affecting the syntheses of para-carborane derivatives. New two-step preparations of 1-ethynyl- and 1,12-bis(ethynyl)-para-carboranes have been developed using a more readily prepared bromoethyne, 1-bromo-3-methyl-1-butyn-3-ol, BrC[triple bond]CCMe2OH. The molecular structures of the two C-monoethynyl-carboranes, 1-RC[triple bond]C-1,12-C2B10H11 (R = H and Me3Si), were experimentally determined using gas-phase electron diffraction (GED). For R = H (R(G) = 0.053) a model with C(5v) symmetry refined to give a C[triple bond]C bond distance of 1.233(5) A. For R = Me3Si (R(G) = 0.048) a model with C(s) symmetry refined to give a C[triple bond]C bond distance of 1.227(5) A. Molecular structures of 1,12-Br2-1,12-C2B10H10, 1-HC[triple bond]C-12-Br-1,12-C2B10H10 and 1,12-(Me(3)SiC[triple bond]C)2-1,12-C2B10H10 were determined by X-ray crystallography. Substituents at the cage carbon atoms on the C2B10 cage skeleton in 1-X-12-Y-1,12-C2B10H10 derivatives invariably lengthen the cage C-B bonds. However, the subtle substituent effects on the tropical B-B bond lengths in these compounds are more complex. The molecular structures of the ethynyl-ortho-carborane, 1-HC[triple bond]C-1,2-C2B10H11 and the ethene, trans-Me3SiBrC=CSiMe3Br are also reported.

2-(4-Chloroanilino)- and 2-(4-methoxyanilino)-1,2-diphenylethanone.

The title compounds, C20H16ClNO and C21H19NO2, adopt syn orientations of the C=O and N-H bonds but, like their analogues, form no strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds.

Unusual variations in the incidence of Z' > 1 in oxo-anion structures.

A series of Cambridge Structural Database studies show that ionic species generally form low Z' structures, even in those cases where charge assisted hydrogen bonding is a key feature, e.g. oxo-anion complexes. By introducing a competing pi-pi stacking interaction, two oxo-anion compounds are shown to crystallise with more than one molecule in the asymmetric unit, including the first hydrogen phosphate containing structure to have Z' > 2.

Modular nanometer-scale structuring of gel fibres by sequential self-organization.

Ag(I) and Cu(II) complexes of a series of simple bis(urea) ligands form soft metallogels. X-ray crystallographic results suggests that the gels' structure is based on hydrogen bonding to counter anions and thus suggests a route to tunable gel rheological properties.

Cooperative hydrogen-bonding effects in a water square: a single-crystal neutron and partial atomic charges and hardness analysis study.

Four isomorphous complexes of formula [M(L)(4)(H(2)O)(2)]SO(4).2H(2)O (M = Co, 1a; Ni, 1b; Cu, 1c; Zn, 1d) have been isolated and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and neutron diffraction using the quasi-Laue diffractometer VIVALDI at the Institut Laue-Langevin as well as by thermogravimetric analysis. The structures contain a discrete, strongly hydrogen-bonded water tetramer which causes a significant distortion of the metal coordination sphere in each case. Partial atomic charges and hardness analysis (PACHA) calculations reveal that the shortest hydrogen bonds are not the strongest in this constrained, cyclic solid-state structure and show that the distortion at the metal center is caused by the drive to maintain the integrity of the water tetramer. The system undergoes a disorder-order transition on slow cooling that provides insight into the nature of communication between water squares.