The Influence of Phosphorus Substituents on the Structures and Solution Speciation of Trivalent Uranium and Lanthanide Phosphinodiboranates.

Here, we report the mechanochemical synthesis and characterization of homoleptic uranium and lanthanide phosphinodiboranates with isopropyl and ethyl substituents attached to phosphorus. M(H3BPiPr2BH3)3 complexes with M = U, Nd, Sm, Tb, and Er were prepared by ball milling UI3(THF)4, SmBr3, or MI3 with three equivalents of K(H3BPiPr2BH3). M(H3BPEt2BH3)3 with M = U and Nd were prepared similarly using K(H3BPEt2BH3), and the complexes were purified by extraction and crystallization from Et2O or CH2Cl2. Single-crystal XRD studies revealed that all five M(H3BPiPr2BH3)3 crystallize as dimers, despite the significant differences in metal radii across the series. In contrast, Nd(H3BPEt2BH3)3 with smaller ethyl substituents crystallized as a coordination polymer. Crystals of U(H3BPEt2BH3)3 were not suitable for structural analysis, but crystals of U(H3BPMe2BH3)3 isolated in low yield by solution methods were isostructural with Nd(H3BPEt2BH3)3. 1H and 11B NMR studies in C6D6 revealed that all of the complexes form mixtures of monomer and oligomers when dissolved, and the extent of oligomerization was highly dependent on metal radius and phosphorus substituent size. A comprehensive analysis of all structurally characterized uranium and lanthanide phosphinodiboranate complexes reported to date, including those with larger Ph and tBu substituents, revealed that the degree of oligomerization in solution can be correlated to differences in B-P-B angles obtained from single-crystal XRD studies. Density functional theory calculations, which included structural optimizations in combination with conformational searches using tight binding methods, replicated the general experimental trends and revealed free energy differences that account for the different solution and solid-state structures. Collectively, these results reveal how steric changes to phosphorus substituents significantly removed from metal coordination sites can have a significant influence on solution speciation, deoligomerization energies, and the solid-state structure of homoleptic phosphinodiboranate complexes containing trivalent f-metals.

Strong Purcell enhancement at telecom wavelengths afforded by spinel Fe3O4 nanocrystals with size-tunable plasmonic properties.

Developments in the field of nanoplasmonics have the potential to advance applications from information processing and telecommunications to light-based sensing. Traditionally, nanoscale noble metals such as gold and silver have been used to achieve the targeted enhancements in light-matter interactions that result from the presence of localized surface plasmons (LSPs). However, interest has recently shifted to intrinsically doped semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) for their ability to display LSP resonances (LSPRs) over a much broader spectral range, including the infrared (IR). Among semiconducting plasmonic NCs, spinel metal oxides (sp-MOs) are an emerging class of materials with distinct advantages in accessing the telecommunications bands in the IR and affording useful environmental stability. Here, we report the plasmonic properties of Fe3O4 sp-MO NCs, known previously only for their magnetic functionality, and demonstrate their ability to modify the light-emission properties of telecom-emitting quantum dots (QDs). We establish the synthetic conditions for tuning sp-MO NC size, composition and doping characteristics, resulting in unprecedented tunability of electronic behavior and plasmonic response over 450 nm. In particular, with diameter-dependent variations in free-electron concentration across the Fe3O4 NC series, we introduce a strong NC size dependency onto the optical response. In addition, our observation of plasmonics-enhanced decay rates from telecom-emitting QDs reveals Purcell enhancement factors for simple plasmonic-spacer-emitter sandwich structures up to 51-fold, which are comparable to values achieved previously only for emitters in the visible range coupled with conventional noble metal NCs.

Characterizing Polyoxovanadate-Alkoxide Clusters Using Vanadium K-Edge X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy.

A number of technologies would benefit from developing inorganic compounds and materials with specific electronic and magnetic exchange properties. Unfortunately, designing compounds with these properties is difficult because metal⋅⋅⋅metal coupling schemes are hard to predict and control. Fully characterizing communication between metals in existing compounds that exhibit interesting properties could provide valuable insight and advance those predictive capabilities. One such class of molecules are the series of Lindqvist iron-functionalized and hexavanadium polyoxovanadate-alkoxide clusters, which we characterized here using V K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Substantial changes in the pre-edge peak intensities were observed that tracked with the V 3d-electron count. The data also suggested substantial delocalization between the vanadium cations. Meanwhile, the FeIII cations were electronically isolated from the polyoxovanadate core.

PbS/CdS Quantum Dot Room-Temperature Single-Emitter Spectroscopy Reaches the Telecom O and S Bands via an Engineered Stability.

We synthesized PbS/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) to have functional single-emitter properties for room-temperature, solid-state operation in the telecom O and S bands. Two shell-growth methods-cation exchange and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR)-were employed to prepare QD heterostructures with shells of 2-16 monolayers. PbS/CdS QDs were sufficiently bright and stable to resolve photoluminescence (PL) spectra representing both bands from single nanocrystals using standard detection methods, and for a QD emitting in the O-band a second-order correlation function showed strong photon antibunching, important steps toward demonstrating the utility of lead chalcogenide QDs as single-photon emitters (SPEs). Irrespective of type, few telecom-SPEs exist that are capable of such room-temperature operation. Access to single-QD spectra enabled a direct assessment of spectral line width, which was ∼70-90 meV compared to much broader ensemble spectra (∼300 meV). We show inhomogeneous broadening results from dispersity in PbS core sizes that increases dramatically with extended cation exchange. Quantum yields (QYs) are negatively impacted at thick shells (>6 monolayers) and, especially, by SILAR-growth conditions. Time-resolved PL measurements revealed that, with SILAR, initially single-exponential PL-decays transition to biexponential, with opening of nonradiative carrier-recombination channels. Radiative decay times are, overall, longer for core/shell QDs compared to PbS cores, which we demonstrate can be partially attributed to some core/shell sizes occupying a quasi-type II electron-hole localization regime. Finally, we demonstrate that shell engineering and the use of lower laser-excitation powers can afford significantly suppressed blinking and photobleaching. However, dependence on shell thickness comes at a cost of less-than-optimal brightness, with implications for both materials and experimental design.

A Solid-State Support for Separating Astatine-211 from Bismuth.

Increasing access to the short-lived α-emitting radionuclide astatine-211 (211At) has the potential to advance targeted α-therapeutic treatment of disease and to solve challenges facing the medical community. For example, there are numerous technical needs associated with advancing the use of 211At in targeted α-therapy, e.g., improving 211At chelates, developing more effective 211At targeting, and characterizing in vivo 211At behavior. There is an insufficient understanding of astatine chemistry to support these efforts. The chemistry of astatine is one of the least developed of all elements on the periodic table, owing to its limited supply and short half-life. Increasing access to 211At could help address these issues and advance understanding of 211At chemistry in general. We contribute here an extraction chromatographic processing method that simplifies 211At production in terms of purification. It utilizes the commercially available Pre-Filter resin to rapidly (<1.5 h) isolate 211At from irradiated bismuth targets (Bi decontamination factors ≥876 000), in reasonable yield (68-55%) and in a form that is compatible for subsequent in vivo study. We are excited about the potential of this procedure to address 211At supply and processing/purification problems.

Chelating Borohydrides for Lanthanides and Actinides: Structures, Mechanochemistry, and Case Studies with Phosphinodiboranates.

In this Forum Article, we review the development of chelating borohydride ligands called aminodiboranates (H3BNR2BH3-) and phosphinodiboranates (H3BPR2BH3-) for the synthesis of trivalent f-element complexes. The advantages and history of using mechanochemistry to prepare molecular borohydride complexes are described along with new results demonstrating the mechanochemical synthesis of M2(H3BPtBu2BH3)6, where M = U, Nd, Tb, Er, and Lu (1-5). Multinuclear NMR, IR, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data are reported for 1-5 alongside complementary density functional theory calculations to reveal differences in their structure and reactivity with and without tetrahydrofuran. The results demonstrate how mechanochemistry can be used to access f-element complexes with chelating borohydrides in improved and reproducible yields, which is an important step toward investigating the properties of lanthanide and actinide phosphinodiboranate complexes with different phosphorus substituents. The relevance of these results is contextualized by a discussion of structural factors known to influence the volatility of f-element borohydrides and applications that require the development of volatile f-element complexes.

Quantifying the Interdependence of Metal-Ligand Covalency and Bond Distance Using Ligand K-edge XAS.

Bond distance is a common structural metric used to assess changes in metal-ligand bonds, but it is not clear how sensitive changes in bond distances are with respect to changes in metal-ligand covalency. Here we report ligand K-edge XAS studies on Ni and Pd complexes containing different phosphorus(III) ligands. Despite the large number of electronic and structural permutations, P K-edge pre-edge peak intensities reveal a remarkable correlation that spectroscopically quantifies the linear interdependence of covalent M-P σ bonding and bond distance. Cl K-edge studies conducted on many of the same Ni and Pd compounds revealed a poor correlation between M-Cl bond distance and covalency, but a strong correlation was established by analyzing Cl K-edge data for Ti complexes with a wider range of Ti-Cl bond distances. Together these results establish a quantitative framework to begin making more accurate assessments of metal-ligand covalency using bond distances from readily-available crystallographic data.

[Am(C5 Me4 H)3 ]: An Organometallic Americium Complex.

We report the small-scale synthesis, isolated yield, single-crystal X-ray structure, 1 H NMR solution spectroscopy /solid-state UV/Vis-nIR spectroscopy, and density functional theory (DFT)/ab initio wave function theory calculations on an Am3+ organometallic complex, [Am(C5 Me4 H)3 ] (1). This constitutes the first quantitative data on Am-C bonding in a molecular species.

Large-Scale Production of 119mTe and 119Sb for Radiopharmaceutical Applications.

Radionuclides find widespread use in medical technologies for treating and diagnosing disease. Among successful and emerging radiotherapeutics, 119Sb has unique potential in targeted therapeutic applications for low-energy electron-emitting isotopes. Unfortunately, developing 119Sb-based drugs has been slow in comparison to other radionuclides, primarily due to limited accessibility. Herein is a production method that overcomes this challenge and expands the available time for large-scale distribution and use. Our approach exploits high flux and fluence from high-energy proton sources to produce longer lived 119mTe. This parent isotope slowly decays to 119Sb, which in turn provides access to 119Sb for longer time periods (in comparison to direct 119Sb production routes). We contribute the target design, irradiation conditions, and a rapid procedure for isolating the 119mTe/119Sb pair. To guide process development and to understand why the procedure was successful, we characterized the Te/Sb separation using Te and Sb K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The procedure provides low-volume aqueous solutions that have high 119mTe-and consequently 119Sb-specific activity in a chemically pure form. This procedure has been demonstrated at large-scale (production-sized, Ci quantities), and the product has potential to meet stringent Food and Drug Administration requirements for a 119mTe/119Sb active pharmaceutical ingredient.

Validating the Biphilic Hypothesis of Nontrigonal Phosphorus(III) Compounds.

Constraining σ3 -P compounds in nontrigonal, entatic geometries has proven to be an effective strategy for promoting biphilic oxidative addition reactions more typical of transition metals. Although qualitative descriptions of the impact of structure and symmetry on σ3 -P complexes have been proposed, electronic structure variations responsible for biphilic reactivity have yet to be elucidated experimentally. Reported here are P K-edge XANES data and complementary TDDFT calculations for a series of structurally modified P(N)3 complexes that both validate and quantify electronic structure variations proposed to give rise to biphilic reactions at phosphorus. These data are presented alongside experimentally referenced electronic structure calculations that reveal nontrigonal structures predicted to further enhance biphilic reactivity in σ3 -P ligands and catalysts.

Measurement of Diphosphine σ-Donor and π-Acceptor Properties in d0 Titanium Complexes Using Ligand K-Edge XAS and TDDFT.

Diphosphines are highly versatile ancillary ligands in coordination chemistry and catalysis because their structures and donor-acceptor properties can vary widely depending on the substituents attached to phosphorus. Experimental and theoretical methods have been developed to quantify differences in phosphine and diphosphine ligand field strength, but experimentally measuring individual σ-donor and π-acceptor contributions to metal-phosphorus bonding remains a formidable challenge. Here we report P and Cl K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), density functional theory (DFT), and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) studies of a series of [Ph2P(CH2) nPPh2]TiCl4 complexes, where n = 1, 2, or 3. The d0 metal complexes (Ti4+) revealed both P 1s → Ti-P π and P 1s → Ti-P σ* transitions in the P K-edge XAS spectra, which allowed spectral changes associated with Ti-P σ-bonding and π-backbonding to be evaluated as a function of diphosphine alkane length. DFT and TDDFT calculations were used to assign and quantify changes in Ti-P σ-bonding and π-backbonding. The calculated results for [Ph2P(CH2)2PPh2]TiCl4 were subsequently compared to electronic structure calculations and simulated spectra for [R2P(CH2)2PR2]TiCl4, where R = cyclohexyl or CF3, to evaluate spectral changes as a function of diphosphine ligand field strength. Collectively, our results demonstrate how P K-edge XAS can be used to experimentally measure M-P π-backbonding with a d0 metal and corroborate earlier studies showing that relative changes in covalent M-P σ bonding do not depend solely on changes in diphosphine bite angle.

Homoleptic uranium and lanthanide phosphinodiboranates.

Here we report a new class of homoleptic f-element borohydride complexes called phosphinodiboranates. Treating UI3(1,4-dioxane)1.5, NdI3, or ErI3, with three equiv. of K(H3BPtBu2BH3) in Et2O yielded M2(H3BPtBu2BH3)6, where M = U, Nd, and Er. All three complexes form solid-state dimers, but exist as mixtures of monomers and dimers in solution.

Solid energy calibration standards for P K-edge XANES: electronic structure analysis of PPh4Br.

P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy is a powerful method for analyzing the electronic structure of organic and inorganic phosphorus compounds. Like all XANES experiments, P K-edge XANES requires well defined and readily accessible calibration standards for energy referencing so that spectra collected at different beamlines or under different conditions can be compared. This is especially true for ligand K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy, which has well established energy calibration standards for Cl (Cs2CuCl4) and S (Na2S2O3·5H2O), but not neighboring P. This paper presents a review of common P K-edge XANES energy calibration standards and analysis of PPh4Br as a potential alternative. The P K-edge XANES region of commercially available PPh4Br revealed a single, highly resolved pre-edge feature with a maximum at 2146.96 eV. PPh4Br also showed no evidence of photodecomposition when repeatedly scanned over the course of several days. In contrast, we found that PPh3 rapidly decomposes under identical conditions. Density functional theory calculations performed on PPh3 and PPh4+ revealed large differences in the molecular orbital energies that were ascribed to differences in the phosphorus oxidation state (III versus V) and molecular charge (neutral versus +1). Time-dependent density functional theory calculations corroborated the experimental data and allowed the spectral features to be assigned. The first pre-edge feature in the P K-edge XANES spectrum of PPh4Br was assigned to P 1s → P-C π* transitions, whereas those at higher energy were P 1s → P-C σ*. Overall, the analysis suggests that PPh4Br is an excellent alternative to other solid energy calibration standards commonly used in P K-edge XANES experiments.

Correction: Ligand K-edge XAS, DFT, and TDDFT analysis of pincer linker variations in Rh(i) PNP complexes: reactivity insights from electronic structure.

Correction for 'Ligand K-edge XAS, DFT, and TDDFT analysis of pincer linker variations in Rh(i) PNP complexes: reactivity insights from electronic structure' by Jason M. Keith, Scott R. Daly, et al., Dalton Trans., 2016, 45, 9774-9785.

Ligand K-edge XAS, DFT, and TDDFT analysis of pincer linker variations in Rh(i) PNP complexes: reactivity insights from electronic structure.

Here we report P K-edge, Cl K-edge, and Rh L3-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) data for Rh[C5H3N-2,6-(XP(t)Bu2)2]Cl, where X = O ((tBu)PONOP; ) or CH2 ((tBu)PNP; ). Solid-state XAS data for and were compared to density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations to identify how changing the PNP pincer linker from O to CH2 affected electronic structure and bonding at Rh(i). Pronounced differences in XAS peak intensities and energies were observed. The P K-edge XAS data revealed a large increase in Rh 4dx(2)-y(2) and P 3p orbital-mixing (Rh-P σ*) in compared to , and pronounced transition energy variations reflected marked differences in orbital energies and compositions. By comparison, the Cl K-edge XAS data revealed only subtle differences in Rh-Cl covalency, although larger splitting between the Rh-Cl π* and σ* transitions was observed in . Analysis of the occupied MOs from DFT (HOMO, HOMO-1, HOMO-2, and HOMO-3) and comparison to the unoccupied MOs involved in XAS revealed a relatively uniform energy increase (ca. 0.3-0.5 eV) for all five 4d-derived molecular orbitals in Rh((tBu)PNP)Cl () compared to Rh((tBu)PONOP)Cl (). The energy shift was relatively invariant with respect to differences in orbital symmetry, bonding type (σ or π), and orbital mixing, which suggested that the increase could be attributed to electrostatic effects. The change in d-orbital energies are consistent with known reactivity differences of Rh((tBu)PONOP)(+) and Rh((tBu)PNP)(+) towards CO, H2, and CH2Cl2, and are explained here by considering how d-orbital energies affect covalent L → M σ bonding and M → L π backbonding.

Impact of Coordination Geometry, Bite Angle, and Trans Influence on Metal-Ligand Covalency in Phenyl-Substituted Phosphine Complexes of Ni and Pd.

Despite the long-standing use of phosphine and diphosphine ligands in coordination chemistry and catalysis, questions remain as to their effects on metal-ligand bonding in transition metal complexes. Here we report ligand K-edge XAS, DFT, and TDDFT studies aimed at quantifying the impact of coordination geometry, diphosphine bite angle, and phosphine trans influence on covalency in M-P and M-Cl bonds. A series of four-coordinate NiCl2 and PdCl2 complexes containing PPh3 or Ph2P(CH2)nPPh2, where n = 1 (dppm), 2 (dppe), 3 (dppp), and 4 (dppb), was analyzed. The XAS data revealed that changing the coordination geometry from tetrahedral in Ni(PPh3)2Cl2 (1) to square planar in Ni(dppe)Cl2 (2) more than doubles the intensity of pre-edge features assigned to Ni-P and Ni-Cl 1s → σ* transitions. By way of comparison, varying the diphosphine in Pd(dppm)Cl2 (4), Pd(dppp)Cl2 (6), and Pd(dppb)Cl2 (7) yielded Pd-P 1s → σ* transitions with identical intensities, but a 10% increase was observed in the P K-edge XAS spectrum of Pd(dppe)Cl2 (5). A similar observation was made when comparing Ni(dppe)Cl2 (2) to Ni(dppp)Cl2 (3), and DFT and TDDFT calculations corroborated XAS results obtained for both series. Comparison of the spectroscopic and theoretical results to the diphosphine structures revealed that changes in M-P covalency were not correlated to changes in bite angles or coordination geometry. As a final measure, P and Cl K-edge XAS data were collected on trans-Pd(PPh3)2Cl2 (8) for comparison to the cis diphosphine complex Pd(dppe)Cl2 (5). Consistent with phosphine's stronger trans influence compared to chloride, a 35% decrease in the intensity of the Pd-P 1s → σ* pre-edge feature and a complementary 34% increase in Pd-Cl 1s → σ* feature was observed for 8 (trans) compared to 5 (cis). Overall, the results reveal how coordination geometry, ligand arrangement, and diphosphine structure affect covalent metal-phosphorus and metal-chloride bonding in these late transition metal complexes.