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A sensitive detection method combined with an effective on-line concentration may improve the analytical performance of a paper-based analytical device (PAD), and its merits of low cost and portability in POCT are fully demonstrated. Here, a sensitive PAD system with chemiluminescence (CL) detection and electrokinetic preconcentration was introduced, and the performance was demonstrated by the detection of hemin. A commercially available low cost and miniaturized optical detection module was used for the CL detection. Firstly, hemin was stacked on a simple paper fluidic channel based on field amplified stacking (FAS), and then a CL reagent (luminol–H2O2) was loaded on the stacked band to initiate the CL reaction. The photons were directly detected using the detection module. With optimization of the background electrolyte (BGE), voltage and CL reagent, a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.58 nM for hemin was obtained with a linear range of 1–1000 nM (R2 = 0.995). With FAS, the signal intensity was about 13-fold enhanced. This PAD also exhibited satisfactory selectivity over possible interfering components at a 104 times higher concentration. The applicability of the PAD was demonstrated by the detection of hemin from iron supplements and human serum samples. With total manual operation, recovery rates of 84.8–115.6% were obtained with an RSD of less than 14.3%. With the introduction of the optical detection model, and together with FAS, both the LOD and dynamic range of this PAD were effectively improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports on the synthesis, crystal structure, thermal and magnetic properties of spin crossover (SCO) salts containing the [Fe(bpp)2]2+ cation (bpp = 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine) and different rigid polycarboxylate anions, such as anthracene-9,10-dicarboxylate (ADC), benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (BTC) and biphenyl-4,4′-dicarboxylate (BPDC). Compound [Fe(bpp)2](ADC)·9H2O (1) shows a porous hydrogen-bonded structure with water molecules sitting in the channels. It contains low-spin (LS) Fe2+ cations that undergo crossover to the high-spin (HS) state upon dehydration. Anhydrous 1 remains HS on cooling at low temperatures. A similar magnetic behaviour is obtained for the partially protonated BTC salt [Fe(bpp)2](HBTC)·5H2O (2), showing a spin change concomitant with dehydration to a HS phase that undergoes gradual and partial SCO on cooling, affecting 25% of the Fe2+ cations. Instead, the BPDC salt [Fe(bpp)2](BPDC)·5H2O (3) has a ground HS state in its fully hydrated form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radical-cation salts of formula β?-(BEDT-TTF)4[(H3O)Fe(C2O4)3]·guest have produced a large number of superconductors and provided a route to introduce magnetism and chirality into the same multifunctional material. A relationship has been found in these salts between the length of the b axis and the superconducting Tc. Increasing the b axis length by introducing larger guest molecules, such as benzonitrile and nitrobenzene, gives the highest superconducting Tcs in this family of salts. Smaller guests such as pyridine show no superconducting transition, whilst asymmetrical guests which are larger than nitrobenzene have given a different bilayered structure. Other potential guest molecules have been limited by their ability to be used as the solvent in which the crystals are grown via electrocrystallisation. This paper reports a method which introduces guest molecules into the crystal which are a solid or liquid additive within the crystal-growing solvent 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene:ethanol. We present the crystal structures of five new BEDT-TTF radical-cation salts with tris(oxalato)ferrate anions using guest molecules toluene, phenol, benzaldehyde, 4-bromobenzaldehyde, and kojic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that Zr substitution improves the chemical stability of Ba3Y4O9 and nominally 20 mol% Zr-substituted Ba3Y4O9 is an oxide-ion conductor at intermediate temperatures (500–700 °C). However, the influence of Zr substitution on the structural properties of Ba3Y4O9 was poorly understood. This paper aims to comprehensively understand the crystal structure of Ba3Y4O9 with Zr substitution by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements, and first-principles calculations. From the results, firstly we found that the hexagonal unit cell of Ba3Y4O9 reported in the database should be revised as doubled along the c-axis in terms of the periodicity of oxide-ion positions. The revised unit cell of Ba3Y4O9 consists of 18 layers of BaO3 and 24 layers of Y which periodically stack along the c-axis. In this work, we focused on the cationic lattice and noticed that the periodical stacking of Ba and Y layers comprises a similar sequence to that in the body-centered cubic (BCC) structure. There are two regions in the Ba3Y4O9 structure: one is a hetero-stacking region of Ba and Y layers (Ba–Y–Ba–Y–Ba) and the other is a homo-stacking region (Ba–Y–Y–Ba). It is noteworthy that the former region is similar to a cubic perovskite. In Zr-substituted Ba3Y4O9, Zr ions preferentially substitute for Y ions in the hetero-stacking region, and therefore the local environment of Zr ions in Ba3Y4O9 is quite similar to that in BaZrO3. Besides, the Zr substitution for Y in Ba3Y4O9 increases the fraction of the cubic-perovskite-like region in the stacking sequences. The structural change in the long-range order strongly affects the other material properties such as chemical stability and the ionic-conduction mechanism. Our adopted description of perovskite-related compounds based on the stacking sequence of the BCC structure should help in understanding the complex structure and developing new perovskite-related materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viologen is capable of generating radicals in response to an applied stimulus, giving it an abundance of stimuli responsive properties. However, the radical state of viologen is often unstable, which hinders further studies on the radical properties of viologen. In this paper, the salicylhydrazide group was chosen as a donor group to bond with mono-substituted bipyridyl groups to obtain three novel D–A type viologen compounds. The compounds were harvested and characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction, optical spectroscopy, EPR and DFT calculation, etc. The results show that compounds 1–3 adopt certain free radical states at room temperature under ambient light, which may be attributed to the electron-donating properties of the salicylhydrazide group and the degree of system conjugation. In addition, compound 1 has a hydrochromic property and compounds 2 and 3 have photocurrent effects under UV radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an approach based on parameter β, which equals the free volume in a unit cell normalized to the van der Waals volume of the molecules. The analysis was carried out within a cluster including two-component crystals [CF1 + CF2], in which one of the components remains constant (CF1) and the other varies (CF2). Linear correlation equations, such as β(CC) = C + D·β(CF2), linking the β(CC) parameter of the two-component crystals with the similar parameter β(CF2) of the single-component crystal for the strictly fixed temperatures were derived on the basis of the crystallographic experimental data. The coefficients of the correlation equations for different clusters were analyzed. A relationship was discovered between the correlation coefficient D and the HYBOT descriptor describing the donor and acceptor interactions with the other molecules. A graphic method was developed for analyzing the β(CC) parameter for the cocrystals belonging to the same cluster relative to the β parameter values of the individual compounds β(CF1) and β(CF2). The correlation equations derived in the study give an opportunity to evaluate the unit cell volume of a hypothetical cocrystal knowing only the crystal structure of a single-component crystal of one of the cocrystal components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new high-pressure (HP) polymorph of the otherwise known oxyfluoride K2MoO2F4 is presented. The crystal structure was determined by use of single-crystal X-ray diffractometry and its features are described in detail herein. HP-K2MoO2F4 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m (no. 12) with the cell parameters a = 13.8579(5), b = 5.8109(2), c = 6.9442(3) Å, β = 90.36(1)°, V = 559.18(4) Å3, and Z = 4 at T = 301(2) K. Bond valence (BV) and charge distribution (CHARDI) calculations were carried out to support the assignment of oxygen and fluorine to the various anion positions and Madelung part of lattice energy (MAPLE) calculations were used to validate the structure model. Infrared spectroscopy provided further information on the structure and water content of the inseparable side phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present the synthesis and characterization of a Cl-bearing member of the phosphate family of compounds with a tetragonal crystal structure and similar topology in the basic projection. The title compound was obtained under hydrothermal conditions and its crystal structure was determined by single crystal low temperature X-ray diffraction. The structure of NaCo7.38(PO4)4Cl4 is formed with CoO4Cl2 octahedra sharing faces and assembled into eight-component ring clusters with a very short Co–Co distance of 3.014 Å. These clusters are linked in a three-periodic network via vertex-bridge contacts of adjacent octahedra and PO4 tetrahedra. Na atoms occupy the open channels of the framework. The structure is discussed as a derivative of cubic sulphohalite, Na6(SO4)2ClF, with the symmetry lowering from the widespread Fm3¯m space group of sulphohalite to the tetragonal acentric space group I4¯2m in our case; these space groups are symmetrically related by subordination "group → subgroup". Theoretical calculations of possible pathways of Na migration through the framework showed that although the structure contains a sufficient number of voids for sodium ions, their migration is limited by the size of the channels. However, the obtained results indicated that the migration of Li+ ions is very likely through a two-periodic network parallel to the ab plane, which means that Li-containing structural varieties of NaCo7.38(PO4)4Cl4 with possible formulae Li5Co2+Co3+3(PO4)4Cl4 or Li4Co3+4(PO4)4Cl4 can possess ionic conductivity. The angle of intracluster Co–O–Co bonds of 105.4° allows us to assume that there is an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the Co atoms, and we assume that the intercluster exchange interactions between Co2+/3+ ions through the intermediate PO4 groups are also probable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports three new crystallographically characterized europium complexes with composition as follows: [Eu(fod)3(L1)] (1), [Eu(fod)3(L2)] (2) and [Eu(fod)3(L3)] (3) {L1 = benzimidazole (bzi), L2 = 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (bath), L3 = 2-(2-pyridyl) benzimidazole (py-im) and fod = anion of 6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethyl-3,5-octanedione (Hfod)}. The single crystal (SC) XRD analysis shows that complex 1 is seven-coordinated while complexes 2 and 3 are eight-coordinated with the geometrical structures of a mono-capped octahedron and a trigonal dodecahedron, respectively. The NMR spectra of the complexes validate the SC-XRD results in solution. The complexes are stable in solution as no dissociation of any ligand was observed in the NMR spectra of the complexes. The photophysical properties of the complexes in solution, solid state, and PMMA thin films were studied. The hypersensitive transition 5D0 → 7F2 dominates the emission spectra in all phases, showing the highly asymmetric environment around the Eu(III) ion. The bath ligand is found to be the best sensitizer of the Eu ion and hence complex 2 shows the strongest luminescence properties with the highest absolute quantum yield among the three complexes. The CIE coordinate analysis shows that pure red-luminescence is emitted by the Eu complexes in the solid state since the coordinates found in this phase are closer to the standard NTSC 1987 values. The optical band gaps were determined for the complexes and the observed values suggest that the complexes can have possible applications in the field of semiconductor materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the functionalities of materials requires a profound understanding of the crystal structure. In this paper, room temperature crystal structures of a new solid solution (1 − x)Ba(Cu1/3Nb2/3)O3-(x)PbTiO3 have been investigated in the entire compositional span and different crystallographic phases and phase coexistence regions have been discovered. The confirmation of the symmetry of these crystal structures has been done with the help of Rietveld analysis of the high-resolution XRD data. Despite both the end components, Ba(Cu1/3Nb2/3)O3 and PbTiO3, having tetragonal (P4mm) symmetry, new cubic and monoclinic phases have been discovered for the intermediate compositions with multiple phase boundaries. The composition region 0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.55 exhibits a cubic crystal structure and increasing PbTiO3 concentration to 0.62 results in a unique coexistence of two tetragonal phases with different tetragonalities. This transformation is mediated by coexisting cubic and tetragonal phases, for 0.59 and 0.60. The crystal structure of the solid solution later transforms into coexisting monoclinic and tetragonal phases for a wider compositional span i.e., 0.65 ≤ x ≤ 0.85. This composition region is very fascinating, as two phenomenologically different monoclinic structures have been observed in it. Finally, a tetragonal phase at x = 1 is achieved through the mediation of two coexisting tetragonal phases, for the region 0.85 < x ≤ 0.975. The evolution of different crystallographic structures and the coexisting phases are critically comprehended using the variations in the lattice parameters and unit cell volume. The presence of multiple phase boundaries spread across a wide range of compositions makes this solid solution very intriguing and a viable choice for exploring different properties with compositional tuning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CrystEngCommrsc. li/ crystengcomm ISSN 1466- 8033 Volume 26 Number 35 21 September 2024 Pages 4743– 4926 PAPER Robert W. Schurko et al. Quadrupolar NMR crystallography guided crystal structure prediction ( QNMRX- CSP) EES Batteries Exceptional research on batteries and energy storage Part of the EES family Registered charity number: 207890 Join in Publish with us rsc. li/ EESBatteries [Extracted from the article]

Four novel indole thiosemicarbazone derivatives, 1-(indole-2-methylene)-4-substituted-thiosemicarbazides, were synthesized via a one-step reaction by introducing substituents with different conjugacy (methyl, ethyl, cyclohexyl, phenyl). Different from the traditional Schiff-base photochromic compounds, these compounds in this work present dual response signals to UV light, and they exhibit not only reversible solid-state photochromic behavior but also aggregation-induced emission (AIE) characteristics. Furthermore, the structure–activity relationships were revealed by experimental studies, and their photochromism and fluorescence emission were enhanced efficiently with the increase of the conjugation. Furthermore, based on the single crystal structure, FT-IR spectra and theoretical calculations, the proposed photochromic mechanism originates from the intermolecular proton transfer between the thio–keto and thio–enol configurations, and the AIE property is closely related to the restriction of intramolecular rotation. Furthermore, the picture of anti-counterfeiting suggests that the dual responses of these compounds are extremely suitable for multiple encryptions. This work enriches the AIE system and provides a reference for constructing excellent multi-photoresponsive materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cr3+-doped near-infrared (NIR) phosphors have been extensively investigated owing to their promising applications in biomedicine, food safety detection, and night vision surveillance. However, achieving broadband (FWHM > 160 nm) NIR emission is still challenging. In this paper, novel Y2Mg2Ga2−xSi2O12:xCr3+ (YMGS:xCr3+, x = 0.005–0.08) phosphors were prepared by a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The crystal structure, photoluminescence properties of the phosphor, and the device performance of a pc-LED were researched in detail. When excited at 440 nm, the YMGS:0.04Cr3+ phosphor exhibited broadband emission in the range of 650–1000 nm, peaking at 790 nm with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of up to 180 nm. The wide FWHM of YMGS:Cr3+ is conducive to its extensive application in NIR spectroscopic technology. In addition, the YMGS:0.04Cr3+ phosphor could maintain 70% of the initial emission intensity at 373 K. By combining the commercial blue chip with the YMGS:0.04Cr3+ phosphor, the resulting NIR pc-LED demonstrated a near-infrared output power of 14 mW with a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 5% at a drive current of 100 mA. This work provides a broadband emission NIR phosphor option for NIR pc-LED devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal-based two-dimensional nanomaterials with competing magnetic states are at the cutting edge of spintronic and low-power memory devices. In this paper, we present a Fe-rich NbFe1+xTe3 layered telluride (x ≈ 0.5), which shows an interplay of spin-glass and antiferromagnetic states below the Néel temperature of 179 K. The compound has a layered crystal structure, where the NbFeTe3 layers are terminated by the Te atoms and van der Waals gaps. Bulk single crystals grown by chemical vapor transport reactions possess the (1¯01) cleavage plane suitable for the exfoliation of two-dimensional nanomaterials. Combination of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction reveals the zigzag ladders of Fe atoms inside the structural layers, as well as complementary zigzag chains of the partially occupied Fe positions in the interstitial region. Fe atoms carry large effective magnetic moment of 4.85(3)μB per atom in the paramagnetic state yielding intriguing magnetic properties of NbFe1+xTe3. They include frozen spin-glass state at low temperatures and spin-flop transition in high magnetic fields indicating promising flexibility of the magnetic system and its potential control by magnetic field or gate tuning in the spintronic devices and heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A bibliographic and literature-based analysis of the impact of the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and the papers associated with crystal structures in the CSD has been undertaken. The analysis shows the broad impact of the CSD in the chemical sciences and also highlights how areas where the CSD has impact have changed over time. In addition, we note the changing nature of crystallography as a science, observing how crystal structures are now impactful. A brief illustration of some more unusual contributions to the CSD and publications using the CSD is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper sulfides have gained significant attention as alternative electrodes for rechargeable batteries. A simple and easily scalable synthetic pathway to access these materials is highly desirable. This paper describes the facile synthesis of metal-rich digenite Cu1.8S nanocrystals from a structurally characterized new single-source molecular precursor in various high boiling solvents of varied polarity. The as-prepared nanostructures were thoroughly characterized by PXRD, Raman spectroscopy, EDS, XPS, electron microscopy techniques and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to understand the crystal structure, phase purity, elemental composition, morphology and band gap. It was found that the reaction solvent has a profound role on their crystallite size, morphology and band gap, however the crystal structure and phase purity remained unaffected. Pristine Cu1.8S nanostructures have been employed as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The cell delivers a high initial charge capacity of ∼462 mA h g−1 and retains a capacity of 240 mA h g−1 even after 300 cycles at 0.1 A g−1. DFT calculations revealed that multi-size polyhedron layers in the direction perpendicular to the two Li movement channels aid in the sustainable uptake of Li atoms with controlled volume expansion. The structure-mediated flexibility of the metal-rich Cu1.8S lattice during lithiation permits high cyclability with reasonable retention of capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-precipitation of Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1(OH)2 (NCM811) and Mg-doped (0.25 wt% and 0.5 wt%) NCM811 precursors is carried out from concentrated metal sulphate solutions. In this paper, the aim is to study the role of magnesium dopant in the co-precipitation step of NCM811, the cathode active material and further the Li-ion battery cell performance. Based on the results, magnesium was fully co-precipitated in the NCM811 precursors, as expected from thermodynamic calculations. The presence of magnesium in these precursors was also confirmed by several characterization methods and magnesium was evenly distributed in the sample. It was observed that tapped density decreased and surface area increased with an expected increase in Mg content. Surprisingly, Mg doping did not improve the cyclability of coin cells, due to the stable crystal structure of NCM811. However, a slight improvement in cyclability was seen in pouch cells after 1000 cycles. A washing effect was clearly seen in lattice parameters and washing also decreased the capacity retention after 62 cycles for all samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 6p orbit coupling of bismuth ions and the magnetism of iron ions endow bismuth–iron compounds with magnetic, optical and electrical properties. In this paper, non-rare-earth bismuth–iron crystals, KBa8Fe12(Bi6−xFex)O38 (x = 0.2, 1.1, 2.0, 2.9, and 3.8), with a large magnetocaloric effect were prepared by a hydrothermal method. The structure–function relationship is discussed. With the increase of the Fe content, the lattice parameters and unit cell volume decrease, while the magnetization intensity shows an increase on the whole and a fluctuation at the same time. The increase of the Fe content can improve the magnetocaloric effect. Importantly, the maximum magnetic entropy change (ΔSM) of KBa8Fe12(Bi4.9Fe1.1)O38 is as high as 1.54 J kg−1 K−1 at the low temperature of 2 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic investigation of the system manganese(II) salt–H2SBA–auxiliary ligand–solvent successfully led to the isolation of six new multidimensional coordination polymers: [Mn5(2-pic)2(DMA)4(SBA)4]·4DMA (1), [Mn3(pyzc)2(DMF)(H2O)(SBA)2]·DMF·H2O (2), [Mn5(pyzc)2(DMA)4(SBA)4]·4DMA (3), [Mn5(mpyzc)2(DMA)4(SBA)4]·4DMA (4), [Mn2(phen)2(H2O)(SBA)2]·2DMA (5) and [Mn3(phen)2(SBA)3]·5DMF (6), where SBA = 4,4′-sulfonyldibenzoate 2-pic = 2-picolinate, pyzc = 2-pyrazinecarboxylate acid, mpyzc = 5-methyl-2-pyrazinecarboxylate and phen = 1,10-phenanthroline. The selected use of N-containing ligands to block the coordination sites of manganese enabled us to understand their influence in controlling the nuclearity and the dimensionality of the extended manganese carboxylate coordination networks. Single crystal X-ray crystallography established that the structures of all the solids were built of homometallic clusters varying from monomeric to pentameric manganese(II) carboxylate units. While the solids 1, 3 and 4 are isostructural, possessing a 2D coordination network containing pentanuclear SBUs of the composition {Mn5N2O3}, the 2D solids 2 and 5 are respectively built from binuclear {Mn2N4O7} and trinuclear {Mn3N2O14} SBUs. The solid 6 is the lone example of a 3D coordination network in this system. Dielectric measurements showed comparable dielectric behavior for the isostructural solids 1, 3 and 4 with ε′ ∼ 17 at room temperature. Relatively lower values observed for 2 and 5 (ε′ ∼ 14) were due to a combined effect of strong manganese carboxylate interaction and the presence of ordered polar guest molecules. Significantly higher values for 6 (∼21) could be attributed to disordered guest molecules. All the six solids exhibited antiferromagnetic behavior at lower temperatures. This paper also discusses the growth of the solids in terms of supramolecular aggregation of manganese carboxylate complex species with or without an auxiliary ligand, proposing a mechanistic pathway to trace the chemical events from molecules to the final solid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal chalcogenides, as a new class of semiconductor materials, have a broad range of applications in synthetic chemistry due to their rich structures and excellent properties. We have synthesized two selenoantimonates A4Zn2Sb2Se7 [A = Rb(1), Cs(2)] under solvothermal conditions in the visible region using a band gap optimization strategy with alkali metals as structure-directing agents. Compounds 1 and 2 have a two-dimensional layered structure consisting of charge-balanced Rb+(1) or Cs+ (2) cations and [Zn2Sb2Se7]4- anions with novel 20-membered rings (20-MR) [Zn6Sb4Se10] with an aperture of 5.6949 × 13.7741 Ų formed in the middle. Furthermore, we have investigated the crystal structure, band gap, photoelectronic properties, and energy band structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treating conic tetra-para-ethylacetato-calix[4]arene (1) with 2.2 equivalents of K2CO3 and 4 equivalents of 6-bromomethyl-6′-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine affords the expected fully substituted podand, mainly in its 1,3-alternate conformation (2). This tube-like bipyridyl derivative 2 was subjected to complexation studies with CoCl2·6H2O to give a blue tetra cobalt(II) complex species (3). This complex displays a unique group of 6 aromatic bipyridyl 1H-NMR resonance signals demonstrating its high symmetry, while X-ray diffraction studies showed the presence of 3 expected tetrahedral bpy(CoCl2) units and 1 original trigonal bipyramidal unit involving the adjunction of a fifth ligand assumed to be H2O that could participate in the crystal scaffold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new quadrupolar NMR crystallography guided crystal structure prediction (QNMRX-CSP) protocol for the prediction and refinement of crystal structures, including its design, benchmarking, and application to seven organic HCl salts. Five HCl salts with a limited number of low-energy conformations were chosen as model systems for benchmarking: betaine HCl, glycine HCl, D -alanine HCl, guanidine HCl, and aminoguanidine HCl; two were chosen for blind tests: N,N′-dimethylglycine HCl and metformin HCl. The QNMRX-CSP protocol uses experimental 35Cl solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data in tandem with Monte Carlo simulated annealing and dispersion-corrected plane-wave density functional theory (DFT-D2*) calculations. The protocol comprises three modules: (i) the assignment of motion groups, (ii) a Monte Carlo simulated annealing algorithm for generating tens of thousands of candidate structures, and (iii) DFT-D2* geometry optimizations of structural models and concomitant computation of 35Cl EFG tensors. Key benchmarked metrics are used for retaining the best candidate structures, including unit cell parameters, static lattice energies, and EFG distances (ΓEFG). The protocol is shown to generate structural models that are excellent matches with experimental crystal structures that have been DFT-D2* geometry optimized, as validated by crystallographic R-factors (R) and root-mean squared distances (RMSDs) of atomic positions that are well below 10% and 0.2 Å, respectively. Finally, consideration is given to the use of the QNMRX-CSP protocol as a standalone technique or in concert with other NMRX methods and Rietveld refinements, and possible applications employing other quadrupolar nuclei (i.e., 14N and 17O). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-temperature synthetic approach is used to prepare a series of pseudo-binary phases- Co2-xNixZn11. In the structures of Co2-xNixZn11, the statistical distribution between Co and Ni that is suggested by compositional analysis is confirmed by combined refinements of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) experimental data. The aforementioned phases adopt a body-centered cubic lattice with a noncentrosymmetric space group I43m (217). Their crystal structures comprise two 26-atom γ-brass clusters. Each γ-cluster is made of four sequential polyhedral shells: inner tetrahedron (IT), outer tetrahedron (OT), octahedron (OH), and distorted cuboctahedron (CO). Diffraction experiments and the computations endorse that the OT site is statistically distributed by Co and Ni atoms, while the other three sites (IT, OH, and CO) are occupied by Zn atoms. The density of states (DOS) curve for Co1.5Ni0.5Zn11 displays a similar feature as binary Co2Zn11, whereas the wide pseudo-gap is formed near EF as Ni-concentration increases in Co2-xNixZn11. Bonding analysis shows that this specific atomic distribution nearly optimizes heteroatomic Co/Ni--Zn contacts in the Co1.0Ni1.0Zn11 and Co0.5Ni1.5Zn11. The Co1.7Ni0.3Zn11 exhibit paramagnetic behavior, whereas Co0.5Ni1.5Zn11 shows distinct diamagnetic behavior. With the increase in Ni concentration in the structure of Co2-xNixZn11, Ni atoms gradually substitute the Co atoms at OT sites; hence, magnetic characteristics change from para- to diamagnetism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The equimolar reaction between 1,9-bis(N,N-dimethylaminomethyl)-5,5′-diphenyldipyrromethane, H2L1 or 1,9-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazolylmethyl)-5,5′-diethyldipyrromethane, H2L2 and [NiCl2(DME)] in the presence of KH yielded the neutral mononuclear nickel(II) complexes [Ni(L1)-κ4N,N,N,N], 1 and [Ni(L2)-κ4N,N,N,N], 2, respectively. Their X-ray structures revealed the formation of triple chelation by the ligand in both structures with quite different nickel(II)-surrounded square planar geometries owing to the steric difference between –NMe2 and 3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl groups. While the –NMe2 group substituted ligand L1 afforded nickel complex 1 with a plane of symmetry, 3,5-dimethylpyrazole substituted L2 rendered helical chirality in the structure of complex 2. Both the enantiomers (Δ and Λ) of complex 2 were observed in the crystal lattice. Their solution state behaviors were consistent with the solid-state structures as monitored by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Both the enantiomers of complex 2 were present in a dynamic equilibrium in solution and studied by variable temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy. Similar to the chiral complex, the corresponding ligand H2L2 also exhibited chirality as shown by its crystal structure and the two ligand enantiomers participated in a very fast dynamic interconversion, which became slower upon metalation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on crystal engineering, three Zn/Cd-based metal--organic frameworks (MOFs) (FUM-153(Zn--H), FUM-167(Cd--H), and FUM-176(Cd--NH2)) were successfully prepared from rigid O-donor/flexible N-donor linkers (H2bdc (terephthalic acid) (L(O) H) or NH2-H2bdc (2-aminoterephthalic acid) (L(O) NH2) and bpfb (N,N'- 1,4-(phenylene) diisonicotinamide) (L(N))) with Zn/Cd ions. Structurally, the major difference among the FUMs is the various behaviors of the DMF solvent in the lattice or the coordination environment of the structures. This study investigated the effect of hydrogen bonding of NH2 substitution in 2-D layer linkers and its effect on the layer architecture. The results showed that hydrogen bonding indirectly affects the coordination of DMF solvent to the metal center and the porosity. To investigate the effect of the NH2 substitution in the presence or absence of the DMF solvent in the FUMs, the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) was surveyed for similar structures with the L(O) H and L(O) NH2 linkers. Remarkably, the obtained data suggested that the existence of NH2 substitution may reduce the probability of the coordination of DMF to the metal centers. Theoretical studies were carried out to explore the gas adsorption performance of the title FUMs. A better CH4 adsorption compared to CO2 for all FUMs was observed. It is worth noting that CH4 and CO2 gas adsorption in FUM-176(Cd--NH2 substitution in 2-D layer linkers prevented the entering of DMF molecules into the framework (lattice or coordinated solvent). Consequently, more accessible pores are provided for gas molecules. The work demonstrates the role of linker functionality in the crystal structure, pore size, and gas adsorption properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]2 substitution in 2-D layer linkers prevented the entering of DMF molecules into the framework (lattice or coordinated solvent). Consequently, more accessible pores are provided for gas molecules. The work demonstrates the role of linker functionality in the crystal structure, pore size, and gas adsorption properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presented work, the structure dependence as well as luminescence features of a wide range of hybrid crystals based on lead halides and a homologous series of alkyl diamines from 1,4-diaminobutane to 1,8-diaminooctane are investigated. The structure of several previously undescribed hybrid crystals has been established. The even–odd effect of alkanes and its influence on the structure of such hybrid crystals have been demonstrated for the first time. The luminescence properties of the crystals and their dependence on the type of anion as well as the length and oddity of the organic cation are described in detail. The obtained data expand our knowledge of the relationship between the structure of the organic cation, including its parity and structure, and the electronic and optical properties of the hybrid crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new N-(4-fluorobenzyl) N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl) dithiocarbamate ligand (fbpm) having structural similarity to clinically approved antihistaminic drugs (viz. pheniramine, chlorpheniramine, and brompheniramine) and its four metal complexes [Co(fbpm)3] (1), [Ni(fbpm)2] (2), [Cu(fbpm)2] (3), and [Zn(fbpm)2] (4) were successfully synthesized and characterized by various techniques i.e. elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, HR-MS, NMR spectroscopy, and absorption and emission spectroscopy. Furthermore, complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 adopts distorted octahedral geometry around the Co(III) center while complex 2 adopts distorted square planar geometry around the Zn(II) center. X-ray data also showed various weak intermolecular C–H⋯F and C–H⋯N hydrogen bonding interactions leading to supramolecular architectures in complexes 1 and 2. The thermal decomposition study of complexes 1–4 analyzed by TGA shows that they are thermally stable up to 150 °C and also gives strong evidence for the formation of respective metal sulfides at higher temperatures. The antihistaminic activity of the ligand (fbpm) and its complexes 1–4 was examined against clonidine and haloperidol-induced catalepsy in Swiss albino mice of either gender in an in vivo animal model. The result shows that these synthesized compounds have antihistaminic potential to inhibit clonidine-induced catalepsy and may be targeted for different allergic conditions. Complex 3 showed maximum reduction in clonidine-induced catalepsy after 180 minutes of treatment when compared with the induced control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of amides holds great promise owing to their impeccable contributions as building blocks for highly valued functional derivatives. Herein, we disclose the design, synthesis and crystal structure of a mixed-ligand ruthenium(II) complex, [Ru(η6-Cym)(O,O-PLY)Cl], (1) where Cym = 1-isopropyl-4-methyl-benzene and O,O-PLY = deprotonated form of 9-hydroxy phenalenone (HO,O-PLY). The complex catalyzes the aerobic oxidation of various primary amines (RCH2NH2) to value-added amides (RCONH2) with excellent selectivity and efficiency under relatively mild conditions with common organic functional group tolerance. Structural, electrochemical, spectroscopic, and computational studies substantiate that the synergism between the redox-active ruthenium and π-Lewis acidic PLY moieties facilitate the catalytic oxidation of amines to amides. Additionally, the isolation and characterization of key intermediates during catalysis confirm two successive dehydrogenation steps leading to nitrile, which subsequently transform to the desired amide through hydration. The present synthetic approach is also extended to substitution-dependent tuning at PLY to tune the electronic nature of 1 and to assess substituent-mediated catalytic performance. The effect of substitution at the PLY moiety (5th position) leads to structural isomers, which were further evaluated for the catalytic transformations of amine to amides under similar reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symmetry-forming closest approaches of aromatic rings; 'Symthons', are usually the strongest interactions in halobenzene crystal structures. Where they combine to create π–π stacking, they are as strong as hydrogen bonds. This π–π stacking is disrupted when fluorine is present, as revealed in this analysis of all 290 closest aromatic approaches in the crystal structures of halobenzenes. Closest aromatic approaches involving fluorine show fewer examples of 'Symthon I' π–π stacking, and more examples of offset translations with larger displacements. Edge⋯face approaches are also more common in the presence of fluorine, frequently accommodating fluorine atoms in the 'edges'. Some edge⋯face approaches do not embody any symmetry. These findings are consistent with lower melting points and favourable connections between fluorine and positively charged carbon atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates the ability of electron diffraction (3D ED, or simply ED) for solving complex structures of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and its relevance in the drug development process. The study focuses on febuxostat (FEB), a selective inhibitor used for treating gout. FEB exhibits multiple solid forms, with the crystal structure of the marketed polymorph (form A) being unknown despite its commercial availability. In this work, the crystal structure of form A was successfully determined using both ED and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques (SC-XRD). Notably, the crystal growth attempts delivered very small crystals, suitable for ED only, while larger single-crystals for SC-XRD were unintentionally obtained in an experiment aiming for the co-crystallization of FEB with benzoic acid. The results show that ED is a valuable and reliable tool for crystal structure determinations, with comparable accuracy to X-ray crystallography. This study highlights the possibility of incorporating ED in the pharmaceutical research and development process, offering a reliable and efficient approach for crystal structure analysis. It emphasizes the significance of combining crystal structure knowledge with theoretical methods in understanding complex polymorphic systems. Furthermore, it addresses the ED potential in overcoming the challenges in characterizing solid forms across the drug development process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive series of mononuclear Ln(III) complexes based on N3-tridentate Schiff-base ligand L have been synthesized using triflate or nitrate lanthanide(III) metal salts. X-ray structural characterization shows that the obtained complexes exhibit a variety of coordination modes around the Ln(III) centers tuned through appropriate counterions and reaction conditions. Examination of the above-mentioned factors reveals that, in the case of all lanthanide assemblies, we observe anion-driven structural diversity. Tuning of the crystal structure of the formed supramolecular systems is also highly influenced by the lanthanide contraction phenomenon, directly resulting in a series of isostructural groups, with general formulae of [ML2(OTf)nX3−n](OTf)3−n, if n = 2, X = MeCN (except for Yb), and if n = 1, X = MeOH in the triflate series, and [ML(NO3)3(X)](Y), where X and Y represent MeOH, MeCN or H2O, respectively, in the nitrate series. The present study gives insight into the lanthanide contraction phenomenon within the tridentate N-heterocyclic coordination architectures of Ln(III) systems and can serve for targeted manipulation of properties through molecular tectonics and crystal engineering aspects in the domains, where subtle changes of the Ln(III) coordination spheres are important like molecular magnetism or catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because global sulfur emission has escalated, the development of high-efficiency deep desulfurization techniques has become imperative. Herein, to design a high-activity heterogeneous catalyst for the aerobic oxidation desulfurization (AODS) of fuel, Dawson-type polyoxometalate (H6P2W18O62 abbreviated as D-P2W18), characterized by its high activity and strong oxidative capacity, was applied to react with CuCl2·2H2O and H3TZI via a one-pot hydrothermal method. Consequently, blue crystalline H6P2W18O62@[Cu6O(TZI)3(H2O)6]4 (abbreviated as D-P2W18@rht-MOF-1; rht-MOF-1 = [Cu6O(TZI)3(H2O)6]4·nH2O) was afforded. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that D-P2W18 was successfully encapsulated in two different cages of rht-MOF-1, which is distinct from the crystal structure of Keggin-type POMs@rht-MOF-1. It represents the first crystal structure of Dawson-type POMs@rht-MOF-1. When D-P2W18@rht-MOF-1 was employed as a catalyst for AODS under ambient oxygen pressure with the assistance of surfactant dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride (DODMAC), it demonstrated remarkable catalytic capability and recyclability for both model fuel and commercial diesel. Further, the AODS reaction mechanism, identified as a free radical oxidation–reduction process, was verified by way of radical quenching experiments, EPR and XPS analysis. This approach offers a feasible route for the synthesis of new Dawson-type POMs@MOFs of heterogeneous catalysts for highly active AODS of fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To clarify the hydrogen storage mechanism of Mg(In) solid solution, the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation characteristics of Mg0.9In0.1 alloy are systematically studied in this work. It is found that the Mg0.9In0.1 solid solution is first hydrogenated to Mg3In and MgH2 under a hydrogen atmosphere. The polymorphism of Mg3In leads to different hydrogenation features of the solid solution in various temperature ranges. Consequently, the reversible dehydrogenation reactions have somewhat distinct enthalpy changes due to the different crystal structures of Mg3In. When the hydrogenation temperature is not lower than 340 °C, Mg3In can be further hydrogenated to (Mg1−xInx)3In and MgH2. The hydrogenation reactions of both β′-Mg3In and β-Mg3In are also reversible although they have sloping hydrogenation and dehydrogenation plateaus in pressure–composition isotherms. This work provides new insights into the hydrogen storage mechanism of Mg(In) solid solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mitochondria, the detoxification of molar excess H2S as polysulfide proceeded via an oxidation process promoted by Cu/Zn containing superoxide dismutase (SOD1) enzyme, which has been very recently reported as the alternative enzyme for cytosolic H2S oxidation. Herein, we present Ni(II) complexes bearing the terminal SH group as a synthetic functional analogue for the sulfide oxidase function of SOD1. Synthesis, crystal structure and complete spectroscopic characterization of two sets of complexes, [NiLOMe/tBu(PPh3)] (2OMe/tBu) and tetraethyl salt of [NiLOMe/tBu(SH)]−1 (3OMe/tBu), were described (LOMe = (E)-2-methoxy-6-(((2-sulfidophenyl)imino)methyl)phenolate and LtBu = (E)-2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(((2-sulfidophenyl)imino)methyl)phenolate). Under anaerobic conditions, 3OMe/tBu responded to a catalytic sulfur atom transfer (SAT) reaction with PPh3 to produce SPPh3. The SAT reaction was analyzed using detailed studies of 1H and 31P NMR spectra. Finally, the SAT reactivity pattern was compared with the same in the native enzyme of SOD1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanurate or isocyanurate compounds containing plane π-conjugated groups usually have giant optical anisotropy, which are promising candidates for optoelectronic functional materials. In this work, a new alkali-metal isocyanurate was successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method, namely Cs3(H2C3N3O3)3(H3C3N3O3)·3H2O, belonging to the triclinic crystal and P1¯ space group. The compound has two-dimensional layers constructed with (H2C3N3O3)− and (H3C3N3O3) six-membered rings extending along the ab plane. The characterization results show that it exhibits a wide band gap (5.03 eV) and a large birefringence (0.23 at 1064 nm). In addition, in order to evaluate the relationship between the crystal structure and its optical properties, the first-principles calculation was also carried out. This work provided a possible candidate for anisotropic optical crystals applied in the ultraviolet region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, PbSb2O6-type oxides LaMTeO6 (M = Ga3+ and Mn3+) were synthesized and structurally characterized by Rietveld refinements against high-resolution X-ray powder diffraction data. The Ga3+/Te6+ partial ordering within the honeycomb-like two-dimensional [GaTeO6]3− anionic layer leads to the loss of the inversion center between Ga3+ and Te6+; however the inversion center on the 3¯-roto-inversion axis is preserved, thereby resulting in a 2-fold PbSb2O6-type superstructure by doubling the c-axis associated with a structural symmetry descending from the original P3¯1m to P3¯1c symmetry. In contrast, LaMnTeO6 (P21/c) adopts a monoclinically distorted 4-fold superstructure with lattice dimensions of a ≈ aH, b ≈ √3aH, c ≈ 2cH, where aH and cH represent the lattice parameters of trigonal PbSb2O6. The formation of this P21/c-superstructure is attributed to the combination of complete Mn3+/Te6+ ordering and the first-order Jahn–Teller distortion of Mn3+ with the electronic configuration of d4. Such a monoclinic distortion can effectively lift the Mn3+ spin moments arranged on the triangular sublattice, resulting in a sharp peak for antiferromagnetic transition, which is in stark contrast to subtle magnetic transitions for PbSb2O6-type tellurates AMn(VI)TeO6 (A = alkaline earth and Pb2+) and LnCrTeO6 (Ln = rare earth) with higher structural symmetry. Our findings highlight that the electronic configuration effects of M-cations play a critical role in controlling the structure symmetry of LaMTeO6, providing a strategy to fine-tune the crystal structures and physical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New fluorinated dibenzo-1,2,5,6-tetrathiocines 1 and 2 were synthesized by a novel condensation of 1,2-disulfenyl chlorides under the influence of elemental Cu, and structurally defined in the solid state, solution, and gas phase by single-crystal XRD, variable-temperature 19F NMR and NOESY, and DFT calculations. Crystalline 1 and 2 exhibited the C2h chair and C2 twist molecular conformations, respectively. Unlike 1 displayed only C⋯S shortened intermolecular contacts, crystal structure of 2 featured F⋯π, F⋯F, F⋯S and S⋯S contacts. In toluene solutions at 296 K, both twist and chair conformers were observed in the ∼1 : 1 and ∼7 : 1 ratios for 1 and 2, respectively. For 1, the twist ↔ chair conformer interconversion was practically temperature-independent, and for 2 revealed ΔH ∼3.5 kJ mol−1 and ΔS ∼4.4 J K−1 mol−1. With DFT, the PESs for twist–chair transformation and twist–twist racemization were analyzed and the TSs exhibiting twist–halfchair and boat conformations, respectively, were found. Several additional stationary points on the PESs, corresponding to hidden intermediates and bifurcation points and featuring twistboat and halfchair conformations were detected. In chloroform solution under sunlight, 1 underwent 1,2,5,6-tetrathiocine → 1,2,3,6-tetrathiocine isomerization whose product was characterized by XRD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new pyrazolidine-3,5-dione derivatives namely (Z)-4-(2-(4-bromophenyl)hydrazono)-1-phenylpyrazolidine-3,5-dione (2) and (E)-1-phenyl-4-((pyridin-2-ylamino)methylene)pyrazolidine-3,5-dione (3) were synthesized and their structures were elucidated by single-crystal X-ray analysis along with spectroscopic techniques. Density functional theory (DFT) studies were carried out to examine the distribution of charge, and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis were carried out. Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out to examine the intermolecular interactions, revealing a prevalence of H⋯H interactions in the crystals of both molecules. NBO analysis was carried out to investigate the stabilization energy, while MEP analysis was conducted to explore regions susceptible to nucleophilic and electrophilic attacks. The molecules were screened for their medicinal potential based on physiochemical and pharmacokinetics including (gastrointestinal) GI absorption, blood brain barrier (BBB) permeation, skin permeation capability, Caco-2 permeability, Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) permeability, drug metabolism by the cytochrome P450 (CYP) family of liver enzymes, and toxicity evaluations. The expected metabolic reactions in the real cell system and the resulting metabolites along with their polarities for the determination of the probability of excretion from the body and drug-likeness were studied. To investigate the anticancer potency of 2 and 3, both were docked with three enzymes as drug targets for anticancer studies including HER2 (PDB ID: 3WSQ), EGFR (PDB ID: 5WB7), and the extracellular domain of the Tdp enzyme (PDB ID: 6N0D). From the calculated binding energies and inhibition constants, 2 is a better inhibitor of the target substrates than 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid halide perovskite-like materials have recently attracted great interest due to their potential applications in optoelectronic devices, energy storage and the semiconductor industry. In this work, two tin(IV) based organic–inorganic hybrid compounds [Cl–(CH2)2–NH3]2SnCl6(1) and [Cl–(CH2)2–NH3]2SnBr5.65Cl0.35(2) were prepared by the reaction of 2-chloroethylamine hydrochloride with SnX2 (X = Cl, Br) in the corresponding concentrated halogen acids. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that compounds (1) and (2) are isotypic and crystallize in the monoclinic system with space group P21/m. The asymmetric unit of the crystal structure in each compound is composed of an independent [SnX6]2− anion charge balanced by [Cl–(CH2)2–NH3]+ cations, where X is a halogen. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electric measurements show that no phase transition occurs in the hybrid compounds over the temperature range of 298–453 K. Interestingly, both materials exhibit a semiconducting property with optical bandgaps of 4.7 eV for (1) and 2.94 eV for (2). Photoluminescence (PL) measurements evidenced the presence of green emissive traps activated by excitation below the optical gap for the [Cl–(CH2)2–NH3]2SnCl6(1) compound, resulting in an emissive color change of the crystals, from blue to green. These findings of Sn(IV)-based metal halides with prominent semiconducting behaviors and photoluminescence properties contribute to the exploration of new types of hybrid perovskite-like with adjustable properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three supramolecular compounds, namely [Na(18-crown-6)]ReO4 (1), [K(18-crown-6)]ReO4 (2) and [NH4(15-crown-5)2]ReO4 (3) were synthesized and characterized using microanalysis, thermogravimetric, differential scanning calorimetric and powder X-ray diffraction techniques, among others. Herein, 15-crown-5 and 18-crown-6 represent 1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane and 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane, respectively. Both 1 and 2 experienced one-step reversible phase transition at ∼436 K and ∼360 K, respectively, while 3 underwent three steps of reversible phase transitions at ∼289 K, ∼352 K and ∼380 K. A dielectric anomaly occurred at ∼433 K (∼363 K) for 1 (2), consistent with the temperature obtained from DSC measurement. In the dielectric spectra of 3, anomalies were observed at ∼386 K and ∼433 K, corresponding to two thermal anomalies observed at higher temperatures in the DSC plot. However, there was an absence of dielectric response around 289 K where a thermal anomaly appeared in the DSC plot. The distinct crystal structures, phase transitions and dielectric properties in 1–3 stem from the degree of compatibility between the radii of M+ (Na+, K+ and NH4+) and the ring sizes of crown ethers (18-crown-6 and 15-crown-5). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3-Nitro-1,2,4-triazole-5-one (NTO) has received wide attention and has applications owing to its excellent detonation performance and low sensitivity. A new crystal form of NTO was prepared via the solvent evaporation method and named γ-NTO. Its crystal properties were studied through single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and the results indicated that the unit cell of γ-NTO belongs to the monoclinic space group Pc, with eight molecules in the single unit cell. The density of this crystal is calculated to be 1.907 g cm−3, which is higher than that of β-NTO and similar to that of α-NTO. The crystal morphology was calculated to be a polygonal shape with a symmetrical growth pattern using the reactive force field. Based on the analysis of reactive molecular dynamics, the thermal decomposition mechanism of different crystal forms of NTO was elucidated, and the results showed that γ-NTO demonstrates higher gas production, providing a successful way to enhance detonation performance. The results of IR and differential thermal analysis (DTA) support the above conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cesium lead halide (CsPbX3) perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have attracted attention for use as absorber materials in photovoltaics as they show tuneable bandgap energy and high photoluminescence quantum yields together with the potential to demonstrate long-term stability and simple solution processability. Currently, the colloidal synthesis of PQDs relies to a large extent on the use of toxic and fossil derived solvents as the reaction medium. Alternative methods that partially or completely replace such solvents are anticipated as a step forward in meeting the sustainability criteria for the large-scale synthesis of PQDs. Herein, we report an eco-friendly sonochemical-assisted synthesis of CsPbBr3 PQDs using commercial vegetable oil solvents as the reaction medium. The effect of different vegetable oils on the synthesis and properties of PQDs was investigated in detail. The as-prepared CsPbBr3 colloids show similar photoluminescence (PL) spectra and crystalline structure to colloids obtained in mineral oil, which was used here for comparative purposes. Furthermore, a smaller amount of the optically inactive Cs4PbBr6 hexagonal crystalline phase was detected in the green synthesis compared to mineral oil-based synthesis. Finally, spin-coated thin films were produced, demonstrating the processability of the colloidal PQDs obtained via the green synthesis described here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, high-quality ε-Ga2O3 epitaxial layers were grown on a silicon carbide (4H-SiC) substrate via metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with a two-step growth method. A (004) rocking curve full width of half maximum (FWHM) of the ε-Ga2O3 epitaxial layer as small as 0.09° (341 arcsec) is achieved, which is currently the lowest reported value obtained using the MOCVD method. The effect of nucleation layer structure on the crystalline quality is investigated. As a result, a high-temperature nucleation layer, composed of a mixed phase (β + ε) structure with low grain density is beneficial for the growth of high-quality ε-Ga2O3 films. A growth model was proposed to explain the mechanism whereby high quality ε-Ga2O3 hetroepitaxy is achieved. This study provides valuable insight for the development of epitaxial ε-Ga2O3 on 4H-SiC substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An NMR-guided procedure for refining crystal structures has recently been introduced and shown to produce unusually high resolution structures. Herein, this procedure, is modified to include 15N shift tensors instead of the 13C values employed previously. This refinement involves six benchmark structures and 45 15N tensors. All refined structures show a statistically significant improvement in NMR fit over energy based refinements. Metrics other than NMR agreement indicate that NMR refinement does not introduce errors with no significant changes observed in atom positions or diffraction patterns. However, refinement does change bond lengths by more than experimental uncertainty with most bond types become shorter than diffraction values. Although this decrease is small (1–4 pm), it significantly alters computed 15N tensors. The NMR refinement was further evaluated by refining two tripeptides. These structures rapidly converged and achieved an NMR agreement equivalent to benchmark values. To ensure accurate comparisons, a complete atomic structure of the tripeptide AGG was determined by single crystal neutron diffraction at 0.58 Å resolution, allowing unambiguous determination of all hydrogen positions. To verify that all NMR refinements represent genuine improvements rather than artifacts of DFT methods, an independent approach was included to evaluate the final NMR refined coordinates. This analysis employs cluster methods and the PBE0 functional. The unusually small 15N NMR root-mean-square error of the final refined structures (3.6 ppm) supports the conclusion that the changes made represent improvements over both diffraction coordinates and lattice-including DFT energy refined coordinates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of the fabrication procedures of lanthanide-doped materials involve thermal treatment that often results in crystallite regrowth, stabilizing the specific crystal structure and resulting in luminescence enhancement. The efficiency and intensity of up-conversion luminescence are closely related to the structure and synthesis process of the materials. Herein, well-crystallized and pure tetragonal NaY(MoO4)2 microcrystals with a uniform octahedral shape have been successfully synthesized via an environmentally friendly hydrothermal method, followed by annealing treatment. The phases, structures, morphologies, and compositions of the synthesized products annealed at 500–1000 °C remain unchanged, indicating high thermal stability. Furthermore, the NaY(MoO4)2:Yb3+/Er3+ microcrystals exhibit strong green emission when irradiated using infrared (980 nm) or ultraviolet (378 nm) wavelengths. Upon 980 nm excitation, up to 37-fold luminescence enhancement is achieved when the samples are annealed at about 700 °C. Interestingly, the high colour purity of the strong green emission is not only independent of the dopant concentration and heat treatment temperature, but it is also independent of the excitation conditions, including power and wavelength, and this makes it particularly suitable as a green safety signal light and luminescent security ink in paintings. As-prepared safety inks with NaY(MoO4)2:Yb3+/Er3+ microcrystals were used for visual fingerprint recognition printed on A4 paper with three-level fingerprint security features, significantly increasing the difficulty of illegal imitation and enhancing the levels of anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saponification, resulting from pigment–binder interactions, is one of the most endangering phenomena affecting the appearance and stability of painted works of art. The crystallization of metal carboxylates (soaps) in paint layers is recently assumed as the most critical point for the development of undesirable changes induced by saponification, however, the factors triggering it are not fully understood. The red pigment cinnabar (HgS) has been suspected of contributing to saponification, however, the paucity of reliable reference structural data limited the experimental research of its effect at the molecular level. Within this study we synthesized mercury(II) carboxylates of the formula Hg(C16)x(C18)2−x (x = 0.0; 0.2; 0.5; 0.8; 1.0; 1.2; 1.5; 1.8; 2.0) where C16 and C18 are hexadecanoate (palmitate) and octadecanoate (stearate), respectively, and characterize them by combination of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and 13C and 199Hg solid state NMR (ssNMR). For a more detailed interpretation of their structural and thermal behavior, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used. The crystal structure of the studied mercury carboxylates was described on the basis of complementary ssNMR and XRPD measurements, Rietveld refinement and DFT calculations. All the subjected compounds crystallize in a monoclinic lattice of the C2/c symmetry. Mercury atoms are arranged in a slightly distorted square antiprismatic geometry and are monodentatically bonded to carboxylate anions. The structural disorder at the aliphatic end of the stearic acid chains was detected in the mixed carboxylates. Within the paper, the structural (dis)similarity with the corresponding lead carboxylates is discussed. The synthesized and characterized mercury carboxylates were applied to describe neo-formed mercury soaps in a model experiment simulating an egg-based paint system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanide luminescence is characterised by "forbidden" 4f–4f transitions and a complicated electronic structure. Our understanding of trivalent lanthanide(III) ion luminescence is centered on Eu3+ because absorbing and emitting transitions in Eu3+ occur from a single electronic energy level. In Sm3+ both absorbing and emitting multiplets have a larger multiplicity. A band arising in transitions from the first emitting state multiplet to the ground state multiplet will have nine lines for a Sm3+ complex. In this study, high-resolution emission and excitation spectra were used to determine the electronic energy levels for the lowest multiplet and first emitting multiplet in four Sm3+ compounds with either tricapped trigonal prismatic TTP or capped square antiprismatic cSAP coordination polyhedra but different site symmetry. This was achieved by the use of Boltzmann distribution population analysis and experimentally determined transition probabilities from emission and excitation spectra. Using this analysis it was possible to show the effect of changing three oxygen atoms with three nitrogen atoms in the donor set for two compounds with the same coordination polyhedra and site symmetry. This work celebrates the 40th anniversary of Kirby and Richardson's first report of [Eu(ODA)3]3− luminescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC), one of the active metabolites of curcumin, possesses pharmacological activities similar to those of curcumin, such as hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and antioxidant effects. However, poor water solubility of THC leads to unfavorable absorption, which limits its application. The aim of this study was to improve the solubility of THC through cocrystallization. Five cocrystals of THC with L -proline (THC– L -PRO), D -proline (THC– D -PRO), DL -proline (THC– DL -PRO), 4,4′-bipyridine (THC–BPY), and betaine (THC–BTN) were discovered for the first time using liquid-assisted grinding. Single crystal structures of all THC co-crystals were analyzed and comprehensive characterization was performed through PXRD, thermal analysis, DVS and FT-IR. Dissolution studies were further conducted on two edible cocrystals THC– L -PRO and THC–BTN, and THC– L -PRO exhibits the highest apparent solubility compared with THC–BTN and the raw material. Moreover, THC-form II was found in THC– L -PRO dissolution experiments, and subsequently, the melt crystallization method was used to obtain the pure form of THC-form II. THC-form II was characterized for its physicochemical properties and the result of the dissolution experiment showed that it has better solubility compared to THC-form I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ruthenium nitrosyl complex of formula [RuII(fluorene(C6)CH2O-terpy)(bipy)(NO)]3+ (AC) in which fluorene(C6) is the 9,9-dihexylfluorene, terpy the 2,2′;6′,2′′-terpyridine, and bipy the 2,2′-bipyridine is presented with its related [RuII(MeO-terpy)(bipy)(NO)]3+ (C) and 9,9-dihexylfluorene 2-hydroxymethylfluorene (A) building blocks. The reference complex C undergoes NO release capabilities under irradiation at λ = 365 nm. The effect of the introduction of the fluorescent A antenna within the resulting AC complex is discussed both experimentally and theoretically. The importance of the encaging parameter defined as φAC·IAC, in which IAC is the quantity of light absorbed by AC and φAC the quantum yield of NO release is evidenced and found to be concentration dependent. The conditions of optimization of the antenna approach to maximize φAC·IAC are discussed. The crystal structure of [RuII(fluorene(C6)CH2O-terpy)(bipy)(NO2)](PF6), the last intermediate in the synthesis of AC is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schiff bases are the most widely used class of molecules and their metal complexes are utilized as medicinally important scaffolds due to their versatile biological profile. So herein, we have reported the synthesis of N2O2-type tetradentate Schiff bases {N,N′-(ethylene)bis(salicylideneimine) (1a) and N,N′-(o-phenylene)bis(salicylideneimine) (1b)} and their Ni(II) complexes, dimeric N,N′-(ethylene)bis(salicylideneiminato)nickel(II) (2a) and N,N′-(o-phenylene)bis(salicylideneiminato)nickel(II) (2b), and their characterization using CHN analysis, ESI-MS and XRD techniques. The interaction of ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b with the biomolecules {calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)} has been investigated via electronic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b can bind to CT-DNA via a minor groove mode. Moreover, the fluorescence quenching mechanism between ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b and BSA is a static quenching process. The results showed that the interaction between ligands 1a–b and BSA is driven by hydrogen bond and van der Waals interactions, while the hydrophobic forces stabilized the interaction between complexes 2a–b and BSA. Additionally, the r values of ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b (1a = 0.53 nm, 1b = 0.59 nm, 2a = 0.57 nm and 2b = 0.71 nm) calculated using FRET theory suggested that the distance between ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b and BSA is quite close. The radical scavenging activity of ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b was determined in terms of EC50, using the DPPH method. The cytotoxicities of ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and lung cancer (A549 and H1299) cell lines and healthy lung bronchial (BEAS-2B) and breast epithelial (MCF-10A) cell lines were investigated. Molecular docking simulations were carried out to correlate the data with the experimental findings. The binding interaction of ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b with the B-DNA and 1M17 was generated and predicted using Autodock 4.2 software. The results indicated that ligands 1a–b and complexes 2a–b bind at the minor groove of DNA through intercalation and at the active side of the EGFR tyrosine kinase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]