Search

Nanocrystalline powders of monometallic and bimetallic imidazolates of Co, Zn and Ag were produced by a reaction carried out in water. The powders were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and the crystal structures of the new compounds Ag2ZnIm4 and Ag2CoIm4 (Im = imidazolate) were solved. Heterometallic Co/Zn imidazolates showed the known Zn-zni crystal structure while Ag/Zn and Ag/Co systems were isostructural to the copper analogs. The powders were further characterized by EDX, UV-Vis and FTIR ATR spectroscopy in the solid state. The catalytic experiments indicated that out of the studied heterometallic compounds only Ag2Co(Im)4 exhibits some catalytic activity in the oxidation reaction of 1-phenylethanol with tert-butylhydroperoxide at elevated temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cocrystallization of active pharmaceutical ingredient naproxen with some acridines (acridine, 9-aminoacridine, 6,9-diamino-2-ethoxyacridine) has been explored and the conditions under which the crystallization can be carried out have been investigated. While the crystallization of acridine-based molecular crystals was widely studied under solution conditions, solvent-free and/or mechanochemical method potentialities are still unknown. To fill this gap, the cocrystallization of naproxen with the above-mentioned acridines was attempted using different approaches, e.g., by heat treatment of the dry mechanical mixture and by liquid-assisted grinding (LAG), as alternatives to the traditional precipitation by a proper solution. In the first case, the reaction is driven under dry conditions by the temperature and gave no results independently of the temperature used, below or above the melting point of the reactants. In the second case, the reaction is driven by the mechanical action of grinding assisted by a few drops of solvent to facilitate and improve the reaction. This screening allowed obtaining three new molecular crystals for naproxen coupled to acridine and a mono-aminoacridine and solved by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Two host–guest structures were obtained by solution crystallization, while a layered structure was obtained under LAG conditions. Interconversion between molecular crystals formed by the same chemical species was hindered once a molecular crystal was obtained by a specific technique. Hirshfeld and energy framework calculations confirmed the remarkable structural differences between 1α and 1β packing and suggested that 1β is kinetically more stable. Variable-temperature PXRD, DSC and TGA were used to explore the stability of the compounds. 6,9-Diamino-2-ethoxyacridine proved to be too polar and/or too bulky to form crystals with naproxen regardless of the preparation method and the different stoichiometric ratios used. It is noteworthy that LAG allowed the preparation of the naproxen/acridine molecular crystal with a yield higher than 99% under almost solvent-free conditions. DSC indicated the formation of a eutectic between naproxen and acridine, with the possibility of recrystallizing the 1 : 1 complex also from the melt solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GdIII-complexes of DO3A-acetophenone and ortho- or para- hydroxyacetophenone ligands have been investigated to assess the effect of the presence of a phenol group on the relaxivity and on the water exchange rate of these potential MRI contrast agents. H-Bonding between the ortho-phenol(ate) groups and the water molecules involved in the dissociative exchange mechanism is shown to speed up the water exchange rate by stabilizing the eight-coordinate transition state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state reactivity is often studied by in situ experiments with a multi-technique approach, where complementarity of different probes is exploited. In situ data are usually analysed using a complex protocol: first the reaction model most suited to describe the specific solid-state reaction is chosen, second the reaction coordinate is obtained from the data, the order of reaction is then calculated by applying a specific kinetic equation, and finally kinetic parameters are obtained with an Arrhenius plot. The approach is both time consuming and subject to errors due to the arbitrariness of extraction of the reaction coordinate, typically from individual peak intensity variations during the reaction. In addition, application of the different kinetic equations to obtain the best fitting one is tedious and no general method to select the best model with an unbiased approach is available. Here we propose a new procedure based on principal component analysis to get kinetic information from in situ data, which simplifies and speeds up the process of kinetic parameter calculation from a three- to a two- or even a one-step form, reaching a high degree of automation and the ability to manage the huge amount of data produced by in situ multi-technique experiments. The new approach treats data as a whole, without biases introduced by manual methods of obtaining the reaction coordinate by peak intensity evaluation from individual patterns typical of the traditional approach. The procedure is described in its theoretical framework and applied to the formation of a molecular complex, monitored by in situ X-ray powder diffraction and Raman measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis and characterisation of a HY/MgO zeolite/oxide nanocomposite material with high crystallinity and highly dispersed, highly basic MgO sites. Preparation was optimized in order to preserve sample crystallinity, to avoid the formation of mesoporosity and to minimize the formation of separate Mg-containing phases. These features were checked by means of electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, porosimetry and IR spectroscopy. A highly dispersed material was obtained, comprising nanoclusters of magnesium oxide and hydroxide hosted by the microporous zeolite framework. The location and structure of the Mg-containing clusters have been studied by means of a combination of Rietveld refinement of XRPD data and high quality quantum mechanical simulations. The refinement has shown the presence of magnesium and oxygen atoms in the double six-membered ring cages, consistent with the presence of mononuclear Mg moieties. However, the composition and IR spectroscopy demonstrate that other Mg species must exist, likely located in the zeolite pores. In order to propose candidate structures for these species, several hypothetic periodic models of the material were built by placing (MgO)n clusters in different locations of the zeolite structure, taking into account the material composition and other constraints imposed by the experimental observations. Periodic structures with P1 symmetry were optimized at the B3LYP-D*/DZVP level with the CRYSTAL code and classified according to their stability. Two families of possible sites were identified: highly solvated (MgO)n units in narrow cavities and less coordinated clusters in the supercages. The stability of these clusters appears to be regulated by the ability of Mg2+ and O2− ions to interact with the pore walls and by the formation of Mg–OH species as result of the reaction of Mg–O couples with remaining acidic protons. The reactivity of four representative models with CO2 has been simulated at the B3LYP-D*/TZVP level. CO2 forms very stable linear end-on adducts with low coordinated Mg ions in most cases. Isolated sites give rise to bridge bidentate complexes in agreement with previous spectroscopic observations. The formation of hydrogen-carbonates is observed only on specific sites, through a process having a low adsorption energy because of the high deformation of the adsorption site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of two solid-state reactions, Xe absorption into MFI and molecular complex formation, where samples are affected by changes of crystal lattice due to temperature or pressure variation was structurally monitored through in situ or in operando X-ray powder diffraction experiments. Consequent variations of the peak positions prevent collective analysis of measured patterns, aiming at investigating structural changes occurring within the crystal cell. Moreover, an intrinsic and variable error in peak position is unavoidable when using the Bragg–Brentano geometry and, in some cases (sticky, bulky, aggregate samples) the sample mounting can increase the error within a dataset. Here we present a general multivariate analysis method to process in a fast and automatic way in situ XRPD data collected on charge transfer complexes and porous materials, with the capacity of disentangling peak shifts from intensity and shape variations in diffraction signals, thus allowing an efficient separation of the contribution of crystal lattice changes from structural changes. The peak shift correction allowed an improved PCA analysis that turned out to be more sensible than the traditional single pattern Rietveld analysis. The developed algorithms allowed, with respect to the traditional approach, the location of two new Xe positions into MFI with a better interpretation of the experimental data, while a much faster and more efficient recovery of the reaction coordinate was achieved in the molecular complex formation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work provides the synthesis, structural characterization, electrochemical and photophysical features, as well as the application in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) of a novel heteroleptic copper(i) complex – [Cu(impy)(POP)][PF6], where impy is 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-(pyridine-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine and POP is bis{2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl}ether. This compound shows blue photoluminescence (PL, λ = 450 nm) in solution and solid-state and excellent redox stability. Despite these excellent features, the electroluminescence (EL) response is located at ∼550 nm. Although the EL spectrum of LECs is typically red-shifted compared to the PL of the electroluminescent material, a shift of ca. 100 nm represents the largest one reported in LECs. To date, the large shift phenomena have been attributed to (i) a change in the nature of the lowest emitting state due to a concentration effect of the films, (ii) a reversible substitution of the ligands due to the weak coordination to the Cu(i), and (iii) a change in the distribution of the excited states due to polarization effects. After having discarded these along with others like the irreversible degradation of the emitter during device fabrication and/or under operation conditions, driving conditions, active layer composition, and changes in the excited states under different external electrical stimuli, we attribute the origin of this unexpected shift to a lack of a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) process due to the solely ligand-centered character of the excited states. As such, the lack of a charge transfer character in the excited states leads to a blue-fluorescence and yellow-phosphorescence photo- and electro-responses, respectively. This corroborates recent studies focused on the design of TADF for heteroleptic copper(i) complexes. Overall, this work is a clear insight into the design of new copper(i) complexes towards the preparation of blue LECs, which are still unexplored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are versatile materials used for intercalating bioactive molecules, both in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields, with the purpose of protecting them from degradation, enhancing their water solubility to increase bioavailability, and/or obtaining modified release properties. The properties of the intercalation compounds of Mg/Al_LDH and Zn/Al_LDH with different drugs and sunscreens, namely diclofenac, ketoprofen, gliclazide, retinoic acid, furosemide, para-aminobenzoic acid and 2-phenylbenzimidazolsulfonic (Eusolex) acid, have been studied by crystallographic, spectroscopic and thermogravimetric techniques and by solid state NMR, to shed light on their structure, their molecular interactions and their stability from the thermal and chemical viewpoint. The structural features were described with particular attention to the interaction between the organic and inorganic components and to the stability of the intercalation products. For the first time two synchrotron radiation powder diffraction patterns of organic-containing LDH were solved and refined by Rietveld methods to obtain an experimental crystal structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Typical hydrogen-bonded cobaltocinium salts of formula [Cp2Co+][A−] [with Cp = C5H5 and A = PF6 ( 1), AsF6 ( 2), SbF6 ( 3), I ( 4), I3 ( 5), Co(CN)6 ( 6), Co(CO)4 ( 7), Br3 ( 8), FeI4 ( 9) and HCl2 ( 10)] were studied by means of a combined structural, spectroscopic (IR, Raman, solid-state NMR) and theoretical approach. The solid-state vibrational spectra show blue or red shift hydrogen bond behavior depending on the anionic species, i.e. high- or low-frequency ν(CH) shift with respect to the solution value. The crystal structure of the new complex [Cp2Co+][SbF6−], a blue-shifted system, is reported while the [Cp2Co+][I−] complex, a red-shifted system disordered at room temperature, reveals a novel ordered polymorph at 150 K. The weak interactions (C…H, H…H, H…X, C…X) between cations and anions were analyzed by means of the Hirshfeld surfaces model, which permits their clear graphic visualization. HS fingerprint plots and normalized contact distances visually describe the difference between blue- and red-shifted complexes. Chemical shift tensors and shielding anisotropy values of the Cp carbon atoms, extracted from 13C CPMAS solid-state NMR spectra, allow the evaluation of Cp rotational motions which are related to the intermolecular contact extent. Finally, a DFT computational model is able to rationalize all the experimental data. It shows that the prevalence of one between two forces, that is, the attractive polarization of C–H bonds and the repulsive effect of electronic clouds, leads to the blue or red shift phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is focused on a multidisciplinary study of a completely condensed octaisobutyl-silsesquioxane (IBUPOSS) as a model of the alkyl POSS family. IBUPOSS is characterized by the presence of eight isobutyl groups bonded to the corners of the siliceous framework. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements and an innovative simultaneous in situRaman/XRPD experiment suggested that IBUPOSS undergoes a solid phase transition around 330 K, and indicated that this transition is related to a change in the conformational freedom of the isobutyl chains. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) pattern of the high temperature phase was indexed in the high symmetry [R3m] space group. The Raman data indicated a larger mobility of the aliphatic side chains at high temperature, thus inducing a disorder in the IBUPOSS moiety. Multidimensional heteronuclear solid-state NMR experiments were employed to probe the structural and motional features of the observed phase transition. The various conformations can be accounted for by a pseudo-D3hsymmetry able to obey to the [R3m] space group. Simulations on molecular mechanics and dynamics, together with quantum-chemical calculations, confirmed this hypothesis and gave some hints on the conformational mobility and the energetic features of IBUPOSS, a base material with relevant applications in catalysis and polymer science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanocrystalline powders of monometallic and bimetallic imidazolates of Co, Zn and Ag were produced by a reaction carried out in water. The powders were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and the crystal structures of the new compounds Ag 2 ZnIm 4 and Ag 2 CoIm 4 (Im = imidazolate) were solved. Heterometallic Co/Zn imidazolates showed the known Zn- zni crystal structure while Ag/Zn and Ag/Co systems were isostructural to the copper analogs. The powders were further characterized by EDX, UV-Vis and FTIR ATR spectroscopy in the solid state. The catalytic experiments indicated that out of the studied heterometallic compounds only Ag 2 Co(Im) 4 exhibits some catalytic activity in the oxidation reaction of 1-phenylethanol with tert -butylhydroperoxide at elevated temperatures.

The GdIII-complexes of DO3A-acetophenone and ortho- or para- hydroxyacetophenone ligands have been investigated to assess the effect of the presence of a phenol group on the relaxivity and on the water exchange rate of these potential MRI contrast agents. H-Bonding between the ortho-phenol(ate) groups and the water molecules involved in the dissociative exchange mechanism is shown to speed up the water exchange rate by stabilizing the eight-coordinate transition state.

We report the synthesis and characterisation of a HY/MgO zeolite/oxide nanocomposite material with high crystallinity and highly dispersed, highly basic MgO sites. Preparation was optimized in order to preserve sample crystallinity, to avoid the formation of mesoporosity and to minimize the formation of separate Mg-containing phases. These features were checked by means of electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, porosimetry and IR spectroscopy. A highly dispersed material was obtained, comprising nanoclusters of magnesium oxide and hydroxide hosted by the microporous zeolite framework. The location and structure of the Mg-containing clusters have been studied by means of a combination of Rietveld refinement of XRPD data and high quality quantum mechanical simulations. The refinement has shown the presence of magnesium and oxygen atoms in the double six-membered ring cages, consistent with the presence of mononuclear Mg moieties. However, the composition and IR spectroscopy demonstrate that other Mg species must exist, likely located in the zeolite pores. In order to propose candidate structures for these species, several hypothetic periodic models of the material were built by placing (MgO)n clusters in different locations of the zeolite structure, taking into account the material composition and other constraints imposed by the experimental observations. Periodic structures with P1 symmetry were optimized at the B3LYP-D*/DZVP level with the CRYSTAL code and classified according to their stability. Two families of possible sites were identified: highly solvated (MgO)n units in narrow cavities and less coordinated clusters in the supercages. The stability of these clusters appears to be regulated by the ability of Mg2+ and O2- ions to interact with the pore walls and by the formation of Mg-OH species as result of the reaction of Mg-O couples with remaining acidic protons. The reactivity of four representative models with CO2 has been simulated at the B3LYP-D*/TZVP level. CO2 forms very stable linear end-on adducts with low coordinated Mg ions in most cases. Isolated sites give rise to bridge bidentate complexes in agreement with previous spectroscopic observations. The formation of hydrogen-carbonates is observed only on specific sites, through a process having a low adsorption energy because of the high deformation of the adsorption site.

This work provides the synthesis, structural characterization, electrochemical and photophysical features, as well as the application in light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) of a novel heteroleptic copper(i) complex - [Cu(impy)(POP)][PF6], where impy is 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-(pyridine-2-yl)imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine and POP is bis{2-(diphenylphosphanyl)phenyl}ether. This compound shows blue photoluminescence (PL, λ = 450 nm) in solution and solid-state and excellent redox stability. Despite these excellent features, the electroluminescence (EL) response is located at ∼550 nm. Although the EL spectrum of LECs is typically red-shifted compared to the PL of the electroluminescent material, a shift of ca. 100 nm represents the largest one reported in LECs. To date, the large shift phenomena have been attributed to (i) a change in the nature of the lowest emitting state due to a concentration effect of the films, (ii) a reversible substitution of the ligands due to the weak coordination to the Cu(i), and (iii) a change in the distribution of the excited states due to polarization effects. After having discarded these along with others like the irreversible degradation of the emitter during device fabrication and/or under operation conditions, driving conditions, active layer composition, and changes in the excited states under different external electrical stimuli, we attribute the origin of this unexpected shift to a lack of a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) process due to the solely ligand-centered character of the excited states. As such, the lack of a charge transfer character in the excited states leads to a blue-fluorescence and yellow-phosphorescence photo- and electro-responses, respectively. This corroborates recent studies focused on the design of TADF for heteroleptic copper(i) complexes. Overall, this work is a clear insight into the design of new copper(i) complexes towards the preparation of blue LECs, which are still unexplored.

X-ray diffraction methods in general provide a representation of the average structure, thus allowing only limited chemical selectivity. As recently shown [D. Chernyshov, et al., Acta Crystallogr., Sect. A: Found. Crystallogr., 2011, 67, 327], some structural information on a subset of atoms can be obtained using the modulation enhanced diffraction (MED), thus providing a new tool that is able to enhance selectivity in diffraction. MED uses a periodic stimulus supplied in situ on a crystal while diffraction data are collected continuously during one or more stimulation periods. Such large data sets can then be treated by different methods. Herein, we present and compare phase sensitive detection (PSD) and principal component analysis (PCA) for in situ X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) data treatment. The application of PCA to MED data is described for the first time in the present paper. Simulated and experimental MED powder data were produced using an MFI zeolite as a static spectator in which Xe, acting as the active species, is adsorbed and desorbed in a periodic manner. By demodulating the simulated and experimental data, MED allowed the powder diffraction pattern of the responding scattering density to be obtained and enabled the selective extraction of crystallographic information on Xe by solving the crystal structure of the active species independently of the static zeolite framework. The "real world" experiments indicated that the PSD-MED approach has some limitations related to the degree of fulfilment of some theoretical assumptions. When applied to in situ XRPD data, PCA, despite being based on blind statistical analysis, gave results similar to those obtained by PSD (based on Fourier analysis) for simulated data. Moreover, PCA is complementary to PSD thanks to its capability of gathering information on the Xe substructure even in the presence of a non-periodic stimulus, i.e. using the most simple stimulus shape as a single temperature ramp. In particular, PC1 results are able to perfectly reproduce the corresponding 1Ω signal from a traditional PSD analysis. Moreover PCA can be applied directly to raw non periodic XRPD data, opening the possibility of using it during an "in situ" experiment. PCA can thus be envisaged as a very useful, fast and efficient tool to improve data collection and maximize data quality. To date, however, PSD remains superior for substructure solution from the analysis of 2Ω demodulated data.

Some nonenzymic epoxide-initiated polyolefin cyclization are reported. The presented molecules are partially constrained analogues of (3S)-oxidosqualene, the natural substrate to many important cyclase enzymes. These model compounds feature a preformed C-ring with built-in stereochemical information. The experimental results allow for an instructive comparison with the enzymic processes, particularly those of the cyclases in steroid biosynthesis (i.e. lanosterol synthase).

A novel series of analogs of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the hormonally active metabolite of vitamin D3, characterised by the presence of a trans-fused decalin CD-ring system, possesses surprising biological activities in combination with specific structural modifications in the flexible parts of the molecule, when compared with the natural hydrindane derivatives. (1) A large difference in biological activity is observed between the 20-epimeric trans-decalin analogs that follows a pattern opposite to what is usually observed for the natural ring size. (2) Several trans-decalin analogs that are modified in the seco-B-ring region, including previtamin derivatives, possess a pronounced vitamin D-like activity, whereas the corresponding hydrindane derivatives are inactive. The molecular origin of this behavior is still under study.