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Funding: The St Andrews team is grateful to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for support from grants EP/P010482/1, EP/R035164/1 and EP/L017008/1. Kyushu team would like to acknowledge Kyulux inc and JSPS Core-to-Core Program (grant number: JPJSCCA20180005) for the support of this project. Three new 1,2,4,5-tetraphenylimidazole derivatives, 9,9-dimethyl-10-(4-(2,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)-9,10-dihydroacridine ( DMAC - TPI ), 10-(4-(2,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)-10H-phenoxazine ( PXZ-TPI ), and 10-(4-(2,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazol-1-yl)phenyl)-10H-phenothiazine ( PTZ - TPI ), bearing different electron donors at the N1 position of the imidazole were synthesised and characterised. DMAC - TPI and PXZ - TPI showed narrow emission at λPL of 388 and 418 nm in toluene, and in doped films in Zeonex polymer (1 wt.%) at λPL 381 and 407 nm, respectively, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) ranging 0.42-0.44 eV. DMAC - TPI and PXZ - TPI are predicted to show very low oscillator strength for the low-energy transitions, which aligns to the observed low photoluminescence quantum yields. Both molecules showed a singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST of around 1.2 eV) that is much too large to enable reverse intersystem crossing and thermally activated delayed fluorescence. Connecting a donor group to TPI at the N1 position can lead to room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), as the example of PTZ - TPI showed. Publisher PDF

Funding: S. W. thanks the China Scholarship Council (201906250199). A. K. G. is grateful to the Royal Society for Newton International Fellowship NF171163. EZ-C and IDWS acknowledge support from EPSRC (EP/L017008, EP/P010482/1). We are also grateful for financial support from the University of St Andrews Restarting Research Funding Scheme (SARRF) which is funded through the Scottish Funding Council grant reference SFC/AN/08/020. EZ-C is a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research fellow (SRF\R1\201089). We would also like to thank the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2016-047) for financial support. Herein, we demonstrate how judicious selection of donor decorating a central multi-resonant thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) core based on DiKTa can lead to very high-performance OLEDs. Decorating the DiKTa core with triphenylamine (TPA) and diphenylamine (DPA), 3TPA-DiKTa and 3DPA-DiKTa exhibit bright, narrowband green and red emission in doped films, respectively. The OLEDs based on these emitters showed record-high performance with maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEmax) for this family of emitters, with a EQEmax of 30.8% for 3TPA-DiKTa at λEL of 551 nm and 16.7% for 3DPA-DiKTa at λEL of 613 nm. The efficiency roll-off in the OLEDs was improved significantly by using 4CzIPN as an assistant dopant in hyperfluorescence (HF) devices. The outstanding device performance has been attributed to preferential horizontal orientation of the transition dipole moments of 3TPA-DiKTa and 3DPA-DiKTa. Publisher PDF

We acknowledge support from the University of St Andrews, the China Scholarship Council (studentship to YYG) and Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2018-065). Four new hybrid lead(II) halide perovskites, γ-(FA)2PbBr4, (FA)1.5(AA)0.5PbBr4, (PY)(GA)PbBr4 and (PY)(TZ)PbBr4 ((FA)=formamidinium, (AA)=acetamidinium, (PY)=pyrazolium, (GA)=guanidinium and (TZ)=1,2,3-triazolium), adopt (110)-oriented layered perovskite structures. While (PY) is found to template the formation of ‘conventional’ (110)-oriented structure types (i. e. containing staggered [PbBr4]∞ layers), (FA) is shown to facilitate formation of much less common variants based 3 : 1 ordering of the interlayer species or 3×2 step-like corrugation of the perovskite-like layers themselves. Postprint

One of the authors (RSC) is grateful to DST for the financial support under the DST young scientist scheme YSS/2014/000797. Treatment of 1-(n-butyl)-3-N-(2-Ar)acetamido-1, 3-imidazolium chloride (Ar=furylmethyl,phenylmethyl) with excess K2CO3 and [PdCl2(L−L)] (L−L=2 PPh3, dppf) afforded orange compounds of composition [(1-(n-butyl)-3-N-(2-Ar)acetamido-1,3-imidazol-2-ylidene)]2Pd (Ar=furylmethyl; phenylmethyl). These complexes were characterized by NMR (1H and 13C{1H} NMR), IR and micro-analysis data. Subsequently, the catalytic efficiency of these complexes for cross coupling reactions between 4-haloarenens (halo=Br, I) and phenylboronic acid was studied under different solvents (acetonitrile, THF and DMF), temperatures with different catalyst loadings. The molecular structure of [(1-(n-butyl)-3-N-(2-furylmethyl)acetamido-1, 3-imidazol-2-ylidene)]2Pd was established by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Postprint

Funding: Leverhulme Trust (Grant Number(s): RPG-2015-308), Leverhulme Trust (Grant Number(s): RPG-2018-362), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant Number(s): EP/R025754/1). Metal‐catalyzed C–N cross‐coupling generally forms C–N bonds by reductive elimination from metal complexes bearing covalent C‐ and N‐ligands. We have identified a Cu‐mediated C–N cross‐coupling that uses a dative N‐ligand in the bond forming event, which, in contrast to conventional methods, generates reactive cationic products. Mechanistic studies suggest the process operates via transmetalation of an aryl organoboron to a Cu(II) complex bearing neutral N‐ligands, such as nitriles or N‐heterocycles. Subsequent generation of a putative Cu(III) complex enables the oxidative C–N coupling to take place, delivering nitrilium intermediates and pyridinium products. The reaction is general for a range of N(sp) and N(sp2) precursors and can be applied to drug synthesis and late‐stage N‐arylation, and the limitations in the methodology are mechanistically evidenced. Publisher PDF

We thank the University of St Andrews and the EPSRC doctoral training grant (EP/N509759/1) for support. The new ß-diketimine iPrDipnacnacH, HC(iPrCNDip)2H, Dip=2,6- iPr2-C6H3 , was converted to the magnesium(I) complex [{(iPrDipnacnac)Mg}2] and reaction with 2-adamantanone (OAd) afforded the ketone-1,2-diide complex [{(iPrDipnacnac)Mg}2(µ -OAd)]. The complex contains the first stable dianion of an aliphatic ketone with an electropositive metal and shows an OAd2- unit with long C-O bond and pyramidal carbon centre. DFT studies reveal an anionic charge on both neighbouring C and O atoms. Reductions of aliphatic ketones with magnesium(I) complexes show that these likely proceed via highly reactive dianions and afforded a 1:1 mixture of an alkoxide and an enolate when an enolisable ketone was used, and rapid CH activations reactions, e.g., of stabilising ligand moieties, when non-enolisable ketones were employed. Publisher PDF

We report the synthesis of all‐cis 1,2,4,5‐tetrakis (trifluoromethyl)‐ and all‐cis 1,2,3,4,5,6‐hexakis (trifluoromethyl)‐ cyclohexanes by direct hydrogenation of precursor tetrakis‐ or hexakis‐ (trifluoromethyl)benzenes. The resultant cyclohexanes have a stereochemistry such that all the CF3 groups are on the same face of the cyclohexyl ring. All‐cis 1,2,3,4,5,6‐hexakis(trifluoromethyl)cyclohexane is the most sterically demanding of the all‐cis hexakis substituted cyclohexanes prepared to date, with a barrier (ΔG) to ring inversion calculated at 27 kcal mol−1. The X‐ray structure of all‐cis 1,2,3,4,5,6‐hexakis(trifluoromethyl)cyclohexane displays a flattened chair conformation and the electrostatic profile of this compound reveals a large diffuse negative density on the fluorine face and a focused positive density on the hydrogen face. The electropositive hydrogen face can co‐ordinate chloride (K≈103) and to a lesser extent fluoride and iodide ions. Dehydrofluorination promoted decomposition occurs with fluoride ion acting as a base., All‐cis 1,2,4,5‐tetrakis (trifluoromethyl)‐ and all‐cis 1,2,3,4,5,6‐hexakis (trifluoromethyl)‐ cyclohexanes were prepared by direct aryl hydrogenation. All‐cis 1,2,3,4,5,6‐hexakis(trifluoromethyl)cyclohexane has a high barrier to ring inversion (ΔG≠=27 kcal mol−1) and a Janus face profile with a large diffuse negative density on the fluorine face, and a focused positive density on the hydrogen face which coordinates carbonyls and halides.

A catalytic enantioselective synthesis of heterocyclic vicinal fluoroamines is reported. A chiral Brønsted acid promotes aza‐Michael addition to fluoroalkenyl heterocycles to give a prochiral enamine intermediate that undergoes asymmetric protonation upon rearomatization. The reaction accommodates a range of azaheterocycles and nucleophiles, generating the C−F stereocentre in high enantioselectivity, and is also amenable to stereogenic C−CF3 bonds. Extensive DFT calculations provided evidence for stereocontrolled proton transfer from catalyst to substrate as the rate‐determining step, and showed the importance of steric interactions from the catalyst's alkyl groups in enforcing the high enantioselectivity. Crystal structure data show the dominance of noncovalent interactions in the core structure conformation, enabling modulation of the conformational landscape. Ramachandran‐type analysis of conformer distribution and Protein Data Bank mining indicated that benzylic fluorination by this approach has the potential to improve the potency of several marketed drugs., Chiral Brønsted acid catalysis enables the synthesis of heterocyclic vicinal fluoroamines by asymmetric protonation. The reaction accommodates a range of azaheterocycles and nucleophiles, generating the C−F stereocentre in high enantioselectivity, and allows the formation of chiral C−CF3 bonds. DFT calculations provided insight into the reaction mechanism, and conformational control of the products is elucidated.

Funding: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (Grant Number(s): EP/L016419/1); FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (Grant Number(s): 279850) The generation of pyrrole- and indole-functionalized tetrasubstituted pyridines in a one-pot process from 2-(pyrrol-1-yl)acetic acid or 2-(indol-1-yl)acetic acid and α,β-unsaturated N-sulfonyl-ketimines is described. The process is proposed to operate via an isothiourea-catalyzed Michael addition-lactamization, followed by elimination of sulfinic acid and O-acylation to provide the final pyridine product. Publisher PDF

This project has received funding from: the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 685727; the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under awards EP/K005499/1 and EP/K039210/1; and the University of St Andrews School of Chemistry. Removal of coordinated water molecules from the porous Zn‐pyromellitate metal organic framework Zn5(OH)2(PMA)2(H2O)4 · x H2O (PMA = pyromellitic acid or 1,2,4,5‐benzene tetracarboxylic acid) should generate coordinatively unsaturated metal sites suitable for gas adsorption. However, reports of instability towards dehydration have restricted the study and utility of this MOF. Here we examine in more detail the nature of the structural transformation that occurs upon dehydration. This study reveals that a fully reversible crystalline‐crystalline transformation from a porous to a non‐porous homologue takes place, proceeding through a partially dehydrated intermediate. We show that doping the structure with Ni2+ ions at greater than 30 % prevents structural rearrangement, thereby maintaining porosity, and rendering the material effective for gas (nitric oxide) adsorption applications. These results indicate that doping can be an effective means to increase the utility of otherwise unserviceable structures. Publisher PDF

We would like to thank the University of St Andrews, and the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Critical Resource Catalysis (CRITICAT) for financial support [Ph.D. studentship to SG; Grant code: EP/L016419/1], and the EPSRC for funding of JAF (EP/M003868/1).

Syngenta (Case Award to DJP) and a Philip Leverhulme Prize for funding (SLC, AE). RKM and PHW are grateful to the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund and National Science Foundation (NSF-MRI: CHE-1429616). The importance of 1,5-O···chalcogen (Ch) interactions in isochalcogenourea catalysis (Ch = O, S, Se) is investigated. Conformational analyses of N-acyl isochalcogenouronium species and comparison with kinetic data demonstrate the significance of 1,5-O···Ch interactions in enantioselective catalysis. Importantly, the selenium analogue demonstrates enhanced rate and selectivity profiles across a range of reaction processes including nitronate conjugate addition and formal [4+2] cycloadditions. A gram-scale synthesis of the most active selenium analogue was developed using a previously unreported seleno-Hugerschoff reaction, allowing the challenging kinetic resolutions of tertiary alcohols to be performed at 500 ppm catalyst loading. Density Functional Theory (DFT) and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations support the role of orbital delocalization (occurring by intramolecular chalcogen bonding) in determining the conformation, equilibrium population, and reactivity of N-acylated intermediates. Postprint

The research leading to these results has received funding from the ERC under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/E.R.C. grant agreement n° 279850. A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. We thank the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility at Swansea University. P.H.-Y.C. is the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professor and gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Stone Family of OSU. Financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (CHE-1352663) is acknowledged. D.M.W. acknowledges the Bruce Graham and Johnson Fellowships of OSU. D.M.W. and P.H.-Y.C. acknowledge computing infrastructure in part provided by the NSF Phase-2 CCI, Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CHE-1102637). The full scope and limitations of the catalytic acylative kinetic resolution of a range of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (78 examples, s up to >200) is reported under operationally-simple conditions, using low loadings of a commercially available Lewis basic isothiourea catalyst, HyperBTM (generally 1 mol %). The protocol is highly effective for the kinetic resolution of 3-substituted 3-hydroxyoxindole and α-substituted α-hydroxylactam derivatives bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. The full power of this methodology has been showcased through the synthesis of highly enantioenriched biologically-active target compounds in both enantiomeric forms. To provide further insight into the reaction mechanism, a detailed kinetic analysis of this Lewis base-catalyzed acylation of tertiary alcohols is reported using the variable time normalization analysis (VTNA) method. Postprint

We thank the University of St Andrews and the EPSRC for the award of a DTA studentship (S.E.-D.). We would also like to thank the EPSRC, University of St Andrews, and CRITICAT Centre for Doctoral Training for financial support [Ph.D. studentships to B.M.H, E.B.M and L.J.D; Grant code: EP/L016419/1]. J.E.T thanks the Leverhulme Trust for the award of an Early Career Fellowship (Grant code: ECF-2014-005). A combination of pentafluorophenylboronic acid and oxalic acid catalyses the dehydrative substitution of benzylic alcohols with a second alcohol to form new C-O bonds. This method has been applied to the intermolecular substitution of benzylic alcohols to form symmetrical ethers, intramolecular cyclisations of diols to form aryl-substituted tetrahydrofuran and tetrahydropyran derivatives, and intermolecular crossed-etherification reactions between two different alcohols. Mechanistic control experiments have identified a potential catalytic intermediate formed between the arylboronic acid and oxalic acid. Postprint

Selectively fluorinated hydrocarbons continue to attract attention for tuning pharmacokinetic properties in agrochemical and pharmaceutical discovery programmes. This study identifies benzylic bromination of phenyl all-cis-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorocyclohexane 2 as a key reaction for accessing building blocks containing the all-cis-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorocyclohexane ring system. These cyclohexanes are of interest as the fluorines are only on one face of the cyclohexane, and this imparts an unusual polar aspect, very different to an otherwise hydrophobic cyclohexane. Ritter type reactions of benzyl bromide 4 with DMF and acetonitrile generated the corresponding benzyl alcohol 6 and benzylacetamide 7 respectively. Benzylacetamide 7 was hydrolysed to benzyl amine 8 and syn-amino-alcohol 9, and separately the phenyl ring was oxidatively cleaved to furnish carboxylic acid acetamide 10, which after hydrolysis gave the tetrafluorocyclohexyl amino acid 11. A trans-halogenation of benzylbromide 4 with AgF2 gave benzyl fluoride 13. Oxidative cleavage of the aryl ring then gave pentafluorocyclohexyl carboxylic acid 14. This carboxylic acid was readily converted to amides 23-26 and the preferred conformations of these α-fluoroamides were explored by DFT, X-ray structure and 1 H-19 F HOESY NMR analysis.

We would like to thank the ERC (EU FP7 Consolidator Grant 614290 “EXONMR”) and EPSRC for computational support through the Collaborative Computational Project on NMR Crystallography (CCP-NC), via EP/M022501/1 and EP/J010510/1. SEA would like to thank the Royal Society and the Wolfson Foundation for a merit award. The research data (and/or materials) supporting this publication can be accessed at DOI: 10.17630/d0b365a1-b647-4556-b6f8-24d99d0c7a8a. A series of P−E‐containing heterocycles (E=chalcogen) with aromatic backbones were synthesised and characterised by single‐crystal and powder XRD, microanalysis and mass spectrometry. Solution‐ and solid‐state 31P and 77Se NMR spectroscopy revealed significant differences between the NMR parameters in solution and in the solid state, related to conformational changes in the molecules. Many compounds were shown to exhibit a number of different polymorphic structures (identified by single‐crystal XRD), although the bulk material studied by solid‐state NMR spectroscopy often contained just one major polymorph. For the unoxidised heterocycles, the presence of weak intermolecular J couplings was also investigated by DFT calculations. Publisher PDF

The research leading to these results has received funding from the ERC under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/E.R.C. grant agreement n° 279850 and the EPSRC (EP/J500549/1). A.D.S. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. P.H.-Y.C. is the Bert and Emelyn Christensen Professor and gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Stone Family of OSU. Financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (CHE-1352663) is acknowledged. D.M.W. acknowledges the Bruce Graham and Johnson Fellowships of OSU. D.M.W. and P.H.-Y.C. acknowledge computing infrastructure in part provided by the NSF Phase-2 CCI, Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CHE-1102637). A combination of experimental and computational studies have identified a C=O•••isothiouronium interaction as key to efficient enantiodiscrimination in the kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. This discrimination was exploited in the isothiourea-catalyzed acylative kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (38 examples, s factors up to > 200). The reaction proceeds at low catalyst loadings (generally 1 mol %) with either isobutyric or acetic anhydride as the acylating agent under mild conditions Postprint

The authors gratefully acknowledge the European Commission (EC) for funding through the seventh framework program SYNFLOW, the European Research Council (ERC) (Advanced Investigator Award “FUNCAT” to S. P. N.), The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and AstraZeneca (Studentship to C. M. Z.). The influence of C4,5-halogenation on palladium N-heterocyclic carbene complexes and their activity in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction have been investigated. Two [Pd(NHC)(cin)Cl] complexes bearing IPrCl and IPrBr ligands were synthesized. After determining electronic and steric properties of these ligands, their properties were compared to those of [Pd(IPr)(cin)Cl]. The three palladium complexes were studied using DFT calculations to delineate their behaviour in the activation step leading to the putative 12-electron active catalyst. Experimentally, their catalytic activity in the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction involving a wide range of coupling partners (30 entries) at low catalyst loading was studied. Postprint

We have synthesized and characterized new gold-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes derived from the deprotonation of mineral acids. The use of sulfuric acid was a particularly interesting case. These complexes were tested in known gold-catalyzed reactions, such as the hydration of alkynes and the Meyer–Schuster rearrangement. They proved to be highly efficient in both reactions.

The improved synthesis of γ-, δ- and ϵ-lactones using a dinuclear N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-gold(I) catalyst is reported. This solvent-free process provides access to γ- and δ-lactones in high regio- and stereoselectivity. Reactions were performed at low catalyst loadings and without the need for any additives. The use of a digold pre-catalyst provides a new synthetic route to functionalised ϵ-lactones, poorly accessible using previous methodologies.

The authors thank the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (ADS) and the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013), ERC Grant Agreement No. 279850 (KK), the authors also thank the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility at Swansea University. The cinchona alkaloid-catalysed enantioselective formal [4+2] cycloaddition of ethyl 2,3-butadienoate with a range of 1,1,1-trifluoro- and 4,4,4-trifluorobutenones is investigated for the preparation of stereodefined 6- and 4-trifluoromethyl-substituted dihydropyrans. Quinidine proved to be the optimal catalyst, generating the desired products in up to 98 % ee and 81 % yield. Stereo- and chemoselective derivatization of the dihydropyrans through hydrogenation is explored. Postprint

This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the European Research Council (ERC). The authors acknowledge the EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry Facility (Swansea). M.Y. thanks the China Scholarship Council for financial support. D.O'H. thanks the Royal Society for a Wolfson Research Merit Award. The difluoromethylene (CF2) group has a strong tendency to adopt corner over edge locations in aliphatic macrocycles. In this study, the CF2 group has been introduced into musk relevant macrocyclic ketones. Nine civetone and five muscone analogues have been prepared by synthesis for structure and odour comparisons. X-ray studies indeed show that the CF2 groups influence ring structure and they give some insight into the preferred ring conformations, triggering a musk odour as determined in a professional perfumery environment. The historical conformational model of Bersuker and co-workers for musk fragrance generally holds, and structures that become distorted from this consensus, by the particular placement of the CF2 groups, lose their musk fragrance and become less pleasant. Postprint

We are grateful to the University of St. Andrews for financial support and the EPSRC National Mass Spectrometry Service Centre (Swansea) for mass spectral measurements.

The authors thank the Royal Society Leverhulme Africa Program for funding this project. A 1,2-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinomethyl)benzene-modified palladium catalyst has been used to synthesize bifunctional monomers of different chain lengths from cardanol. Short-chain derivatives of cardanol, such as (E)-3-(dodec-8-enyl)phenol; HOPhC12-ene, (E)-3-(undec-8-enyl)phenol; HOPhC11-ene, (E)-3-(dec-8-enyl)phenol; HOPhC10-ene, and 3-(non-8-enyl)phenol; HOPhC9-ene, were synthesized by the metathesis of cardanol with symmetrical internal alkenes. These derivatives were methoxycarbonylated to produce monomers with different chain lengths such as methyl-16-(3-hydroxyphenyl)hexadecanoate; HOPhC15COOMe, methyl-13-(3-hydroxyphenyl)tridecanoate; HOPhC12COOMe, methyl-12-(3-hydroxyphenyl)dodecanoate; HOPhC11COOMe, methyl-11-(3-hydroxyphenyl)undecanoate; HOPhC10COOMe, and methyl-10-(3-hydroxyphenyl)decanoate; HOPhC9COOMe, respectively. Polymerization of the synthesized monomers produced oligomers that consist of up to seven monomer units as confirmed by MALDI-TOF-MS. Lactone formation was also observed in some cases under polymerization conditions. Postprint Postprint

KGaA, Weinheim.Herein, we present a detailed investigation of the mechanistic aspects of the dual gold-catalysed hydrophenoxylation of alkynes by both experimental and computational methods. The dissociation of [{Au(NHC)}2(μ-OH)][BF4] is essential to enter the catalytic cycle, and this step is favoured by the presence of bulky, non-coordinating counter ions. Moreover, in silico studies confirmed that phenol does not only act as a reactant, but also as a co-catalyst, lowering the energy barriers of several transition states. A gem-diaurated species might form during the reaction, but this lies deep within a potential energy well, and is likely to be an "off-cycle" rather than an "in-cycle" intermediate A.P. thanks the Spanish MINECO (project CTQ2014-59832-JIN and FEDER grant UNGI10-4E-801 and the European Commission for a Career Integration Grant (CIG09-GA-2011-293900)

The authors thank the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship (A.D.S.), and the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) ERC grant agreement no. 279850 (A.T.D.). The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed redox formal [2+2] cycloaddition between α-aroyloxyaldehydes and perfluoroketones, followed by ring-opening in situ delivers a variety of perfluorinated β-hydroxycarbonyl compounds in good yield, and excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Through a reductive work-up and subsequent cyclization, this protocol offers access to highly substituted fluorinated oxetanes in two steps and in high ee. Postprint

We gratefully acknowledge funding support from The Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2013-343) and EPSRC (EP/K005499/1). The ionothermal synthesis, structure, and magnetic susceptibility of a novel inorganic–organic hybrid material, imidazolium vanadium(III,IV) oxyfluoride [C3H5N2][V9O6F24(H2O)2] (ImVOF) are presented. The structure consists of inorganic vanadium oxyfluoride slabs with kagome layers of V4+ S = 1/2 equation image ions separated by a mixed valence layer. These inorganic slabs are intercalated with imidazolium cations. Quinuclidinium (Q) and pyrazinium (Pyz) cations can also be incorporated into the hybrid structure type to give QVOF and PyzVOF analogues, respectively. The highly frustrated topology of the inorganic slabs, along with the quantum nature of the magnetism associated with V4+, means that these materials are excellent candidates to host exotic magnetic ground states, such as the highly sought quantum spin liquid. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of all samples suggest an absence of conventional long-range magnetic order down to 2 K despite considerable antiferromagnetic exchange. Postprint Postprint

The ionothermal synthesis, structure, and magnetic susceptibility of a novel inorganic-organic hybrid material, imidazolium vanadium(III,IV) oxyfluoride [CHN][VOF(HO)] (ImVOF) are presented. The structure consists of inorganic vanadium oxyfluoride slabs with kagome layers of V S=${{ 1/2 }}$ ions separated by a mixed valence layer. These inorganic slabs are intercalated with imidazolium cations. Quinuclidinium (Q) and pyrazinium (Pyz) cations can also be incorporated into the hybrid structure type to give QVOF and PyzVOF analogues, respectively. The highly frustrated topology of the inorganic slabs, along with the quantum nature of the magnetism associated with V, means that these materials are excellent candidates to host exotic magnetic ground states, such as the highly sought quantum spin liquid. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of all samples suggest an absence of conventional long-range magnetic order down to 2 K despite considerable antiferromagnetic exchange. All in a spin: Antiferromagnetic crystalline solids with a kagome network of ions are desired as realizations of two-dimensional quantum spin liquids. Until recently, the few examples of these materials were all based on Cu ions. Now, the ionothermal synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of a family of inorganic-organic hybrid solids that contain antiferromagnetic kagome layers of V ions is presented.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Royal Society (University Research Fellowship to CSJC) and the DOE (DE-FG02-13ER16370) for financial support. The synthesis and characterization of abnormal N-heterocyclic carbene, cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbene, and mesoionic carbene copper(I) complexes are reported. These organometallic species are obtained via a versatile and inexpensive synthetic pathway using readily available reactants, namely copper oxide and iminium salts. The catalytic activity of this series of complexes was evaluated in the [3+2] cycloaddition of alkynes with azides (CuAAC). Outstanding catalytic properties were observed for the abnormal NHC- and triazolylidene-based copper(I) complexes. Postprint

The authors acknowledge financial support from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project 13-03-00072), the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Programme No.8, Project 8.14) and the Leverhulme Trust (Project IN-2012-094). I.G.I, N.V.V., E.A.C. and A.V.Z. are grateful to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation (Project of Joint Laboratories of Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and National Research Universities), and E.A.C. to the BP Company for postgraduate scholarship.

Determining the conformational preferences of molecules in solution remains a considerable challenge. Recently, the use of residual dipolar coupling (RDC) analysis has emerged as a key method to address this. Whilst to date the majority of the applications have focused on biomolecules including proteins and DNA, the use of RDCs for studying small molecules is gaining popularity. Having said that, the method continues to develop, and here, we describe an early case study of the quantification of conformer populations in small molecules using RDC analysis. Having been inspired to study conformational preferences by unexpected differences in the NMR spectra and the reactivity of related natural products, we showed that the use of more established techniques was unsatisfactory in explaining the experimental observations. The use of RDCs provided an improved understanding that, following use of methods to quantify conformer populations using RDCs, culminated in a rationalisation of the contrasting diastereoselectivities observed in a ketone reduction reaction. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Crystalline unsaturated lactone, 8-hydroxy-3-tridecyl-1H-isochromen-1-one (6) has been synthesized by isomerization of anacardic acid having heterogeneous alkyl side chains (a mixture of mono-, di-, and tri-unsaturated anacardic acid) (1). Hydrogenation of 8-hydroxy-3-tridecyl-1H-isochromen-1-one produced a saturated lactone, 8-hydroxy-3-tridecyl-3,4-dihydroisochromen-1-one (7). Isomerization of monoene anacardic acid resulted in a crystalline isoanacardic acid, (E)-2-hydroxy-6-(pentadec-1-enyl)benzoic acid (8) as a major product. This was then metathesized with 2-butene to give 3-prop-1-enylphenol (10). Both isomerization reactions used a 1,2-bis(ditertiarybutylphosphinomethyl)benzene modified palladium catalyst. The two products, 8-hydroxy-3-tridecyl-1H-isochromen-1-one and (E)-2-hydroxy-6-(pentadec-1-enyl)benzoic acid have been crystallographically characterized. Practical applications: Unsaturated lactones are structural elements often found in natural products, which have medicinal value. Benzolactones derived from anacardic acid reported in this work have some structural similarity with lactones such as massoia lactone having medicinal value. Therefore with this idea in mind, the unsaturated benzolactones reported in this work will be tested for their anti pathogenic activity. 3-Propylphenol is used in combination with racemic 1-octen-3-ol and p-cresol to prepare a kairomone for tsetse fly traps. Results from this work describe the suitability of anacardic acid for synthesizing 3-propylphenol. The fact that 3-propylphenol can be synthesized from anacardic acid, a component of cashew nut shell liquid is of particular interest since most of the areas affected with tsetse flies are suitable for growing cashew plants. This means the raw materials (CNSL) for synthesis of 3-propylphenol will be obtained from within the same region where the kairomone is to be applied, although we appreciate that specialized facilities would be required for the types of transformation described. Unsaturated benzolactone and a desired isomer of anacardic acid for synthesis of kairomone have been synthesized by isomerization of heterogeneous and monoene anacardic acid, respectively.

The authors thank the ERC (Advanced Researcher award-FUNCAT), 7th Framework Program NMP2-LA-2010-246461 (SYNFLOW), the EPSRC and King Saud University for funding. A general methodology for the α-arylation of ketones using a nickel catalyst has been developed. The new well-defined [Ni(IPr*)(cin)Cl] (1c) pre-catalyst showed great efficiency for this transformation, allowing the coupling of a wide range of ketones, including acetophenone derivatives, with various functionalised aryl chlorides. This cinnamyl-based Ni(NHC) complex has demonstrated a different behaviour to previously reported NHC-Ni catalysts. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest a Ni0/NiII catalytic cycle to be at play. Postprint

The work in this project was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). M.B. wishes to thank EaStCHEM and the University of St Andrews for support. Three related series of peri‐substituted bis(tellurides) bearing naphthalene, acenaphthene and acenaphthylene backbones (Nap/Acenap/Aceyl(TeY)2 (Nap=naphthalene‐1,8‐diyl N ; Acenap=acenaphthene‐5,6‐diyl A ; Aceyl=acenaphthylene‐5,6‐diyl Ay ; Y=Ph 1 ; Fp 2 ; Tol 3 ; An‐p­ 4 ; An‐o­ 5 ; Tp 6 ; Mes 7 ; Tip 8 ) have been synthesised and their solid‐state structures determined by X‐ray crystallography. Molecular conformations were classified as a function of the two C9‐C‐Te‐C(Y) dihedral angles (θ); in the solid all members adopt AB or CCt configurations, with larger Te(aryl) moieties exclusively imposing the CCt variant. Exceptionally large J(125Te,125Te) spin–spin coupling constants between 3289–3848 Hz were obtained for compounds substituted by bulky Te(aryl) groups, implying these species are locked in a CCt‐type conformation. In contrast, compounds incorporating smaller Te(aryl) moieties are predicted to be rather dynamic in solution and afford much smaller J values (2050–2676 Hz), characteristic of greater populations of AB conformers with lower couplings. This conformational dependence of through‐space coupling is supported by DFT calculations. Postprint

A new synthetic protocol that combines the advantages offered by eco-friendly solvent-free reactions and sequential transformations is reported. This strategy offers straightforward access to benzo[c]chromenes and benzo[b]furans from commercially available starting materials. This two-step, one-pot strategy consists of an Au-catalyzed hydrophenoxylation process followed by Pd-catalyzed C-H activation or Mizoroki-Heck reactions. The selectivity of the process towards C-H activation or Mizoroki-Heck reaction can be easily tuned.

This work was funded by EPSRC Grant Numbers: EP/I003479/1, EP/I003800/2. The paper was made open accees through RCUK block grant funds. Suitably functionalised carboxylic acids undergo a previously unknown photoredox reaction when irradiated with UVA in the presence of maleimide. Maleimide was found to synergistically act as a radical generating photoxidant and as a radical acceptor, negating the need for an extrinsic photoredox catalyst. Modest to excellent yields of the product chromenopyrroledione, thiochromenopyrroledione and pyrroloquinolinedione derivatives were obtained in thirteen preparative photolyses. In situ NMR spectroscopy was used to study each reaction. Reactant decay and product build-up were monitored, enabling reaction profiles to be plotted. A plausible mechanism, whereby photo-excited maleimide acts as an oxidant to generate a radical ion pair, has been postulated and is supported by UV/Vis. spectroscopy and DFT computations. The radical-cation reactive intermediates were also characterised in solution by EPR spectroscopy. Publisher PDF

Two new [Ni(allyl)Cl(NHC)] complexes with the bulky yet flexible N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands IPr* {N,N'-bis[2,6-bis(diphenylmethyl)-4-methylphenyl]imidazole-2-ylidene} and IPr*OMe {N,N'-bis[2,6-bis(diphenylmethyl)-4-methoxyphenyl]imidazol-2-ylidene} are reported. These complexes were employed in the amination and sulfination of aryl halide species and were shown to perform well in these reactions, which typically required less than half as much catalyst as previous state-of-the-art nickel complexes.

This work is supported by funding from the EPSRC UK A series of peri-substituted acenaphthylenes that contain mixed halogen-chalcogen functionalities at the 5,6-positions in 1-6 [Acenapyl[X](EPh) (Acenapyl = acenaphthylene-5,6-diyl; X = Br, I; E = S, Se, Te)] and chalcogen-chalcogen moieties in 7-11 [Acenap(EPh)(EPh) (Acenap = acenaphthene-5,6-diyl; E/E = S, Se, Te)] have been prepared from their corresponding acenaphthene analogues A1-A11 by utilising 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) for the dehydrogenation of the ethane backbone. The related dihalide compounds 13 and 14 Acenapyl[XX] (XX = BrBr, II) have also been prepared by following a similar procedure, and 1,2,5,6-tetrabromo-1,2-dihydroacenaphthylene A0 was prepared as an intermediate by following an alternative route to 13. The series of acenaphthylene compounds have remarkably similar molecular structures to their acenaphthene counterparts; they exhibit an expected increase in peri separation as heavier congeners occupy the close peri positions. The presence of the ethene bridge, however, naturally compresses the nearest bay angle as it increases the splay of the exocyclic peri atoms, thereby resulting in a minor increase in separation relative to equivalent acenaphthenes. The structures of 1-11, 13 and 14 are discussed and compared with previously reported analogous naphthalene and acenaphthene compounds. Similar to acenaphthene derivatives, aromatic ring conformations and the location of p-type lone pairs influences the geometry of the peri region. Under appropriate geometric conditions, quasi-linear three-body C-Ph-EZ (E = Te, Se, S; Z = Br/E) fragments provide an attractive component for the EZ interaction. DFT studies confirm the onset of formation of three-center, four-electron bonding, similar in extent to that observed in analogous acenaphthenes, despite an increase in the peri distances. Postprint

This work is funded by the EC through the Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie ITN project TADFlife. The St Andrews team would also like to thank the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2016- 047) and EPSRC (EP/P010482/1) for financial support. Computational resources have been provided by the Consortium des Équipements de Calcul Intensif (CÉCI), funded by the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifiques de Belgique (F.R.S.-FNRS) under Grant No. 2.5020.11, as well as the Tier-1 supercomputer of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, infrastructure funded by the Walloon Region under the grant agreement n1117545. AP acknowledges the financial support from the Marie Curie Fellowship (MILORD project, N°. 748042). DB is a FNRS Research Director. We thank Franck-Julian Kahle for support with data analysis. A new design strategy is introduced to address a persistent weakness with resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (R-TADF) emitters to reduce aggregation-caused quenching effects, which we identify as one of the key limiting factors. The emitter Mes3DiKTa shows an improved photoluminescence quantum yield of 80% compared to 75% for the reference DiKTa in 3.5 wt% mCP. Importantly, emission from aggregates, even at high doping concentrations, is eliminated and aggregation-caused quenching is strongly curtailed. For both molecules, triplets are almost quantitatively upconverted into singlets in electroluminescence, despite a significant (~0.21 eV) singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST), in line with correlated quantum-chemical calculations, and a slow reverse intersystem crossing. We speculate that the lattice stiffness responsible for the narrow fluorescence and phosphorescence emission spectra also protects the triplets against non-radiative decay. An improved EQEmax of 21.1% for Mes3DIKTa compared to the parent DiKTa (14.7%) and, importantly, reduced efficiency roll- off compared to literature resonance TADF OLEDs, shows the promise of this design strategy for future design of R-TADF emitters for OLED applications. Publisher PDF

Authors are grateful to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for support from grants EP/P010482/1 and EP/R035164/1, and to EPSRC NSF-CBET lead agency agreement (EP/R010595/1, 1706207). Dongyang Chen thanks the China Scholarship Council (201603780001). P. Rajamalli acknowledges support from a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (MCIF; No. 749557). Two bipolar host materials 3-CBPy and 4-mCBPy are reported. These hosts are structural analogs of the common host materials CBP and mCBP wherein the phenyl rings have been replaced with pyridines. The two materials possess deep HOMO and shallow LUMO levels along with sufficiently high energy S1 and T1 states that make them suitable hosts for yellow emitters in electroluminescent devices. Yellow-emitting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were fabricated using 2,4,6-tris(4-(10H-phenoxazin-10-yl)phenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (tri-PXZ-TRZ) as the dopant emitter with either 3-CBPy or 4-mCBPy employed as the host. Their device performance was compared to analogous devices using CBP and mCBP as host materials. The pyridine-containing host devices showed markedly improved external quantum efficiencies (EQE) and decreased roll-off. The 7 wt% tri-PXZ-TRZ-doped device exhibited very low turn-on voltage (2.5 V for both 3-CBPy and 4-mCBPy ) along with maximum external quantum efficiencies (EQEmax) reaching 15.6% (for 3-CBPy ) and 19.4% (for 4-mCBPy ). The device using 4-mCBPy also exhibited very low efficiency roll-off with an EQE of 16.0% at a luminance of 10,000 cd m-2. Postprint

Reaction of 2,4-bis(phenyl)-1,3-diselenadiphosphetane-2,4-diselenide (Woollins' reagent) with four equivalents of primary/secondary amines led to a series of ammonium phenylphosphonamido-diselenoates or phenylphosphonamido- diselenoic diamides 1a-n, the latter further reacted in situ with either two equivalents of haloalkanes or an equimolar amount of dihaloalkane, resulting in formation of the corresponding Se-alkylphenyl-Se-alkylphenyl- phosphonamidodiselenoates 2a-n and alkane bis(N-alkyl-P-phenylphosphonamido- diselenoate) derivatives 3a-n in good to excellent yields. All new compounds have been characterized spectroscopically including multinuclear NMR ( H, C, P and Se), IR and mass spectroscopy. Two representative X-ray structures are also described. Woollins' reagent has been applied as a highly efficient building block for the synthesis of organo selenium-phosphorus heteroatom compounds.

Hydrogenation of amides in the presence of [Ru(acac)3] (acacH=2,4-pentanedione), triphos [1,1,1-tris- (diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane] and methanesulfonic acid (MSA) produces secondary and tertiary amines with selectivities as high as 93% provided that there is at least one aromatic ring on N. The system is also active for the synthesis of primary amines. In an attempt to probe the role of MSA and the mechanism of the reaction, a range of methanesulfonato complexes has been prepared from [Ru(acac)3], triphos and MSA, or from reactions of [RuX(OAc)(triphos)] (X=H or OAc) or [RuH2(CO)(triphos)] with MSA. Crystallographically characterised complexes include: [Ru(OAc-κ(1)O)2(H2O)(triphos)], [Ru(OAc-κ(2)O,O')(CH3SO3-κ(1)O)(triphos)], [Ru(CH3SO3-κ(1)O)2(H2O)(triphos)] and [Ru2(μ-CH3SO3)3(triphos)2][CH3SO3], whereas other complexes, such as [Ru(OAc-κ(1)O)(OAc-κ(2)O,O')(triphos)], [Ru(CH3SO3-κ(1)O)(CH3SO3-κ(2)O,O')(triphos)], H[Ru(CH3SO3-κ(1)O)3(triphos)], [RuH(CH3SO3-κ(1)O)(CO)(triphos)] and [RuH(CH3SO3-κ(2)O,O')(triphos)] have been characterised spectroscopically. The interactions between these various complexes and their relevance to the catalytic reactions are discussed.

Cycloaddition of 3,4-dibromofuran with azo diesters proceeds by a Diels–Alder reaction followed by a novel rearrangement to give 3,5-dibromotetrahydropyridazin-4-ones. Variable-temperature NMR spectroscopy shows four separate conformations at low temperature attributed to restricted rotation about the carbamate functions. The ethyl compound decomposes upon storage with loss of the carbamate groups and aromatisation to give a simple bromohydroxypyridazinium salt.