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Deprotonation usually occurs as an unwanted side reaction in the Lewis pair polymerization of Michael acceptors, for which the conjugated addition of the Lewis base to the acid‐activated monomer is the commonly accepted initiation mechanism. This has also been reported for B−P‐based bridged Lewis pairs (BLPs) that form macrocyclic addition products. We now show that the formerly unwanted deprotonation is the likely initiation pathway in the case of Al−P‐based BLPs. In a detailed study of a series of Al−P‐based BLPs, using a combination of single‐crystal diffraction experiments (X‐ray and neutron) and mechanistic investigations (experimental and computational), an active role of the methylene bridge was revealed, acting as a base towards the α‐acidic monomers. Additionally, the polymerization studies proved a living behavior combined with significantly high activities, narrow molecular mass distributions, and the possibility of copolymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A new series of [Pd2(L)4] cages based on photochromic dithienylethene (DTE) ligands allowed us to gain insight into the successive photoswitching of multiple DTE moieties in a confined metallo‐supramolecular assembly. Three new X‐ray structures of [Pd2(o‐L4)4], [Pd2(o‐L1)2(c‐L1)2] and [Pd2(c‐L1)4] (o‐L and c‐L = open and closed forms of DTE ligands, respectively) were obtained. The structures deliver snapshots of three different combinations of DTE photoisomeric states within the cage, facilitating a comparison of the all‐open with the all‐closed, and most notably, an intermediate form where open and closed switches co‐exist in the same cage. Moreover, a series of spherical anionic borate clusters was introduced in order to study their roles in the light‐controllable host–guest chemistry. The binding guests show higher affinities with the flexible open cage [Pd2(o‐L1)4] than with the rigid closed cage [Pd2(c‐L1)4]. For the [B12F12]2− guest, thermodynamic data obtained from NMR experiments was compared to results from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new aspherical scattering factor formalism has been implemented in the crystallographic least‐squares refinement program SHELXL. The formalism relies on Gaussian functions and can optionally complement the independent atom model to take into account the deformation of electron‐density distribution due to chemical bonding and lone pairs. Asphericity contributions were derived from the electron density obtained from quantum‐chemical density functional theory computations of suitable model compounds that contain particular chemical environments, as defined by the invariom formalism. Thanks to a new algorithm, invariom assignment for refinement in SHELXL is automated. A suitable parameterization for each chemical environment within the new model was achieved by metaheuristics. Figures of merit, precision and accuracy of crystallographic least‐squares refinements improve significantly upon using the new model. A new aspherical scattering factor formalism was implemented in SHELXL. It relies on Gaussian functions and can optionally complement the independent atom model to take into account the deformation of electron‐density distribution due to chemical bonding and lone pairs. The automated atom‐type assignment was derived from the invariom formalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of metal‐mediated cages, having multiple cavities, was synthesized from PdII cations and tris‐ or tetrakis‐monodentate bridging ligands and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X‐ray methods. The peanut‐shaped [Pd3L14] cage deriving from the tris‐monodentate ligand L1 could be quantitatively converted into its interpenetrated [5Cl@Pd6L18] dimer featuring a linear {[Pd‐Cl‐]5Pd} stack as an unprecedented structural motif upon addition of chloride anions. Small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments showed that the cigar‐shaped assembly with a length of 3.7 nm aggregates into mono‐layered discs of 14 nm diameter via solvophobic interactions between the hexyl sidechains. The hepta‐cationic [5Cl@Pd6L18] cage was found to interact with polyanionic oligonucleotide double‐strands under dissolution of the aggregates in water, rendering the compound class interesting for applications based on non‐covalent DNA binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Angewandte Chemie is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Crystallography and quantum mechanics have always been tightly connected because reliable quantum mechanical models are needed to determine crystal structures. Due to this natural synergy, nowadays accurate distributions of electrons in space can be obtained from diffraction and scattering experiments. In the original definition of quantum crystallography (QCr) given by Massa, Karle and Huang, direct extraction of wavefunctions or density matrices from measured intensities of reflections or, conversely, ad hoc quantum mechanical calculations to enhance the accuracy of the crystallographic refinement are implicated. Nevertheless, many other active and emerging research areas involving quantum mechanics and scattering experiments are not covered by the original definition although they enable to observe and explain quantum phenomena as accurately and successfully as the original strategies. Therefore, we give an overview over current research that is related to a broader notion of QCr, and discuss options how QCr can evolve to become a complete and independent domain of natural sciences. The goal of this paper is to initiate discussions around QCr, but not to find a final definition of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The self‐assembly of eight PdII cations and sixteen phenanthrene‐derived bridging ligands with 60° bite angles yielded a novel M8L16 metallosupramolecular architecture composed of two interlocked D4h‐symmetric barrel‐shaped containers. Mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and X‐ray analysis revealed this self‐assembled structure to be a very large “Hopf link” catenane featuring channel‐like cavities, which are occupied by NO3− anions. The importance of the anions as catenation templates became imminent when we observed the nitrate‐triggered structural rearrangement of a mixture of M3L6 and M4L8 assemblies formed in the presence of BF4− anions into the same interlocked molecule. Furthermore, the densely packed structure of the M8L16 catenane was exploited in the preparation of a hexyloxy‐functionalized analogue, which further self‐assembled into vesicle‐like aggregates in a reversible manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trans-epoxysuccinyl amide group as a biologically active moiety in cysteine protease inhibitors such as loxistatin acid E64c has been used as a benchmark system for theoretical studies of environmental effects on the electron density of small active ingredients in relation to their biological activity. Here, the synthesis and the electronic properties of the smallest possible active site model compound are reported to close the gap between the unknown experimental electron density of trans-epoxysuccinyl amides and the well-known function of related drugs. Intramolecular substituent effects are separated from intermolecular crystal packing effects on the electron density, which allows us to predict the conditions under which an experimental electron density investigation on trans-epoxysuccinyl amides will be possible. In this context, the special importance of the carboxylic acid function in the model compound for both crystal packing and biological activity is revealed through the novel tool of model energy analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferrocene, Cp2Fe, is quantitatively protonated in a mixture of liquid HF/PF5 to yield [Cp2FeH](PF6), which was characterized by 1H/13C NMR and 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis at 100 K revealed a disordered, iron-coordinated hydrido ligand, which was unambiguously located by aspherical atom refinement at 100 K, and by analyzing the non-disordered crystal structure at 30 K, revealing a non-agostic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pentaphosphaferrocenes [CpRFe(η5-P5)] ( 1) and CuI halides are excellent building blocks for the formation of discrete supramolecules. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of Cu(CF3SO3) for the construction of the novel 2D polymer [{Cp*Fe(μ4,η5:1:1:1-P5)}{Cu(CF3SO3)}]n ( 2) and the unprecedented nanosphere (CH2Cl2)1.4@[{CpBnFe(η5-P5)}12{Cu(CF3SO3)}19.6] ( 3). The supramolecule 3 has a unique scaffold beyond the fullerene topology, with 20 copper atoms statistically distributed over the 30 vertices of an icosidodecahedron. Combinatorics was used to interpret the average disordered structure of the supramolecules. In this case, only two pairs of enantiomers with D5 and D2 symmetry are possible for bidentate bridging coordination of the triflate ligands. DFT calculations showed that differences in the energies of the isomers are negligible. The benzyl ligands enhance the solubility of 3, enabling NMR-spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Modelling coordination compounds has been shown to be feasible using the invariom method; for the best fit to a given set of diffraction data, additional steps other than using lookup tables of scattering factors need to be carried out. Here such procedures are applied to a number of `duplicate structures', where structures of two or more supposedly different coordination complexes with identical ligand environments, but with different 3 d metal ions, were published. However, only one metal atom can be plausibly correct in these structures, and other spectroscopic data are unavailable. Using aspherical scattering factors, a structure can be identified as correct from the deposited Bragg intensities alone and modelling only the ligand environment often suffices to make this distinction. This is not possible in classical refinements using the independent atom model. Quantum-chemical computations of the better model obtained after aspherical-atom refinement further confirm the assignment of the element in the respective figures of merit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological analysis using Bader and co-worker's Atoms in Molecules theory has seen many applications in theoretical chemistry and experimental charge-density research. A brief overview of successful early developments, establishing topological analysis as a research tool for characterizing intramolecular chemical bonding, is provided. A lack of vision in many `descriptive but not predictive' subsequent studies is discussed. Limitations of topology for providing accurate energetic estimates of intermolecular interaction energies are put into perspective. It is recommended that topological analyses of well understood bonding situations are phased out and are only reported for unusual bonding. Descriptive studies of intermolecular interactions should have a clear research focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amino acid structures are an ideal test set for method-development studies in crystallography. High-resolution X-ray diffraction data for eight previously studied genetically encoding amino acids are provided, complemented by a non-standard amino acid. Structures were re-investigated to study a widely applicable treatment that permits accurate X−H bond lengths to hydrogen atoms to be obtained: this treatment combines refinement of positional hydrogen-atom parameters with aspherical scattering factors with constrained 'TLS+INV' estimated hydrogen anisotropic displacement parameters (H-ADPs). Tabulated invariom scattering factors allow rapid modeling without further computations, and unconstrained Hirshfeld atom refinement provides a computationally demanding alternative when database entries are missing. Both should incorporate estimated H-ADPs, as free refinement frequently leads to over-parameterization and non-positive definite H-ADPs irrespective of the aspherical scattering model used. Using estimated H-ADPs, both methods yield accurate and precise X−H distances in best quantitative agreement with neutron diffraction data (available for five of the test-set molecules). This work thus solves the last remaining problem to obtain such results more frequently. Density functional theoretical QM/MM computations are able to play the role of an alternative benchmark to neutron diffraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of a centrally functionalized, ribbon-shaped [ 6]polynorbornane ligand L that self-assembles with PdII cations into a {Pd2 L4} coordination cage is reported. The shape-persistent {Pd2 L4} cage contains two axial cationic centers and an array of four equatorial H-bond donors pointing directly towards the center of the cavity. This precisely defined supramolecular environment is complementary to the geometry of classic octahedral complexes [M(XY)6] with six diatomic ligands. Very strong binding of [Pt(CN)6]2− to the cage was observed, with the structure of the host-guest complex {[Pt(CN)6]@Pd2L4} supported by NMR spectroscopy, MS, and X-ray data. The self-assembled shell imprints its geometry on the encapsulated guest, and desymmetrization of the octahedral platinum species by the influence of the D4 h-symmetric second coordination sphere was evidenced by IR spectroscopy. [Fe(CN)6]3− and square-planar [Pt(CN)4]2− were strongly bound. Smaller octahedral anions such as [SiF6]2−, neutral carbonyl complexes ([M(CO)6]; M=Cr, Mo, W) and the linear [Ag(CN)2]− anion were only weakly bound, showing that both size and charge match are key factors for high-affinity binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduction of the neutral carbene tetrachlorosilane adduct (cAAC)SiCl4 (cAAC=cyclic alkyl(amino) carbene :C(CMe2)2(CH2)N(2,6-iPr2C6H3) with potassium graphite produces stable (cAAC)3Si3, a carbene-stabilized triatomic silicon(0) molecule. The Si−Si bond lengths in (cAAC)3Si3 are 2.399(8), 2.369(8) and 2.398(8) Å, which are in the range of Si−Si single bonds. Each trigonal pyramidal silicon atom of the triangular molecule (cAAC)3Si3 possesses a lone pair of electrons. Its bonding, stability, and electron density distributions were studied by quantum chemical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invariom partitioning and notation are used to estimate anisotropic hydrogen displacements for incorporation in crystallographic refinement models. Optimized structures of the generalized invariom database and their frequency computations provide the information required: frequencies are converted to internal atomic displacements and combined with the results of a TLS (translation-libration-screw) fit of experimental non-hydrogen anisotropic displacement parameters to estimate those of H atoms. Comparison with TLS+ONIOM and neutron diffraction results for four example structures where high-resolution X-ray and neutron data are available show that electron density transferability rules established in the invariom approach are also suitable for streamlining the transfer of atomic vibrations. A new segmented-body TLS analysis program called APD-Toolkit has been coded to overcome technical limitations of the established program THMA. The influence of incorporating hydrogen anisotropic displacement parameters on conventional refinement is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the crystal structure of the title homoleptic CrII complex, [Cr(CH3CN)6](C24H20B)2·CH3CN, the [Cr(CH3CN)6]2+ cation is a high-spin d4 complex with strong static, rather than dynamic, Jahn-Teller distortion. The electron density of the cation was determined by single-crystal X-ray refinements using aspherical structure factors from wavefunction calculations. The detailed picture of the electronic density allowed us to assess the extent and directionality of the Jahn-Teller distortion of the CrII cation away from idealized octahedral symmetry. The topological analysis of the aspherical d-electron density about the CrII cation showed that there are significant valence charge concentrations along the axial Cr-N axes. Likewise, there were significant valence charge depletions about the CrII cation along the equatorial Cr-N bonds. These charge concentrations are in accordance with a Jahn-Teller-distorted six-coordinate complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An elegant general synthesis route for the preparation of two coordinate palladium(0) and platinum(0) complexes was developed by reacting commercially available tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium/platinum with π-accepting cyclic alkyl(amino) carbenes (cAACs). The complexes are characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The palladium complexes exhibit sharp color changes (crystallochromism) from dark maroon to bright green if the C-Pd-C bond angle is sharpened by approximately 6°, which is chemically feasible by elimination of one lattice THF solvent molecule. The analogous dark orange-colored platinum complexes are more rigid and thus do not show this phenomenon. Additionally, [(cAAC)2Pd/Pt] complexes can be quasi-reversibly oxidized to their corresponding [(cAAC)2Pd/Pt]+ cations, as evidenced by cyclic voltammetry measurements. The bonding and stability are studied by theoretical calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple self-assembled [Pd2 L4] coordination cage consisting of four carbazole-based ligands was found to dimerize into the interpenetrated double cage [3 X@Pd4 L8] upon the addition of 1.5 equivalents of halide anions (X=Cl−, Br−). The halide anions serve as templates, as they are sandwiched by four PdII cations and occupy the three pockets of the entangled cage structure. The subsequent addition of larger amounts of the same halide triggers another structural conversion, now yielding a triply catenated link structure in which each PdII node is trans-coordinated by two pyridine donors and two halide ligands. This simple system demonstrates how molecular complexity can increase upon a gradual change of the relative concentrations of reaction partners that are able to serve different structural roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Angewandte Chemie is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Compound (Me2-cAAC:)2Co0 ( 2; Me2-cAAC:=cyclic (alkyl) amino carbene; :C(CH2)(CMe2)2N-2,6- iPr2C6H3) was synthesized by the reduction of the precursor (Me2-cAAC:)2CoICl ( 1) with KC8 in THF. The cyclic voltammogram of 1 exhibited one-electron reduction, which suggests that synthesis of a bent 2-metallaallene ( 2) from 1 should be possible. Compound 2 contains one cobalt atom in the formal oxidation state zero, which is stabilized by two Me2-cAAC: ligands. Bond lengths from X-ray diffraction are 1.871(2) and 1.877(2) Å with a C-Co-C bond angle of 170.12(8)°. The EPR spectrum of 2 exhibited a broad resonance attributed to the unique quasi-linear structure, which favors near degeneracy and gives rise to very rapid relaxation conditions. The cAACCo bond in 2 can be considered as a typical Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson type of bonding, which in turn retains 2.5 electron pairs on the Co atom as nonbonding electrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature dependence of H- Uiso in N-acetyl-L-4-hydroxyproline monohydrate is investigated. Imposing a constant temperature-independent multiplier of 1.2 or 1.5 for the riding hydrogen model is found to be inaccurate, and severely underestimates H- Uiso below 100 K. Neutron diffraction data at temperatures of 9, 150, 200 and 250 K provide benchmark results for this study. X-ray diffraction data to high resolution, collected at temperatures of 9, 30, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200 and 250 K (synchrotron and home source), reproduce neutron results only when evaluated by aspherical-atom refinement models, since these take into account bonding and lone-pair electron density; both invariom and Hirshfeld-atom refinement models enable a more precise determination of the magnitude of H-atom displacements than independent-atom model refinements. Experimental efforts are complemented by computing displacement parameters following the TLS+ONIOM approach. A satisfactory agreement between all approaches is found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the structure of fluconazole [systematic name: 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-1,3-bis(1 H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol] monohydrate, C13H12F2N6O·H2O, a case study on different model refinements is reported, based on single-crystal X-ray diffraction data measured at 100 K with Cu Kα radiation to a resolution of sin θ/λ of 0.6 Å−1. The structure, anisotropic displacement parameters (ADPs) and figures of merit from the independent atom model are compared to `invariom' and `Hirshfeld atom' refinements. Changing from a spherical to an aspherical atom model lowers the figures of merit and improves both the accuracy and the precision of the geometrical parameters. Differences between results from the two aspherical-atom refinements are small. However, a refinement of ADPs for H atoms is only possible with the Hirshfeld atom density model. It gives meaningful results even at a resolution of 0.6 Å−1, but requires good low-order data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein-DNA interactions play a major role in all aspects of genetic activity within an organism, such as transcription, packaging, rearrangement, replication and repair. The molecular detail of protein-DNA interactions can be best visualized through crystallography, and structures emphasizing insight into the principles of binding and base-sequence recognition are essential to understanding the subtleties of the underlying mechanisms. An increasing number of high-quality DNA-binding protein structure determinations have been witnessed despite the fact that the crystallographic particularities of nucleic acids tend to pose specific challenges to methods primarily developed for proteins. Crystallographic structure solution of protein-DNA complexes therefore remains a challenging area that is in need of optimized experimental and computational methods. The potential of the structure-solution program ARCIMBOLDO for the solution of protein-DNA complexes has therefore been assessed. The method is based on the combination of locating small, very accurate fragments using the program Phaser and density modification with the program SHELXE. Whereas for typical proteins main-chain α-helices provide the ideal, almost ubiquitous, small fragments to start searches, in the case of DNA complexes the binding motifs and DNA double helix constitute suitable search fragments. The aim of this work is to provide an effective library of search fragments as well as to determine the optimal ARCIMBOLDO strategy for the solution of this class of structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A neutral C4 cumulene 1 that includes a cyclic alkyl(amino) carbene (cAAC), its air-stable radical cation 1.+, and dication 12+ have been synthesized. The redox property of 1.+ was studied by cyclic voltammetry. EPR and theoretical calculations show that the unpaired electron in 1.+ is mainly delocalized over the central C4 backbone. The commercially available CBr4 is utilized as a source of dicarbon in the cumulene synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The (cAAC)2Mn complex (cAAC=cyclic alkyl(amino)carbene) features a linear two‐coordinate Mn center. The antiferromagnetic coupling of a radical electron, delocalized on two carbene C atoms, with the central MnI having d6 electronic configuration, mainly contributes to the ST=3/2 ground state. Treatment of (cAAC)2Mn with H2 at RT resulted in the addition of H atoms at both “carbene” C atoms, leaving the central Mn atom in the ST=5/2 spin ground state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radical change: Cyclic alkyl(amino) carbenes formed zwitterionic adducts with SiCl4, which were further converted into carbon‐centered stable radicals by changing the donor‐acceptor C→Si coordinate bond into a CSi covalent bond through a KC8 reduction. As the carbon radical site was directly bonded to a SiCl3 unit, a radical center that is right next to an acceptor has been generated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the search for new compounds to protect plants from fungi, an endophytic fungus, Epicoccum sp. CAFTBO, obtained from Theobroma cacao was found to produce three polyoxygenated polyketides, namely epicolactone ( 1) and epicoccolides A ( 2) and B ( 3), together with seven known metabolites. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by a combination of detailed spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses as well as DFT calculations of the electronic circular dichroism spectra and the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 1. Compounds 1- 3 showed potent antimicrobial activities and significant inhibitory effects on the mycelial growth of two peronosporomycete phytopathogens, Pythium ultimum and Aphanomyces cochlioides, and the basidiomycetous fungus Rhizoctonia solani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of LSi tBu [L = PhC(N tBu)2] ( 1) with 4,4′-bis(dimethylamino)thiobenzophenone resulted in the [1+2]-cycloaddition product silathiacyclopropane 3, bearing a three-membered SiCS ring. The reaction of LSiC(SiMe3)3 ( 2) with 3,5-di- tert-butyl- o-benzoquinone leads to the [1+4]-cycloaddition product 4. In 3 the silicon atom is five- and in 4 it is four-coordinate. Compounds 3 and 4 were characterized by spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques. The molecular structures of 1, 3, and 4 were unequivocally established by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 3+3-type synthesis of a pyrazole-based expanded porphyrin 22 H4, a hexaphyrin analogue named Siamese-twin porphyrin, and its homobimetallic diamagnetic nickel(II) and paramagnetic copper(II) complexes, 22 Ni2 and 22 Cu2, are described. The structure of the macrocycle composed of four pyrroles and two pyrazoles all linked by single carbon atoms, can be interpreted as two conjoined porphyrin-like subunits, with the two opposing pyrazoles acting as the fusion points. Variable-temperature 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses suggested a conformationally flexible structure for 22 H4. NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopic evidence as well as structural parameters proved the macrocycle to be non-aromatic, though each half of the molecule is fully conjugated. UV/Vis and NMR spectroscopic titrations of the free base macrocycle with acid showed it to be dibasic. In the complexes, each metal ion is coordinated in a square-planar fashion by a dianionic, porphyrin-like {N4} binding pocket. The solid-state structures of the dication and both metal complexes were elucidated by single-crystal diffractometry. The conformations of the three structures are all similar to each other and strongly twisted, rendering the molecules chiral. The persistent helical twist in the protonated form of the free base and in both metal complexes permitted resolution of these enantiomeric helimers by HPLC on a chiral phase. The absolute stereostructures of 22 H62+, 22 Ni2, and 22 Cu2 were assigned by a combination of experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) investigations and quantum-chemical ECD calculations. The synthesis of the first member of this long-sought class of expanded porphyrin-like macrocycles lays the foundation for the study of the interactions of the metal centers within their bimetallic complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rigid-bond model [Hirshfeld (1976). Acta Cryst. A 32, 239-244] states that the mean-square displacements of two atoms are equal in the direction of the bond joining them. This criterion is widely used for verification (as intended by Hirshfeld) and also as a restraint in structure refinement as suggested by Rollett [ Crystallographic Computing (1970), edited by F. R. Ahmed et al., pp. 167-181. Copenhagen: Munksgaard]. By reformulating this condition, so that the relative motion of the two atoms is required to be perpendicular to the bond, the number of restraints that can be applied per anisotropic atom is increased from about one to about three. Application of this condition to 1,3-distances in addition to the 1,2-distances means that on average just over six restraints can be applied to the six anisotropic displacement parameters of each atom. This concept is tested against very high resolution data of a small peptide and employed as a restraint for protein refinement at more modest resolution ( e.g. 1.7 Å). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ShelXle is a graphical user interface for SHELXL [Sheldrick, G. M. (2008). Acta Cryst. A 64, 112-122], currently the most widely used program for small-molecule structure refinement. It combines an editor with syntax highlighting for the SHELXL-associated .ins (input) and .res (output) files with an interactive graphical display for visualization of a three-dimensional structure including the electron density ( Fo) and difference density ( Fo- Fc) maps. Special features of ShelXle include intuitive atom (re-)naming, a strongly coupled editor, structure visualization in various mono and stereo modes, and a novel way of displaying disorder extending over special positions. ShelXle is completely compatible with all features of SHELXL and is written entirely in C++ using the Qt4 and FFTW libraries. It is available at no cost for Windows, Linux and Mac-OS X and as source code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study of the electrostatic and structural properties incurred with different pseudoatom databases. Structure refinement was performed using aspherical scattering factors calculated from the transferable aspherical atom model (TAAM) and TAAMs were compared to experimental multipolar and theoretical models computed from density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Results showed that structural properties incurred from different database models are the same with each other.

The article examines the crystal structure of ciprofloxacin-2,2-difluoroethanol (2/3) and ciprofloxacin-water (3/14.5). The first compound contains two zwitterionic ciprofloxacin molecules and three difluorethanol solvent molecules, while the other has three zwitterionic ciprofloxacin molecules and a mixture of ordered and disordered water molecules. The intermolecular interactions of these compounds were also analyzed using fingerprint plots from Hirshfield surfaces.

Bergenin, which has been isolated from a variety of tropical plants, has several pharmacological applications in traditional Asian medicine. Its electron-density distribution was obtained from a room-temperature low-resolution X-ray data set measured with point detection making use of multipole populations from the invariom library. Two refinement models were considered. In a first step, positional parameters and ADPs were refined with fixed library multipoles (model El). This model was suitable to be input into a second refinement of multipoles (model E2), which converged smoothly although based on Cu Kαroom-temperature data. Quantitative results of a topological analysis of the electron density from both models were compared with Hartree-Fock and density- functional calculations. With respect to the independent atom model (JAM) more information can be extracted from invariom modelling, including the electrostatic potential and hydrogen-bond energies, which are highly useful, especially for biologically active compounds. The reliability of the applied invariom formalism was assessed by a comparison of bond-topological properties of sucrose, for which high- resolution multipole and invariom densities were available. Since a conventional X-ray diffraction experiment using basic equipment was combined with the easy-to-use invariom formalism, the procedure described here for bergenin illustrates how it can be routinely applied in pharmacological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation damage is one of the major impediments in obtaining high-resolution structural information utilizing ionizing radiation. From electron microscopy it is known that electron irradiation of biological samples results in the formation of molecular hydrogen. In the present work radiation-induced structural changes of the polypeptide cyclosporine A were observed at a temperature of 100 K. Bond length changes are thought to be due to radiation-induced hydrogen abstraction which chemically modifies the molecules in an irreversible way. The resulting formation of molecular hydrogen might explain the observed increase of the crystal mosaicity, which has also been reported in many previous radiation damage studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-resolution dataset of the tripeptidel-alanyl-l-prolyl-l-alanine hydrate was measured at 100 K using synchrotron radiation and CCD area detection. Electron densities were obtained from a full multipole refinement of the X-ray experimental data, from an invariom transfer and from a theoretical calculation. Topological and atomic properties were derived via an AIM analysis [Atoms in Molecules; see Bader (1990). Atoms in Molecules: A Quantum Theory, No. 22 in International Series of Monographs on Chemistry, 1st ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press] of these densities and compared with each other, as well as with results from the literature of other oligopeptides and amino acids. By application of the invariom formalism to a dataset of limited resolution, its performance was compared with a conventional spherical refinement, highlighting the possibility of aspherically modelling routine structure-determination experiments. The hydrogen-bonding scheme was subject to a detailed analysis according to the criteria of Koch & Popelier [(1995), J. Phys. Chem. 99, 9747–9754] as well as to the characterization of Espinosa et al. [(1998), Chem. Phys. Lett. 285, 170–173; (1999), Acta Cryst. B 55, 563–572; (2002), J. Chem. Phys. 117, 5529–5542] using the results from the refined and invariom multipole densities as well as the spherical-density model, which are critically compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accurate X-ray single-crystal structures of the isoflavone compounds 4-O-methylalpinumisoflavone, O,O-dimethylalpinumisoflavone and 5-O-methyl-4-O-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)alpinumisoflavone {alpinumisoflavone = 5-hydroxy-7-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2-dimethyl-2H,6H-benzo[1,2-b:5,4-b']-dipyran-6-one} from data sets measured at cryogenic temperature have been obtained from invariom modelling using theoretically predicted Hansen and Coppens multipole-model form factors, which describe the aspherical electron density distribution. Molecular dipole moments and electrostatic potentials obtained from invariom modelling are discussed and compared with results from ab initio theoretical calculations. All three studied compounds are solvent extracts of root bark or seed powder of Millettia thonningii (leguminosae), a plant molluscicide and cercaricide used in Franco West Africa as medication against various diseases. The compounds' toxicities to brine shrimp have been determined and their different potencies tentatively related to conformation differences, intramolecular contacts, dipole moments and electrostatic potential features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]