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In this work, unprecedented {dz2-CuIIO4}⋯π-hole interactions are described in the case of a cocrystal of a Cu(ii) bis-β-diketonate complex and 1,4-diiodotetrafluoro-benzene.

The highest degree of interpenetration reported so far of 7- and 8-fold is realized in two luminescent sql 2D networks by self-assembly of a new nanometric-sized ligand with Ag(i) salts.

A family of dinuclear tricarbonyl rhenium (I) complexes containing bridging 1,2-diazine ligand and halide anions as ancillary ligands and able to catalyze CO2 reduction is presented. Electrochemical studies show that the highest catalytic efficiency is obtained for the complex containing the 4,5-bipenthyl-pyridazine and iodide as ancillary halogen ligands. This complex gives rise to TOF=15 s−1 that clearly outperforms the values reported for the benchmark mononuclear Re(CO)3Cl(bpy) (11.1 s−1). The role of the substituents on the pyridazine ligand and the nature of the bridging halide ligands on the catalytic activity have been deeply investigated through a systematic study on the structure-properties relationship to understand the improved catalytic efficiencies of this class of complexes.

Organic materials with multiple emissions tunable by external stimuli represent a great challenge. TTPyr, crystallizing in different polymorphs, shows a very rich photophyisics comprising excitation-dependent fluorescence and phosphorescence at ambient conditions, and mechanochromic and thermochromic behavior. Transformation among the different species has been followed by thermal and X-ray diffraction analyses and the emissive features interpreted through structural results and DFT/TDDFT calculations. Particularly intriguing is the polymorph TTPyr(HT), serendipitously obtained at high temperature but stable also at room temperature, whose non-centrosymmetric structure guarantees an SHG efficiency 10 times higher than that of standard urea. Its crystal packing, where only the TT units are strongly rigidified by π-π stacking interactions while the Pyr moieties possess partial conformational freedom, is responsible for the observed dual fluorescence. The potentialities of TTPyr for bioimaging have been successfully established.

A novel family of photoactive cationic tris-carbonyl rhenium complexes of general formula fac-[Re (CO)(3)(PYIPY)(L)]PF6, where pyipy is the 2-(pyridyl)-imidazo[1,5-a]pyridyl-3-ylidene ligand and L = pyridine (3.PF6) or PPh3 (4.PF6), is herein presented. Compounds 3.PF6 and 4.PF6 are straightfor-wardly synthetized from the corresponding chloro-derivativefac-[ReCl(CO)(3) (pyipy)] via halogen abstraction with silver(l) salt, followed by coordination of the neutral monodentate L ligand. The target complexes were characterized by H-1 and C-13 NMR as well as FT-IR spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS). In addition, X-ray diffractometric analysis was carried out by solving the single-crystal structure of compound 3.PF6. For both complexes, dilute samples in CH3CN solution at room temperature display a structured photoluminescence profile in the red region that is ascribed to a long-lived excited state tau = 19.3-30.0 mu s in degassed condition) with mainly triplet ligand-centered ((LC)-L-3) character. This assignment is further corroborated by the minor hypsochromic shift of the emission profile observed for samples in 2-MeTHF at 77 K glassy matrix, in agreement with previous studies on the corresponding neutral counterparts. Electrochemical characterization by cyclic voltammetry (CV) shows two irreversible processes, one in the positive and one in the negative bias, which are associated to the metal-NHC moiety and the chelating NHC ligand, respectively. Finally, both electronic and optical features are further studied by means of computational investigation at density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) level of theory, which supports the attribution of the electronic transitions involved. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The synthesis of a series of neutral dinuclear rhenium complexes of the general formula [Re2(μ-ER)2(CO)6(μ-pydz)] (pydz = pyridazine; E = S, Se or Te; R = methyl or phenyl; the TeMe is not included) has been carried out via new, either one-pot or two-step, procedures. The one-pot synthesis consists of the oxidative addition of RE–ER across the Re–Re bond of [Re2(CO)10], in the presence of 1 equivalent of pyridazine, and affords the corresponding dinuclear complexes in high yields (ca. 85%). Furthermore, a general two-step procedure has been carried out, which involves the synthesis of heterocubane-like [Re4(μ3-ER)4(CO)12] molecules and their reaction with pyridazine, quantitatively affording the corresponding dinuclear species through a symmetric [2+2] fragmentation pathway. The molecular structure of the complexes has been elucidated by single crystal XRD analysis, and TD-DFT calculations predicted the existence of conformers differing in the orientation of the chalcogen substituents with respect to the pyridazine ligand. The relative stabilities and the activation barriers for the interconversion have been calculated, observing a regular trend that has been rationalized depending on the hybridization of the chalcogen atom. Variable temperature NMR studies experimentally confirmed the theoretical prediction, showing, in solution, two conformers with different relative amounts and different interconversion rates between them, depending on the chalcogen nature. From the electrochemical point of view the S, Se and Te complexes display a bi-electronic reversible oxidation peak, differently from the two mono-electronic irreversible oxidation peaks previously observed for the O derivatives. Moreover, a progressive narrowing of the HOMO–LUMO gap on going from O to Te, arising from the increase of the HOMO level, has been observed. This is in line with the decreasing electron-withdrawing strength of the chalcogenide bridging ligand, so that the energy gap for the telluride derivative is 1.64 eV, the smallest value in the whole family of the di-rhenium pyridazine complexes. The spectroscopic HOMO–LUMO gap parallels this trend, with a significant red-shift of the metal-to-ligand charge transfer absorption, making the telluride complex highly promising as a photosensitizer in the field of solar energy conversion. In agreement with the narrow HOMO–LUMO gap, no photoluminescence has been observed upon optical excitation.

The novel [Re2(μ-H)(μ-OOC-CPDT)(CO)6(μ-3-Me-pydz)] complex (1; OOC-CPDT = 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene-4-carboxylate, 3-Me-pydz = 3-methylpyridazine) has been prepared and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, density functional theory (DFT), and time-dependent DFT computations, UV-vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The measured properties indicate the lack of electronic communication in the ground state between the CPDT and the rhenium diazine moieties. Oxidative electropolymerization of 1, achieved by repeated potential cycling (-0.4 to +1.0 V vs Fc(+)/Fc, in acetonitrile) with different supporting electrolytes, on different electrodes, afforded an electroactive and stable metallopolymer (poly-1). In situ measurements of the mass of the growing film (on a gold electrode, with an electrochemical quartz microbalance) confirmed the regularity of the polymerization process. The polymer exhibits two reversible oxidation peaks of the thiophene chain and a broad irreversible reduction peak (-1.4 V, quite close to that observed for the reduction of monomer 1), associated with a remarkably delayed sharp return peak, of comparable associated charge, appearing in close proximity (+0.3 V) to the first oxidation peak of the neutral polythiophene chain. This charge-trapping effect can be observed upon repeated cycles of p and n doping, and the negative charge is maintained even if the charged electrode is removed from the solution for many hours. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that the main CV oxidation peak corresponds to facile charge transfer, combined with very fast diffusion of both electrons and ions within the polymer. In summary, poly-1 provides a new example of a metallopolymer, in which the conductive properties of the π-conjugated system are added to the redox behavior of the pendant-isolated complexes.

In this contribution we provide an overview of the preparation and of the properties of different classes of luminescent dinuclear tricarbonyl rhenium(I) complexes of general formula [Re 2 (μ-X) 2 (CO) 6 (μ-1,2-diazine)] (X = halide, hydride, alkoxide, and thiolate). Their electrochemical and photophysical properties in solution are presented, as well as combined density functional (DFT) and time-dependent density functional (TDDFT) studies of their geometry, relative stability and electronic structure. The relationships between the structure and the emission properties of the complexes are discussed in detail, showing a modulation effect of the bridging ancillary ligands as well as of the diazine substituents on energy, lifetime and quantum yield of the emission. Photoluminescent quantum yields ( Φ ) up to 0.53 have been measured in fluid solution for the dichloro complexes containing diazines bearing alkyl groups in both the β positions, designed to optimize all the parameters responsible for the radiative decay. The photophysical properties in the solid state are also briefly presented, showing in some cases an increase of the emission intensity, discussed in terms of restriction of intramolecular roto-vibrational motions. These properties, together with their good processability and high stability, allowed the successful use of some of these complexes as a phosphorescent dopant in OLEDs. The good performances of OLED devices prepared both by solution- and vacuum-processing are reported. The preliminary work exploring the potential of these complexes as luminescent labels for bioimaging is also presented.

A series of neutral, dinuclear, luminescent rhenium(I) complexes suitable for phosphorescent organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) is reported. These compounds, of general formula [Re2(m-Cl)2(CO)6(m-1,2-diazine)], contain diazines bearing alkyl groups in one or in both the b positions. Their electrochemical and photophysical properties are presented, as well as a combined density functional and time-dependent density functional study of their geometry, relative stability and electronic structure. The complexes show intense green/yellow emissions in toluene solution and in the solid state and some of the complexes possess high emission quantum yields (f=0.18–0.22 for the derivatives with disubstituted diazines). In butyronitrile glass, at 77K, due to the charge transfer character of the lowest (emitting) excited state, strong blue shift of the emission is observed, accompanied by a strong increase in the lifetime values. The highest-performing emitting complex, containing cyclopentapyridazine as ligand, is tested in a polymer-based lightemitting device, with poly(9-vinylcarbazole) as matrix, as well as in a device obtained by vacuum sublimation of the complex in the 2,7bis(diphenylphosphine oxide)-9-(9-phenylcarbazol-3-yl)-9-phenylfluorene (PCF) matrix. This represents the first example of devices obtained with a rhenium complex which can be sublimed and is solution processable. Furthermore, the emission is the bluest ever reported for electrogenerated luminescence for rhenium complexes.

The three complexes [Re2(mu-X1)(mu-X2)(CO)6(mu-ppd-kappaN3:kappaN4)] (X1, X2 ) H, 1; X1 ) H, X2 ) Cl, 2; X1, X2 ) Cl, 3; ppd) 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole) have been synthesized by different routes, involving the reaction of [Re4(mu3-H)4(CO)12]with ppd for 1, the reaction of 1 with HCl for 2, and the reaction of [ReCl(CO)5] with ppd for 3. The three complexes possess a different number of valence electrons, so the formal Re-Re bond order varies from 2 to 1 to 0 in complexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This is reflected in the Re-Re bond distance (277.9, 297.9, and 358.5 pm in the same series)and in the stability of the complexes in the coordinating solvent acetonitrile (t1/2 for ppd displacement 13.6, 4.5, and 3.7 h,for 1, 2, and 3, respectively). Both experimental and calculated structures indicates that coordination induces a distortion from planarity of the diphenyloxadiazole moiety due to the interaction of the equatorial carbonyls with the bridging ppd,which increases on going from 1 to 2 to 3 (dihedral angle between the oxadiazole and the phenyl rings 18.4 degrees, 23.3 degrees, and 45.0 degrees, respectively). The UV spectra show pi-pi* transitions of the oxadiazole ligand (which shift to higher energy on increasing the distortion from the planarity, from 252 to 267 nm) and metal-to-ligand charge transfer absorptions (from 300 to 362 nm). Upon irradiation between 340 and 380 nm, complex 2 only features a weak broad emission at 527 nm(phi)0.02%), whereas upon excitation at 300 nm, the emission typical of free ppd is observed, suggesting photodissociation.Cyclic voltammetry investigations in acetonitrile showed that the three complexes exhibit ligand-centered irreversible reduction peaks (from -1.83 to -1.93 V vs Fc+|Fc), shifted to more positive values with respect to free ppd (-2.50 V). The shift however is smaller than in the analogous derivatives containing 1,2-diazines, suggesting a smaller electron depletion of the heterocycle ligand upon coordination. The complexes also show a metal-centered, bi-electronic, irreversible oxidation peak (from 1.05 to 1.37 V vs Fc+/Fc). A combined density functional and time-dependent density functional (TD DFT)study allowed us to understand the factors affecting the stability of the three complexes and to rationalize their electrochemical and photophysical properties in terms of their electronic structure.

Polypropene and poly(1-butene) have been synthesized under very similar experimental conditions with a series of MAO-activated C 2 -symmetric and C 1 -symmetric ansa -zirconocenes. The C 1 -symmetric zirconocenes bearing the bilaterally symmetric fluorenyl or bis(2-methylthieno)cyclopentadienyl ligand connected through a dimethylsilyl bridge to substituted indenyl ligands produce isotactic polybutene of similar or higher molecular mass and with noticeably higher isotacticity, compared to isotactic polypropene prepared with the same catalysts under comparable conditions. Structural and mechanistic reasons for such behavior are discussed on the basis of QM/MM calculations.

Bis(pentafluophenyl)borinic acid, Ar2BOH (1, Ar = C6F5), in dichloromethane solution is present as an equilibrium mixture of monomeric (1m) and trimeric (1t) forms. Previous studies showed that water affects both the position and the rate of this equilibrium. Here, the behavior of 1 in the presence of tetrahydrofuran (THF), a nucleophile able to behave as a Lewis base and H-bond acceptor only, has been studied, by monitoring with 1H and 19F NMR the course of titrations performed directly into NMR tubes. The addition, at 183 K, of 0.33 equiv of THF caused the instantaneous and quantitative formation of the hydrogen-bonded adduct between the trimer 1t and one molecule of THF. Homo- and heteronuclear 2D NMR correlation experiments led to a solution structure consistent with the C2-optimized geometry obtained by PM3 computations. The H-bonding of the THF molecule causes major deformations of the molecular geometry of the trimer, so that only one molecule of THF can interact with the trimer, in spite of its th...

The strong Lewis acid tris(pentafluorophenyl)boron, B(C6F5)3, reacts with several nitrogen-containing Lewis bases (nitriles, amines, imines, pyridines, etc.) and also with non-basic substrates (such as pyrroles and indoles) producing in both cases the B N coordination adduct. With particular substrates (some tertiary amines, the imine tBu(Me)C NBn, N-methyl-pyrrole and -indole,) the 1:1 borane/N-compound reaction produces zwitterions where a new B C bond is generated. Some of the borane–N-compound adducts present Bronsted acidity and can be reacted with di-methyl group 4 complexes with generation of weakly associated ion pairs, which are active catalysts for the polymerization of olefins.

The previously known anion [(C6F5)3B(mu-OH)B(C6F5)3]- (2) has been prepared by a two-step procedure, involving deprotonation of (C6F5)3BOH2 to give [B(C6F5)3OH]- (1), followed by addition of B(C6F5)3. The solution structure and the dynamics of 2 have been investigated by 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy. The reaction of [NHEt3]2 with NEt3 resulted in the formation of [NHEt3]+ [(C6F5)3BOH]-, [NHEt3]+ [(C6F5)3BH]-, and (C6F5)3B- (CH2CH=N+ Et2). This indicates that in the presence of a nucleophile anion 2 can dissociate to B(C6F5)3 and 1. The reaction of [HDMAN]2 with 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN) confirmed this trend. In the presence of water, 2 transformed into the adduct [(C6F5)3BO(H)H...O(H)B(C6F5)3]- (3), containing the borate 1 hydrogen-bonded to a water molecule coordinated to B(C6F5)3. The same compound is formed by treating (C6F5)3BOH2 with 0.5 equiv of a base. A competition study established that for 1 the Lewis acid-base interaction with B(C6F5)3 is about 5 times preferred over H-bonding to (C6F5)3BOH2. The X-ray single-crystal analysis of [2-methyl-3H-indolium]3 provided the first experimental observation of an asymmetric H-bond in the [H3O2]- moiety, the measured O-H and H...O bond distances being significantly different [1.14(2) vs 1.26(2) A]. The reaction of NEt3 with an equimolar mixture of B(C6F5)3 and bis(pentafluorophenyl)borinic acid, (C6F5)2BOH, afforded the novel borinatoborate salt [NHEt3]+ [(C6F5)3BOB(C6F5)2]- ([NHEt3]4). X-ray diffraction showed that the B-O bond distances are significantly shorter than in [(C6F5)3B(mu-OH)B(C6F5)3]-. Variable-temperature 19F NMR revealed high mobility of the five aryl rings, at variance with the more crowded anion 2. 2D NMR correlation experiments showed that in CD2Cl2 the two anions [(C6F5)3BOH]- and [(C6F5)3BH]- form tight ion pairs with [NHEt3]+, in which the NH proton establishes a conventional (BO...HN) or an unconventional (BH...HN), respectively, hydrogen bond with the anion. The diborate anions 2-4, on the contrary, gave loose ion pairs with the ammonium cation, due both to the delocalized anionic charge and to the more sterically encumbered position of the oxygen atoms that should act as H-bond acceptors.

The addition of one equivalent of dimethylamine (DMA) to the 44 valence-electron triangular cluster anion [Re3(μ3-H)(μ-H)3(CO)9]− (1) affords the novel unsaturated derivative [Re3(μ-H)4(CO)9(DMA)]− (2, 46 valence electrons) which contains a dimethylamine molecule terminally coordinated to a cluster vertex. Theoretical calculations (DFT) reveal that in the more stable conformation the dimethylamine NH proton is directed towards the hydride bridging the opposite cluster edge in syn position, the close proximity of the ligands bound to the cluster surface allowing the formation of an unconventional N–H ⋯ (μ-H)Re2 hydrogen bond. The presence of this conformation in the solid state has been proven by an X-ray structural analysis of crystalline [PPh4]2. Spectroscopic evidences (IR and NMR) indicate that the dihydrogen bond is maintained also in solution and, by the evaluation of the proton spin-lattice relaxation rates at variable temperature, a good estimate of the H ⋯ H distance in solution has been determined.

The two ion pairs [(4,7-Me(2)indenyl)(2)ZrMe](+)[MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-) (1 b) and [(indenyl)(2)ZrMe](+) [MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-) (2 b) have been generated in situ by reaction of stoichiometric B(C(6)F(5))(3) with the corresponding dimethyl zirconocenes. It has been shown that molecular mechanics computations, guided by experimental (1)H/(1)H NOE correlations, can provide information on the conformers present in solution. The dynamics of the ion pairs has also been investigated, showing the occurrence of both the processes previously characterized for this class of compounds, namely the B(C(6)F(5))(3) migration between the two methyl groups and dissociation-recombination of the whole [MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-) anion, the latter process being much faster than the first one (about three order of magnitude). Moreover, it has been shown that in certain conditions intermolecular processes can occur, which mimic the above-mentioned dissociative exchanges. In particular, the presence of species containing loosely bound [MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-) anion fastens the exchange of this anion, while the presence of free B(C(6)F(5))(3) accelerates its exchange between the two methyl sites.

The (13)C NMR CP-MAS spectrum of 2-naphthylphenylsulfoxide in the solid state displays line broadening effects due to the restricted rotation about the Ph-S bond. Line shape simulation of the temperature-dependent traces allowed the corresponding barrier to be determined in the solids (14.7 kcal mol(-1)). By making use of the information obtained from single-crystal X-ray diffraction, this barrier could be satisfactorily reproduced by theoretical calculations (14.5 kcal mol(-1)) that take into account the correlated phenyl motion involving a large set of molecules in the crystalline state

Reaction of Li[Cp(CO)2Re(COPh)] (1) with CF3SO3Me afforded, besides the expected carbene complex [Cp(CO)2ReC(OMe)(Ph)] (2) and the alkyl–acyl derivative [Cp(CO)2Re(Me)(COPh)] (3), a third structural isomer [Cp(CO)2Re{OC(Me)Ph}] (4), which contains an acetophenone molecule coordinated to the metal center. The X-ray analysis showed that in solid acetophenone is bound to ‘CpRe(CO)2’ exclusively through an oxygen σ-donor interaction, while in solution an equilibrium between σ-bound (η1) and π-bound (η2) forms occurs, as judged by IR data and 1H and 13C variable temperature NMR spectra (π/σ ratio 2.87 at 183 K and 1.16 at 263 K in CD2Cl2, ΔH°=−4.5 kJ mol−1 for the σ⇔π reaction, Ea 58(1) kJ mol−1). In solvents different from Et2O (n-hexane, THF, acetone) and with alkylating agent different from CF3SO3Me (MeI, Me3OBF4) the formation of 4 was negligible. It has been demonstrated that 4 does not originate by acetophenone reductive elimination from 3. No evidence of the involvement of radicals has been obtained.

The quantitative addition of pyrazole (Hpz) to the 44 valence-electron, triangular cluster anion [Re3(μ3-H)(μ-H)3(CO)9]− gives the novel unsaturated anion [Re3(μ-H)4(CO)9(Hpz)]− (1, 46 valence electrons), which contains a pyrazole molecule that is terminally coordinated on a cluster vertex. Solid-state X-ray and IR analyses reveal a rather weak hydrogen-bonding interaction between the NH proton and one of the hydrides bridging the opposite triangular cluster edge (ΔH°=−3.1 kcal mol−1 from the Iogansen equation). Both IR and NMR data indicate that such a proton–hydride interaction is maintained in the major conformer present in CD2Cl2, but also provide evidence of the presence of minor conformers of 1 in which the NH proton is involved in an intermolecular hydrogen bond with the solvent. The μ-H⋅⋅⋅HN bond length evaluated in solution through the T1 minimum value (2.07 A) and that determined in the solid state by X-ray diffraction (2.05 A) are in good agreement. NMR experiments show that, in acetone, intermolecular NH⋅⋅⋅solvent interactions replace the intramolecular dihydrogen bond. At room temperature in CH2Cl2, the pyrazole ligand in 1 is labile and 1 slowly “disproportionates” to [Re3(μ3-H)(μ-H)3(CO)9]− and [Re3(μ-H)3(CO)9(μ-η2-pz)(Hpz)]−, with H2 evolution. Slow H2 evolution also leads to the formation of the anion [Re3(μ-H)3(CO)9(pz)]− (5), in which the pyrazolate anion adopts a novel μ3-η2-coordination mode, as revealed by a single-crystal X-ray analysis. The analysis of the bond lengths indicates that the pyrazolate anion in 5 acts as a six-electron donor, with loss of the aromaticity. The formation of 5 from 1 is much faster in solvents with a high dielectric constant, such as acetone or DMF. Anion 5 was also obtained from the reaction of pyrazole with [Re3(μ-H)3(CO)9(μ3-CH3)]− through the intermediate formation of two isomeric addition derivatives and following CH4 evolution.

The first five-membered rings of metal atoms connected by M-M or M-H-M bonds only have been obtained by a Re2 +Re3 condensation in which a polyhydride acts as a bridging bidentate ligand toward a coordinatively unsaturated fragment (see scheme below). In spite of the octahedral coordination of the Re centers, the Re5 rings display conformations (twisted and envelope) comparable with those observed for organic five-membered rings of tetrahedral carbon atoms.

Reaction between 7-azaindole and B(C6F5)3 quantitatively yields 7-(C6F5)3B-7-azaindole (4), in which B(C6F5)3 coordinates to the pyridine nitrogen of 7-azaindole, leaving the pyrrole ring unreacted even in the presence of a second equivalent of B(C6F5)3. Reaction of 7-azaindole with H2O-B(C6F5)3 initially produces [7-azaindolium]+[HOB(C6F5)3]- (5) which slowly converts to 4 releasing a H2O molecule. Pyridine removes the borane from the known complexes (C6F5)3B-pyrrole (1) and (C6F5)3B-indole (2), with formation of free pyrrole or indole, giving the more stable adduct (C6F5)3B-pyridine (3). The competition between pyridine and 7-azaindole for the coordination with B(C6F5)3 again yields 3. The molecular structures of compounds 4 and 5 have been determined both in the solid state and in solution and compared to the structures of other (C6F5)3B-N-heterocycle complexes. Two dynamic processes have been found in compound 4. Their activation parameters (DeltaH = 66 (3) kJ/mol, DeltaS = -18 (10) J/mol K and DeltaH = 76 (5) kJ/mol, DeltaS = -5 (18) J/mol K) are comparable with those of other (C6F5)3B-based adducts. The nature of the intramolecular interactions that result in such energetic barriers is discussed.

The (13)C NMR CP-MAS spectrum of 2-naphthylphenylsulfoxide in the solid state displays line broadening effects due to the restricted rotation about the Ph-S bond. Line shape simulation of the temperature-dependent traces allowed the corresponding barrier to be determined in the solids (14.7 kcal mol(-1)). By making use of the information obtained from single-crystal X-ray diffraction, this barrier could be satisfactorily reproduced by theoretical calculations (14.5 kcal mol(-1)) that take into account the correlated phenyl motion involving a large set of molecules in the crystalline state