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Two selenated analogues of the all-sulfur single-component molecular conductor [Ni(Et-thiazdt) 2 ] (Et-thiazdt = N -ethylthiazoline-2-thione-4,5-dithiolate) have been prepared from their precursor radical-anion complexes. Replacement of the thione by a selenone moiety gives the neutral [Ni(Et-thiaz Se dt) 2 ] complex. It adopts an unprecedented solid-state organization (for neutral nickel complexes), with the formation of perfectly eclipsed dimers and very short intermolecular Se···Se contacts (81% of the van der Waals contact distance). Limited interactions between dimers leads to a large semiconducting gap and low conductivity (σ RT = 1.7 × 10 -5 S cm -1 ). On the other hand, going from the neutral [Ni(Et-thiazdt) 2 ] dithiolene complex to the corresponding [Ni(Et-thiaz ds ) 2 ] diselenolene complex gives rise to a more conventional layered structure built out of uniform stacks of the diselenolene complexes, different, however, from the all-sulfur analogue [Ni(Et-thiazdt) 2 ]. Band structure calculations show an essentially 1D electronic structure with large band dispersion and a small HOMO-LUMO gap. Under high pressures (up to 19 GPa), the conductivity increases by 4 orders of magnitude and the activation energy is decreased from 120 meV to only 13 meV, with an abrupt change observed around 10 GPa, suggesting a structural phase transition under pressure.

The anticancer, antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities of six gold(iii) bis(dithiolene) complexes were studied. Complexes 1-6 showed relevant anticancer properties against A2780/A2780cisR ovarian cancer cells (IC50 values of 0.08-2 μM), also being able to overcome cisplatin resistance in A2780cisR cells. Complex 1 also exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 12.1 ± 3.9 μg mL-1) and both Candida glabrata and Candida albicans (MICs of 9.7 ± 2.7 and 19.9 ± 2.4 μg mL-1, respectively). In addition, all complexes displayed antiplasmodial activity against the Plasmodium berghei parasite liver stages, even exhibiting better results than the ones obtained using primaquine, an anti-malarial drug. Mechanistic studies support the idea that thioredoxin reductase, but not DNA, is a possible target of these complexes. Complex 1 is stable under biological conditions, which would be important if this compound is ever to be considered as a drug. Overall, the results obtained evidenced the promising biological activity of complex 1, which might have potential as a novel anticancer, antimicrobial and antiplasmodial agent to be used as an alternative to current therapeutics.

For the first time, chirality in (3 Z,9 Z)-1,2,5,8-dithiadiazecine-6,7(5 H,8 H)-dione series was recognized. Enantiomers of the 4,9-dimethyl-5,8-diphenyl analogue were isolated at room temperature, and their thermal stability was determined. X-ray crystallography confirmed the occurrence of a pair of enantiomers in the crystal. Absolute configurations were assigned by comparing experimental and calculated vibrational/electronic circular dichroism spectra of isolated enantiomers. A distorted tesseract (four-dimensional hypercube) was used to visualize the calculated enantiomerization process, which requires the rotation around four chirality axes. Conformers of higher energy as well as several concurrent pathways of similar energies were revealed.

Molecular metals have been essentially obtained with tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based precursors, either with multicomponent ionic materials or, in a few instances, with single-component systems. In that respect, gold bis(dithiolene) complexes, in their neutral radical state, provide a prototype platform toward such single-component conductors. Herein we report the first single-component molecular metal under ambient pressure derived from such Au complexes without any TTF backbone. This complex exhibits a conductivity of 750 S·cm -1 at 300 K up to 3800 S·cm -1 at 4 K. First-principles electronic structure calculations show that the striking stability of the metallic state finds its origin in sizable internal electron transfer from the SOMO-1 to the SOMO of the complex as well as in substantial interstack and interlayer interactions.

By introducing bulky 2-phenylethyl groups into sulfur-rich electron acceptors, 5,5'-bithiazolidinylidene-2,2'-dione-4,4'-dithione and 5,5'-bithiazolidinylidene-2,4,2',4'-tetrathione, electron transport with the mobility of 0.27 cm 2 V -1 s -1 with ambient and long-term stability is achieved in thin-film transistors. Bulky groups destroy the intermolecular S-S network, but the long-term transistor stability is maintained. Here, benzyl groups realize one-dimensional stacking structures, whereas 2-phenylethyl groups lead to herringbone structures., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Three polyoxometalates (POMs) functionalized by tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) molecules have been synthesized by a coupling reaction between the Anderson-type POMs [MnMo 6 O 18 {(OCH 2 ) 3 CNH 2 } 2 ] 3- or [AlMo 6 O 18 (OH) 3 {(OCH 2 ) 3 CNH 2 }] 3- and the TTF carboxylic acid derivative (MeS) 3 TTF(S-CH 2 -CO 2 H). The monofunctionalized TTF-AlMo 6 POM contains one TTF group covalently grafted on an Al Anderson platform. The symmetrical TTF-MnMo 6 -TTF POM possesses two TTF groups grafted on each side of a Mn Anderson derivative while the asymmetrical TTF-MnMo 6 -SP POM contains a TTF and a spiropyran groups. These three trianionic species have been characterized by elemental analysis, 1 H and 13 C NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy, ESI-MS spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (for TTF-MnMo 6 -TTF). In the solid state, the grafted TTF molecules of TTF-MnMo 6 -TTF POMs interact via S···S and π···π interactions and form chains. The electrochemical properties of the complexes reflect the contributions of both the inorganic POM and the TTF moieties. Despite adsorption of the oxidized hybrid species on the Pt grid working electrode, UV-vis-NIR spectroelectrochemical investigations evidence peaks characteristic of the oxidation of the TTF units. Finally, hyper-Rayleigh scattering (HRS) measurements show that the three novel TTF derivatives exhibit β values between 20 and 37 × 10 -30 esu. Moreover it is observed that the oxidation of the TTF moieties by Fe 3+ ions increases the NLO response. These values are in the order of magnitude of that found for the well-known 4-dimethylamino- N-methyl-4-stilbazolium (DAS + ) cation (β = 60 × 10 -30 esu).

Oxidation of diiodoethylenedithiotetrathiafulvalene (EDT-TTF-I2), C8H4I2S6, with the strong oxidizer tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQF4), C12F4N4, affords, depending on the crystallization solvent, two polymorphs of the 2:1 charge-transfer salt (EDT-TTF-I2)2(TCNQF4), represented as D2A. In both salts, the TCNQF4 is reduced to the radical anion state, and is associated through short C-I...NC halogen bonds to two EDT-TTF-I2 molecules. The two polymorphs differ in the solid-state association of these trimeric D-A-D motifs. In polymorph (I) the trimeric motif is located on an inversion centre, and hence both EDT-TTF-I2 molecules have +0.5 charge. Together with segregation of the TTF and TCNQ derivatives into stacks, this leads to a charge-transfer salt with high conductivity. In polymorph (II) two crystallographically independent EDT-TTF-I2 molecules bear different charges, close to 0 and +1, as deduced from an established correlation between intramolecular bond lengths and charge. Overlap interactions between the halogen-bonded D(0)-A-∙D+∙ motifs give rise, in a perpendicular direction, to diamagnetic A2(2-) and D(0)-D2(2+)-D(0) entities, where the radical species are paired into the bonding combination of respectively the acceptor LUMOs and donor HOMOs. The strikingly different solid-state organization of the halogen-bonded D-A-D motifs provides an illustrative example of two modes of face-to-face interaction between π-type radicals, into either delocalized, uniform chains with partial charge transfer and conducting behaviour, or localized association of radicals into face-to-face A2(2-) and D2(2+) dyads.

In the crystal structure of the title 1:1 complex, ethyl 2-[[5-(ethoxycarbonyl)-2,3-dihydro-3,4-dimethyl-1,3-thiazol-2-ylidene]hydrazono]-2,3-dihydro-3,4-dimethyl-1,3-thiazole-5-carboxylate-7,7,8,8-tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (1/1), C(16)H(22)N(4)O(4)S(2) x C(12)H(4)N(4), the planar donor and tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ) molecules are each located on inversion centres and are stacked alternately. The bond lengths indicate that, in this complex, the donor and acceptor are neutral, as confirmed by IR investigation.