Dense Semi-Clathrates at High Pressure: A Study of the Water-tert-Butylamine System.

In situ high-pressure crystallization and diffraction techniques have been applied to obtain two very structurally distinct semi-clathrates of the tert-butylamine-water system with hydration numbers 5.65 and 5.8, respectively, thereby considerably reducing a notable hydration gap between the monohydrate and the 71/4 -hydrate that results when crystallization space is explored by temperature alone. Both structures can be considered as an intriguing solid-state example of hydrophobic hydration, in which the water network creates wide tert-butylamine-filled channels stabilized by cross-linking hydrogen bonds. The existence of interconnected channels might also add low hydration structures to a list of potential targets for hydrogen storage. A detailed analysis of the topology of host water and host-guest interactions is reported and extended to those of other hydrates of the compound. This analysis offers new insight into properties of the tert-butylamine-water system and provides some clues as to the occurrence of the sizable number of hydrates of this compound.

ß-Cyclodextrin dimethylformamide 12.5 hydrate: a deeper insight into ß-cyclodextrin crystal packing.

The structure of a 1:1 ß-cyclodextrin-dimethylformamide hydrated complex has been determined from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. A complete study of the structure is presented herein, including invariom refinement and interaction energy calculations. The structure has unit-cell parameters that are different from those of other ß-cyclodextrin complexes crystallizing in the same space group, but exhibits the known herringbone packing type. A structural comparison of these complexes has been carried out with XPac in order to understand the origin of the differences in packing and unit-cell parameters. The results show that the differences are most likely ascribed to variations in hydration and in the hydrogen-bonded network.

Pharmaceutical hydrates under ambient conditions from high-pressure seeds: a case study of GABA monohydrate.

The monohydrate form of the neurotransmitter γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) has been crystallised in the 0.4-0.8 GPa pressure range, recovered to ambient pressure and then used as a seed. Theoretical calculations indicate that this hydrate is only thermodynamically favoured over the two anhydrous forms at high pressures.

On the temperature dependence of H-U(iso) in the riding hydrogen model.

The temperature dependence of H-U(iso) 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-U(iso) 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.

Crystal structure and packing energy calculations of (+)-6-aminopenicillanic acid.

The X-ray single-crystal structure of (2S,5R,6R)-6-amino-3,3-dimethyl-7-oxo-4-thia-1-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptane-2-carboxylic acid, commonly known as (+)-6-aminopenicillanic acid (C8H12N2O3S) and a precursor of a variety of semi-synthetic penicillins, has been determined from synchrotron data at 150 K. The structure represents an ordered zwitterion and the crystals are nonmerohedrally twinned. The crystal structure is composed of a three-dimensional network built by three charge-assisted hydrogen bonds between the ammonium and carboxylate groups. The complementary analysis of the crystal packing by the PIXEL method brings to light the nature and ranking of the energetically most stabilizing intermolecular interaction energies. In accordance with the zwitterionic nature of the structure, PIXEL lattice energy calculations confirm the predominance of the Coulombic term (-379.1 kJ mol(-1)) ahead of the polarization (-141.4 kJ mol(-1)), dispersion (-133.7 kJ mol(-1)) and repulsion (266.3 kJ mol(-1)) contributions.

Intermolecular interactions, disorder and twinning in ciprofloxacin-2,2-difluoroethanol (2/3) and ciprofloxacin-water (3/14.5).

The antibiotic ciprofloxacin [systematic name: 1-cyclopropyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-7-(piperazin-4-ium-1-yl)-1,4-dihydroquinoline-3-carboxylate], has been crystallized as a 2:3 solvate with 2,2-difluoroethanol, 2C(17)H(18)FN(3)O(3)·3C(2)H(4)O(2), (I), and as a 3:14.5 hydrate, 3C(17)H(18)FN(3)O(3)·14.5H(2)O, (II). The structure of (I) was determined using synchrotron X-ray diffraction data and refined as a two-component nonmerohedral twin. Both structures contain several independent molecules in the asymmetric unit: (I) contains two zwitterionic ciprofloxacin molecules and three difluoroethanol solvent molecules, while (II) contains three zwitterionic ciprofloxacin molecules and a mixture of ordered and disordered water molecules. The intermolecular interactions were analysed using fingerprint plots derived from Hirshfeld surfaces, providing a detailed description of the unique environment of each independent ciprofloxacin molecule.

Cation and anion selectivity of zwitterionic salicylaldoxime metal salt extractants.

3-Dialkylaminomethyl substituted salicylaldoximes are efficient metal salt extractants, and, in contrast to related "salen"-based reagents, are sufficiently stable to acid hydrolysis to allow commercial application in base metal recovery. Crystal structures show that metal salts are bound by a zwitterionic form of the reagents, with copper(II) nitrate, tetrafluoroborate and trifluoroacetate forming [Cu()(2)X(2)] assemblies in a tritopic arrangement with a trans-disposition of the anions outwith the coordination sphere. Copper(II) chloride, bromide and zinc(II) chloride form 1:1 assemblies, [Cu()X(2)], with the halides in the inner coordination sphere of the metal, leading to high chloride selectivity and very good mass transport efficiencies of CuCl(2). Introduction of the anion-binding sites into the salicylaldoxime extractants changes their cation selectivities; the ligands co-extract small amounts of Fe(III) along with Cu(II) from mixed metal aqueous feed solutions, an issue which will need to be addressed prior to industrial application.

Controlling the reactivity of ruthenium(II) arene complexes by tether ring-opening.

The closed- and open-tethered Ru(II) eta(6)-arene complexes [Ru(II)(eta(6):eta(1)-C(6)H(5)(C(6)H(4))NH(2))(en)]Cl(2) (2) and [Ru(II)(eta(6)-C(6)H(5)(C(6)H(4))NH(2))Cl(en)]Cl (3), where en is ethylenediamine, have been synthesized and their X-ray structures determined. Interconversion between 2 and 3, that is, tethered-arene ring-closure and ring-opening, in different solvents has been investigated. Complex 2 opens in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) by solvent-induced dissociation of the NH(2) group of the pendant arm. In methanol, however, equilibrium between 2 and 3 is reached after 12 h when both species coexist in solution in a ratio of 2:1 (open/closed). In water (pH 7), complete ring closure of 3 to 2 at 298 K occurs in less than 2 h. The tether ring of complex 2 opens at basic pH and closes at neutral pH. Complex 2 opens over time (18 h) in concentrated HCl. The opening-closing process is fully reversible in the pH range 2-12. Density Functional Theory calculations have been used to obtain insights into the electronic structure of complexes 2 and 3, their UV-vis properties, and their stability compared to their aqua derivatives. Control of tether-ring-opening can contribute toward a strategy for activation and for achieving cytotoxic selectivity of ruthenium arene anticancer drugs.

Ruthenium(II) arene anticancer complexes with redox-active diamine ligands.

The synthesis and characterization of ruthenium(II) arene complexes of the general formula [(eta(6)-arene)Ru(XY)Z](+), where arene = p-cymene (p-cym), hexamethylbenzene (hmb), or biphenyl (bip), XY = o-phenylenediamine (o-pda), o-benzoquinonediimine (o-bqdi), or 4,5-dimethyl-o-phenylenediamine (dmpda), and Z = Cl, Br, or I, are reported (complexes 1-6). In addition, the X-ray crystal structures of [(eta(6)-p-cym)Ru(o-pda)Cl]PF(6) (1) and [(eta(6)-hmb)Ru(o-bqdi)Cl]PF(6) (3PF(6)) are described. The Ru-N distances in 3PF(6) are significantly shorter [2.033(4) and 2.025(4) A] compared to those in 1 [2.141(2) and 2.156(2) A]. All of the imine complexes (3-5) exhibit a characteristic broad (1)H NMR NH resonance at ca. delta 14-15. Complex 1 undergoes concomitant ligand-based oxidation and hydrolysis (38% after 24 h) in water. The oxidation also occurs in methanol. The iodido complex [(eta(6)-p-cym)Ru(o-bqdi)I]I (4) did not undergo hydrolysis, whereas the chlorido complex 3 showed relatively fast hydrolysis (t(1/2) = 7.5 min). Density functional theory calculations showed that the total bonding energy of 9-EtG in [(eta(6)-p-cym)Ru(o-pda)(9-EtG-N7)](2+) (1EtG) is 23.8 kJ/mol lower than that in [(eta(6)-p-cym)Ru(o-bqdi)(9-EtG-N7)](2+) (3EtG). The greater bonding energy is related to the contribution from strong hydrogen bonding between the NH proton of the chelating ligand and O6 of 9-EtG (1.69 A). A loss of cytotoxic activity was observed upon oxidation of the amine ligand to an imine (e.g., IC(50) = 11 microM for 1 and IC(50) > 100 microM for 3, against A2780 ovarian cancer cells). The relationship between the cytotoxic activity and the solution and solid state structures of the imine and amine complexes is discussed.

Temperature dependence of rotational disorder in a non-standard amino acid from X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulation.

The X-ray single-crystal structure of methyl 2-aminoisobutyrate hydrochloride (Me-AIB), a non-standard amino acid, is reported at 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100 K. Fourier maps indicate the presence of rotational disorder of the hydrogen atoms of the ester methyl group. To study this effect in detail, high resolution data were collected with synchrotron radiation. The non-spherical molecular electron density was predicted with invariom scattering factors and subtracted from the density obtained from a full multipole refinement. This allows disorder to be distinguished from the molecular electron density at each temperature. The disorder is reduced between 100 K and 30 K, but still detectable even at 10 K. Hence, difference densities can be applied for the purpose of electronic structure validation and have the advantage of an absence of noise over Fourier methods. Ultra-low temperature experiments are foreseen to be useful in reducing such kinds of disorder in ultra-high resolution protein crystallography. Molecular dynamics simulations of Me-AIB at temperatures between 10 and 100 K confirm the temperature dependence of the rotational motion of the methyl group seen experimentally. Modeling disorder in X-ray structure analysis will be an interesting future application of molecular dynamics simulations.

The monoammoniate of lithium borohydride, Li(NH3)BH4: an effective ammonia storage compound.

Lithium borohydride absorbs anhydrous ammonia to form four stable ammoniates; Li(NH(3))(n)BH(4), mono-, di-, tri-, and tertraammoniate. This paper focuses on the monoammoniate, Li(NH(3))BH(4), which is readily formed on exposure of LiBH(4) to ammonia at room temperature and pressure. Ammonia loss from Li(NH(3))BH(4) commences around 40 degrees C and the compound transforms directly to LiBH(4). The crystal structure of Li(NH(3))BH(4) is reported here for the first time. Its close structural relationship with LiBH(4) provides a clear insight into the facile nature and mechanism of ammonia uptake and loss. These materials not only represent an excellent high weight-percent ammonia system but are also potentially important hydrogen stores.

Accurate molecular structures of chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide by joint refinement against powder neutron and X-ray diffraction data.

The compounds chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide (crystalline form II) have been studied in their fully hydrogenous forms by powder neutron diffraction on the GEM diffractometer. The results of joint Rietveld refinement of the structures against multi-bank neutron and single-bank X-ray powder data are reported and show that accurate and precise structural information can be obtained from polycrystalline molecular organic materials by this route.

Redetermination and invariom refinement of 1-cyclo-propyl-6-fluoro-4-oxo-7-(piperazin-4-ium-1-yl)-1,4-dihydro-quinoline-3-carboxyl-ate hexa-hydrate at 120 K.

The structure of the title compound, C(17)H(18)FN(3)O(3)·6H(2)O, has been redetermined at 120 K. An invariom refinement, a structural refinement using aspherical scattering factors from theoretically predicted multipole population parameters, yields accurate geometry and anisotropic displacement parameters, including hydrogen-bonding parameters. All potential hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors are involved in hydrogen bonding, forming an intricate three-dimensional network of N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O bonds.

Hirshfeld surface analysis of two bendroflumethiazide solvates.

Bendroflumethiazide, or 3-benzyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-7-sulfonamide 1,1-dioxide, is reported to crystallize as 1:1 solvates with acetone, C(15)H(14)F(3)N(3)O(4)S(2).C(3)H(6)O, and N,N-dimethylformamide, C(15)H(14)F(3)N(3)O(4)S(2).C(3)H(7)NO. A detailed investigation of the crystal packing and intermolecular interactions is presented by means of Hirshfeld surface analysis. This analysis confirms the atomic positions of methyl H atoms of the solvent molecules that were inferred from the X-ray data and provides a useful tool for structure validation.

Bifunctional amine-tethered ruthenium(II) arene complexes form monofunctional adducts on DNA.

The tethered RuII half-sandwich complexes [eta(6):eta(1)-C(6)H(5)(CH(2))(n)NH(2))RuCl(2)] 1 (n = 3) and 2 (n = 2) have been synthesized as potential bifunctional anticancer complexes, and their X-ray crystal structures have been determined. They hydrolyze rapidly in aqueous solution to give predominantly mono-aqua mono-chlorido species. Mono-9EtG adducts, where 9EtG = 9-ethylguanine, form rapidly, but the second 9EtG binds more slowly and more weakly. In the X-ray crystal structure of the di-9EtG adduct [(eta(6):eta(1)-C(6)H(5)(CH(2))(3)NH(2))Ru(9EtG)2](CF(3)SO(3))(2).H(2)O (8.H(2)O), one of the Ru-N7 bonds is significantly longer than the other (2.1588(18) vs 2.101(2) A). The bound guanine bases adopt a head-to-head configuration, stabilized by tether NH2 hydrogen bonding to C6O of 9EtG. The X-ray crystal structure of the dinitrato complex [(eta(6):eta(1)-C(6)H(5)(CH(2))(3)NH(2))Ru(NO(3))(2)] (3) showed both nitrates to be bound to ruthenium. This complex readily rutheniated calf thymus DNA but failed to produce stop sites on pSP73KB plasmid DNA during DNA transcription by an RNA polymerase. This suggested that only monofunctional DNA adducts formed, as did interstrand cross-linking assays. Also, the unwinding angle induced in negatively supercoiled DNA (9 +/- 1 degrees) was less than that induced by cisplatin (13 degrees). These findings may explain why complexes such as 1 and 2 exhibited low cytotoxicities (IC(50) values >100 microM) toward A2780 human ovarian cancer cells.

Structure-activity relationships for cytotoxic ruthenium(II) arene complexes containing N,N-, N,O-, and O,O-chelating ligands.

We report structure-activity relationships for organometallic RuII complexes of the type [(eta6-arene)Ru(XY)Cl]Z, where XY is an N,N- (diamine), N,O- (e.g., amino acidate), or O,O- (e.g., beta-diketonate) chelating ligand, the arene ranges from benzene derivatives to fused polycyclic hydrocarbons, and Z is usually PF6. The X-ray structures of 13 complexes are reported. All have the characteristic "piano-stool" geometry. The complexes most active toward A2780 human ovarian cancer cells contained XY=ethylenediamine (en) and extended polycyclic arenes. Complexes with polar substituents on the arene or XY=bipyridyl derivatives exhibited reduced activity. The activity of the O,O-chelated complexes depended strongly on the substituents and on the arene. For arene=p-cymene, XY=amino acidate complexes were inactive. Complexes were not cross-resistant with cisplatin, and cross-resistance to Adriamycin was circumvented by replacing XY=en with 1,2-phenylenediamine. Some complexes were also active against colon, pancreatic, and lung cancer cells.

High-pressure studies of pharmaceutical compounds and energetic materials.

The effects of high pressure on pharmaceutical compounds and energetic materials can have important implications for both the properties and performance of these important classes of material. Pharmaceutical compounds are frequently subjected to pressure during processing and formulation, causing interconversion between solid forms that may affect properties such as solubility and bio-availability. Energetic materials experience extremes of both pressure and temperature under conditions of detonation and deflagration, causing changes in properties such as sensitivity to shock and chemical reactivity. This tutorial review outlines the various methods used to study these materials at high pressure, describes how pressure can be used to explore polymorphism, and provides examples of compounds that have been studied at high pressure.

Exploration of the high-pressure behaviour of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene.

The structural response of three members of the family of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to high-pressure recrystallization from dichloromethane solutions is presented. Recrystallization of naphthalene in the 0.2-0.6 GPa pressure range does not result in the formation of a new polymorph. Furthermore, direct compression of a single crystal to 2.1 GPa does not result in a phase transition. A density decrease of 18.2% over the 0.0-2.1 GPa pressure range is observed and the principal effect of pressure is to ;tighten' the herringbone structural motif and decrease the size of void regions. A new polymorph of pyrene, form III, has been crystallized at 0.3 and at 0.5 GPa. Structural investigation of this new polymorph by means of topological analysis and comparison of Hirshfeld surfaces and fingerprint plots shows that intermolecular interactions are substantially different from those found in the ambient-pressure structures, and do not fit a previously established packing model for PAHs. Similar discrepancies are found for the high-pressure polymorph of phenanthrene, which is here re-investigated in greater detail. The structures of these high-pressure polymorphs are dominated by pi...pi stacking with a limited contribution from C-H...pi (peripheral) interactions. It is perhaps not surprising that high-pressure polymorphs deviate from a model that has been devised for ambient-pressure structures, and this may be a direct consequence of the ability of pressure to modify and combine intermolecular interactions in ways that are not usually found at ambient pressure. This is achieved by modifying the relative orientations of molecules and by encouraging the formation of denser structures in which molecules pack together more efficiently.

Combined magnetic and single-crystal X-ray structural study of the linear chain antiferromagnet [(CH3)4N][MnCl3] under varying pressure.

The magnetic susceptibility and single-crystal X-ray structure of the one-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain tetramethylammonium manganese trichloride (TMMC) have been studied under pressure as a facile route to develop structure-property relationships. The X-ray structure of TMMC was determined at 0, 2.1, 3.8, 6.8, 12.2, and 17.0 kbar using diamond-anvil cell techniques and synchrotron radiation. The space group is confirmed to be P6(3)/m up to 17 kbar, and structural refinement shows that the Mn-Mn separations between and along the chains change by about 3.4 and 2.5%, respectively, over 17 kbar. A structural transition from hexagonal to monoclinic symmetry possibly occurs at 17 kbar, associated with a loss of crystal quality. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility data were taken at 0, 0.3, 1.5, 2.9, 4.0, 5.2, and 6.5 kbar and show that the intrachain coupling constant changes from -6.85 to -7.81 K over this range. The interchain coupling constant of -0.54 K can also be extracted from the Fisher model modified for interacting chains. The pressure-temperature diagram shows the slope of the intrachain antiferromagnetic coupling with pressure, DeltaT(IAF)/DeltaP, changes from 0.5 to 1.6 K/kbar at 2 kbar where the structure changes from P2(1)/a to P2(1)/m. Comparison of the magnetic and structural data are consistent with the power-law relationship developed by Bloch where J proportional, variant r-n, r = Mn...Mn separation and n approximately 10.