Anions Containing Tripoid Conjugated N4- System: Salts of 5-(Substituted Amino)-[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-c][1,2,5]oxadiazol-5-ium-4-ides, as well as Their Synthesis, Structure, and Thermal Stability.

A strategy for the synthesis of 5-((2-cyanoethyl)-X-amino)-[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-c][1,2,5]oxadiazol-5-ium-4-ides (X = H; CH2CH2CN; NO2 (4a); CN (4b); CO2Et (4c)) starting from 3-amino-4-azido-1,2,5-oxadiazole was developed. The key step in this strategy is the intramolecular thermolytic cyclization of the azido group and the bis(2-cyanoethyl)triazene group. Removal of the 2-cyanoethyl protecting group from amides 4a-c gave potassium salt of the corresponding nitramide and sodium salts of cyano- and ethoxycarbonylamide. The structure and thermal stability of the synthesized compounds were studied experimentally using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry.

Versatile Reactivity of Half-Sandwich Rhodium(III) Iminophosphonamide Complexes.

Novel 18e̅ and 16e̅ pentamethylcyclopentadienyl rhodium(III) complexes [(η5-C5Me5)RhX(NPN)] (1a,b, X = Cl; 2a-c, X = PF6, BAr4F) with chelating zwitterionic iminophosphonamide (NPN) ligands (Ph2P(NR)(NR'); a, R = R' = p-Tol; b, R = p-Tol, R' = Me; c, R = R' = Me) were synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the 16e̅ complexes 2, the rhodium (Rh) atom is efficiently stabilized by π-donation of unshared N electrons, thus hampering coordination of the external ligands and rendering the 18e̅ complexes labile. Due to low coordination enthalpy, the cationic 18e̅ monocarbonyl and pyridine adducts 2a·L are stable only at low temperatures. At room temperature, 2·CO adducts readily give stable carbonyl-carbamoyl complexes [(η5-C5Me5)Rh(CO){(CO(NR')Ph2P(NR)}]+ (4) formed as a result of CO insertion into the Rh-N bond, thus showing high nucleophilicity of the N atoms in 18e̅ complexes. High basicity of the Na+NPN- precursors caused side deprotonation of the η5-C5Me5 ligand during the synthesis of 1 that yields unstable fulvene Rh(I) complexes [(η4-C5Me4CH2)Rh{Ph2P(NR)(NR')2}] (3a,b). Complex 3a undergoes a facile reaction with isoprene to yield an unusual [(η5:η1-C5Me4(CH2)C(Me)═CHCH2)Rh(NPN)] complex─the first example of intermolecular 1,4-metallacycloaddition of diene to the Rh-fulvene complex.

Family of Well-Defined Chiral-at-Cobalt(III) Complexes as Metal-Templated Hydrogen-Bond-Donor Catalysts: Effect of Chirality at the Metal Center on the Stereochemical Outcome of the Reaction.

A family of well-defined Λ- and Δ-diastereomeric octahedral cationic chiral-at-cobalt complexes were obtained by a simple two-step reaction of (R,R)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane, (R,R)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine, or (S)-2-(aminomethyl)pyrrolidine and substituted salicylaldehydes with a cobalt(III) salt. It was observed for the first time that the use of an excess of cobalt(III) salt provides both the enantiopure Λ and Δ forms of the corresponding cobalt(III) complexes 1 and 2 in a ratio of diastereomers ranging from 1:1.6 to >20:1 (Λ/Δ) and in 31-95% combined yields. The obtained complexes were robust, air- and bench-stable, soluble in most of organic solvents, and insoluble in water. Through variation of the substituents in the phenyl ring of the salicylaldehyde moiety, it was shown that both steric and electronic effects of substituents have a significant impact on the formation of Λ and Δ isomers. Next, the efficacies of the enantiopure metal-templated complexes 1-3 were investigated in three benchmark asymmetric reactions in order to compare their catalytic activity. The chiral cobalt(III) complexes 1-3 were tested as enantioselective hydrogen-bond-donor catalysts in such important reactions as the Michael addition of the O'Donnell substrate to methyl acrylate, epoxidation of chalcone, and trimethylsilylcyanation of benzaldehyde. It was clearly demonstrated that the chirality at the cobalt center has an impact on the stereochemical outcome of the reactions. In particular, the Λ(R,R)-1 and Δ(R,R)-1 complexes acted as "pseudoenantiomeric" catalysts in the epoxidation and trimethylsilylcyanoation reactions, providing both enantiomers of the products with up to 57% enantiomeric excess.

Energetic Co-Crystal of a Primary Metal-Free Explosive with BTF. Ideal Pair for Co-Crystallization.

Co-crystallization is an elegant technique to tune the physical properties of crystalline solids. In the field of energetic materials, co-crystallization is currently playing an important role in the engineering of crystals with improved performance. Here, based on an analysis of the structural features of the green primary explosive, tetramethylammonium salt of 7-oxo-5-(trinitromethyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydrotetrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazin-5-ide (1), a co-former such as the powerful secondary explosive, benzotrifuroxan (BTF, 2), has been proposed to improve it. Compared to the original 1, its co-crystal with BTF has a higher detonation pressure and velocity, as well as an initiating ability, while the impact sensitivity and thermal stability remained at about the same level. Both co-formers, 1 and 2, and co-crystal 3 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and their crystal packing was analyzed in detail by the set of approaches, including periodic calculations. In the co-crystal 3, all intermolecular interactions were significantly redistributed. However, no new types of intermolecular interactions were formed during co-crystallization. Moreover, the interaction energies of structural units in crystals before and after co-crystallization were approximately the same. A similar trend was observed for the volumes occupied by structural units and their densifications. The similar nature of the organization of the crystals of the co-formers and the co-crystal gives grounds to assert that the selected co-formers are an ideal pair for co-crystallization, and the invariability of the organization of the crystals was probably responsible for the preservation of some of their properties.

Correction: [(3-Nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-NNO-azoxy]furazans: energetic materials containing an N(O)[double bond, length as m-dash]N-N fragment.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1RA03919A.].

[(3-Nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-NNO-azoxy]furazans: energetic materials containing an N(O)[double bond, length as m-dash]N-N fragment.

The strategy for the synthesis of substituted [(3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-NNO-azoxy]furazans 4-7, in which the distal nitrogen of the azoxy group is bonded to the nitrogen atom of the azole ring, includes, firstly, the reaction of 1-amino-3-nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole with 2,2,2-trifluoro-N-(4-nitrosofurazan-3-yl)acetamide in the presence of dibromisocyanuric acid followed by removing of the trifluoroacetyl protecting group to afford aminofurazan (4). Transformation of the amino group in the latter made it possible to synthesize the corresponding nitro (5), azo (6), and methylene dinitramine (7) substituted furazans. The compounds synthesized are thermally stable (decomposition onset temperatures 147-228 °C), exhibit acceptable densities (1.77-1.80 g cm-3) and optimal oxygen balance (the oxidizer excess coefficients α = 0.42-0.71). Their standard enthalpies of formation (576-747 kcal kg-1) were determined experimentally by combustion calorimetry and these compounds have been estimated as potential components of solid composite propellants. In terms of the specific impulse level, model solid composite propellant formulations based on nitro and methylene dinitramine substituted furazans 5 and 7 outperform similar formulations based on CL-20 by 1-4 s, and formulations based on HMX and RDX by 5-8 s.

Synthesis and Facile Dearomatization of Highly Electrophilic Nitroisoxazolo[4,3-b]pyridines.

A number of novel 6-R-isoxazolo[4,3-b]pyridines were synthesized and their reactions with neutral C-nucleophiles (1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, π-excessive (het)arenes, dienes) were studied. The reaction rate was found to be dependent on the nature of the substituent 6-R. The most reactive 6-nitroisoxazolo[4,3-b]pyridines are able to add C-nucleophiles in the absence of a base under mild conditions. In addition, these compounds readily undergo [4+2]-cycloaddition reactions on aromatic bonds C=C(NO2) of the pyridine ring, thus indicating the superelectrophilic nature of 6-NO2-isoxazolo[4,3-b]pyridines.

Mechanistic diversity in acetophenone transfer hydrogenation catalyzed by ruthenium iminophosphonamide complexes.

A series of arene ruthenium iminophosphonamide complexes, [(Arene)RuCl{R2P(NR')2}] (1), bearing various arenes and R,R' substituents on the NPN ligand have been investigated as precatalysts in acetophenone transfer hydrogenation in basic and base-free isopropanol. The results clearly demonstrate the presence of two distinct reaction mechanisms, which are controlled by the basicity of the N-atoms. Complexes 1 in which both R' substituents are aryl groups are only active once the neutral hydride complex [(Arene)RuH{R2P(NR')2}] (2) is generated in basic isopropanol, the latter being able to reduce a ketone via a stepwise hydride and proton transfer. On the other hand, complexes in which at least one R' group is Me readily catalyze the reaction in the absence of base. In the latter case, the results of kinetic studies and DFT calculations support an outer-sphere concerted asynchronous hydride and proton transfer assisted by the basic N-atom of the NPN ligand, which promotes catalysis via precoordination of an alcohol molecule by hydrogen bonding.

Cobalt Oxide Materials for Oxygen Evolution Catalysis via Single-Source Precursor Chemistry.

The utilization of metal alkoxides as single-source precursors for (mixed-)oxide materials offers remarkable benefits, such as the possibility to precisely control the metal ratio in the resulting material, highly homogeneous distribution of the elements in the film, and the low temperatures required for film processing. Herein we report on the isolation and characterization of the bimetallic Co-Mo alkoxide [Co3 Mo4 O10 (OCH3 )10 (dmf)4 ] (Co3 Mo4 ; dmf=N,N-dimethylformamide), which was prepared by the anion metathesis reaction of the corresponding metal chlorides. The Co-Mo alkoxide was explored as a well-defined precursor of cobalt oxide catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline electrolyte MOH. The catalysts demonstrated excellent activity in the OER, manifested in low onset potentials and Tafel slopes and superb stability under the operating conditions both in alkaline and nearly neutral media. It was observed that the nature of the metal cation of the alkaline electrolyte MOH (M+ =Li+ , Na+ , K+ , Cs+ ) greatly affected the catalytic performance of the material. We propose that the positive effect of larger metal cations on the film activity in the OER could be explained by the higher hydration enthalpies of larger ions and enhanced mass transport within a larger interlayer space between the [CoO2 ]δ-∞ sheets of the in situ formed binary oxides. It may be deduced that this trend is universal and may be extended to other types of metal oxides forming layered structures during the OER.

Coordinatively Labile 18-Electron Arene Ruthenium Iminophosphonamide Complexes.

The thermodynamics of chloride dissociation from the 18e arene ruthenium iminophosphonamides [(η6 -arene)RuCl{(R'N)2 PR2 }] (1 a-d) [previously known with arene=C6 Me6 , R=Ph, R'=p-Tol (a); R=Et, R'=p-Tol (b); R=Ph, R'=Me (c); and new with arene=p-cymene, R=Ph, R'=p-Tol (d)] was assessed in both polar and apolar solvents by variable-temperature UV/Vis, NMR, and 2D EXSY 1 H NMR methods, which highlighted the influence of the NPN ligand on the equilibrium parameters. The dissociation enthalpy ΔHd decreases with increasing electron-donating ability of the N- and P-substituents (1 a, 1 d>1 b>1 c) and solvent polarity, and this results in exothermic spontaneous dissociation of 1 c in polar solvents. The coordination of neutral ligands (MeCN, pyridine, CO) to the corresponding 16e complexes [(η6 -arene)Ru{(R'N)2 PR2 }]+ PF6- (2 a-d) is reversible; the stability of the 2⋅L adducts depends on the π-accepting ability of L. Carbonylation of 2 a and 2 d resulted in rare examples of cationic arene ruthenium carbonyl complexes (3 a, 3 d), while the monocarbonyl adduct derived from 2 c reacts further with a second equivalent of CO with conversion to carbonyl-carbamoyl complex 3 c, in which one CO molecule is inserted into the Ru-N bond. The new complexes 1 d, 2 d, 3 a, 3 c, and 3 d were isolated and structurally characterized.

Transferable Aspherical Atom Modeling of Electron Density in Highly Symmetric Crystals: A Case Study of Alkali-Metal Nitrates.

A comparative electron density study (from X-ray diffraction and periodic quantum chemistry) of sodium and potassium nitrates is performed to test the performance of a transferrable aspherical atom model, which is based on the invarioms, to describe chemical bonding features of ions occurring in sites of different symmetry typical of inorganic salts and in different crystal environments. Relying on tabulated entries for the isolated ions (although tailor-made to account for different site symmetries), it takes the same time to employ as the spherical atom model routinely used in X-ray diffraction studies but provides an electron density distribution that faithfully reveals all the interionic interactions-even the weakest ones (such as between the nitrate anions or a K···N interaction found in the metastable form of KNO3) yet important for properties of inorganic materials-as if obtained from high-resolution X-ray diffraction data.

Nucleophilic dearomatization of 4-aza-6-nitrobenzofuroxan by CH acids in the synthesis of pharmacology-oriented compounds.

4-Aza-6-nitrobenzofuroxan (ANBF) reacts with 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds and other CH acids to give carbon-bonded 1,4-adducts - 1,4-dihydropyridines fused with furoxan ring. In the case of most acidic ß-diketones, which exist mainly in the enol form in polar solvents, the reactions proceed in the absence of any added base emphasizing the highly electrophilic character of ANBF. The resulting compounds combine in one molecule NO-donor furoxan ring along with a pharmacologically important 1,4-dihydropyridine fragment and therefore can be considered as prospective platforms for the design of pharmacology-oriented heterocyclic systems.

Correction: Ni-based heterogeneous catalyst from a designed molecular precursor for the efficient electrochemical water oxidation.

Correction for 'Ni-based heterogeneous catalyst from a designed molecular precursor for the efficient electrochemical water oxidation' by Denis A. Kuznetsov et al., Chem. Commun., 2016, 52, 9255-9258.

The half-sandwich 18- and 16-electron arene ruthenium iminophosphonamide complexes.

Novel half-sandwich 18e and 16e arene ruthenium iminophosphonamide complexes [(η6-C6Me6)RuCl{(R'N)2PR2}] (3a-c) and [(η6-C6Me6)Ru{(R'N)2PR2}]+(X-) (4a-c) (a, R = Ph, R' = p-Tol; b, R = Et, R' = p-Tol; c, R = Ph, R' = Me. X = BF4, PF6 or BArF4) were synthesized. The elongated Ru-Cl bond in the 18e complexes is shown to dissociate even in apolar solvents to form the corresponding 16e cations, which can be readily isolated as salts with non-coordinating anions. The coordinatively unsaturated 16e complexes are stable species due to efficient π-electron donation from the nitrogen atoms of the zwitterionic NPN-ligand. The ruthenium iminophosphonamides are moderately active in the ROMP polymerization of norbornene; the 16e complexes 4a,b yield high molecular weight polymers (Mn∼ 300 × 103) with a narrow distribution Mw/Mn∼ 1.6, while the 18e complexes 3a,b give polymers of lower molecular weight (Mn < 50 × 103) with a wider polydispersity index Mw/Mn∼ 2.5.

Tri-, tetra-, and hexanuclear mixed-valence molybdenum clusters: structural diversity and catalysis of acetylene hydrogenation.

A series of novel cluster compounds comprising molybdenum in a low valence state was synthesized by means of a disproportionation of the dimeric compound [Mo+42Cl4(OCH3)4(CH3OH)2] (1). The reaction of 1 with CH3OH leads to the disproportionation of Mo+4 yielding an unusual mixed-valence cluster [Mo+3.54Cl4O2(OCH3)6(CH3OH)4] (2). By exploring this synthetic approach further, tri-{[Mo3Cl3(OCH3)7(CH3OH)3] (3)}, tetra-{[Mo4Cl4(OCH3)10(CH3OH)2] (4), [Mo4Cl3O(OCH3)9(CH3OH)3] (5), [Mo4Cl2(OCH3)12(CH3OH)2] (6)}, and hexanuclear {[Mo6Cl4O6(OCH3)10(CH3OH)2] (7)} molybdenum alkoxides were synthesized by the reaction of 1 with methanol and stoichiometric amounts of magnesium methoxide, thus providing a general facile access to the polynuclear methoxide complexes of a low-valence molybdenum. Due to the feasibility to adopt multiple oxidation states in a reversible manner and the documented competence of molybdenum alkoxide compounds to catalyze the reduction of inert molecules, including N2, the synthesized compounds were expected to function as catalysts of small molecule substrates reduction/hydrogenation. Accordingly, the reduction of acetylene (C2H2) to an ethylene (C2H4) and ethane (C2H6) mixture, in methanol (with water additives) serving as a reaction medium and a proton donor, and using sodium or europium amalgams as reducing agents, was performed in the presence of 2. Preliminary kinetic studies evidently point to a catalytic function of molybdenum species derived from 2, thus establishing the observed reactivity as a rare example of non-precious metal-catalyzed acetylene hydrogenation, providing, in addition, a convenient model for further mechanistic studies.

Synthesis of Tetrazino-tetrazine 1,3,6,8-Tetraoxide (TTTO).

This study presents the first synthesis and characterization of a new high energy compound [1,2,3,4]tetrazino[5,6-e][1,2,3,4]tetrazine 1,3,6,8-tetraoxide (TTTO). It was synthesized in ten steps from 2,2-bis(tert-butyl-NNO-azoxy)acetonitrile. The synthetic strategy was based on the sequential closure of two 1,2,3,4-tetrazine 1,3-dioxide rings by the generation of oxodiazonium ions and their intramolecular coupling with tert-butyl-NNO-azoxy groups. The TTTO structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray.

Ni-based heterogeneous catalyst from a designed molecular precursor for the efficient electrochemical water oxidation.

Bimetallic Ni-Mo alkoxide was synthesized and exploited as the single-source precursor for the solution-processed deposition of the mixed-oxide layers on different conducting surfaces. Upon potential cycling in 1 M NaOH, these composites convert, in situ, into highly porous NiOx/NiOOH catalysts characterized by the high electrocatalytic activity for water oxidation under both basic (pH 13.6) and near neutral (pH 9.2) conditions.

Retrosynthetic approach to the design of molybdenum-magnesium oxoalkoxides.

The reaction of MoCl5 methanolysis in the presence of magnesium ions was shown to produce an extensive row of heterobimetallic Mg-Mo(V, VI) oxomethoxides of different nuclearity ranging from 4 for [Mg2(CH3OH)4Mo2O2(OCH3)10] (1) to 26 for [Mg(DMF)3(CH3OH)3]2[Mo22Mg4O48(OCH3)28(DMF)6] (2) with the latter possessing a ring morphology. Examination of [Mo6O12(OCH3)16Mg4(CH3OH)6] (3), [Mo6O12(OCH3)12Mg2(DMF)4] (4a), and [Mo6O16(OCH3)4Mg2(DMF)8] (5a) X-ray structures revealed the presence of the well known tetranuclear core {Mo4O8(OCH3)2}(2+) thus similar reactivity patterns leading to their formation were assumed. For convenient synthesis of such heterobimetallic oxoalkoxides, the retrosynthetic approach based on speculative deconstruction of a target molecule onto simpler fragments was suggested and successfully employed. Namely, the reaction of the stoichiometric amounts of appropriately chosen Mo(V), Mo(VI) and Mg(2+) synthons led to their assembling resulting in the formation of heterometallic clusters 3, 5a and [Mo6O12(OCH3)12Mg2(CH3OH)4]·2CH3OH (4b) characterized by means of elemental analysis, UV-Vis, IR spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography.

Extremely long Cu···O contact as a possible pathway for magnetic interactions in Na2Cu(CO3)2.

Chemical binding in a mixed copper sodium carbonate Na2Cu(CO3)2, a layered material showing ferromagnetic intralayer exchange and weak antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling, was examined within the topological analysis of experimental (from high-resolution X-ray diffraction) and theoretical (from periodic quantum chemical calculations) electron density functions in its crystal. Together with modeling of a superexchange pathway within the LSDA and DFT+U approach, the results obtained reveal a very weak Cu···O interaction (0.5 kcal/mol worth) between the copper-carbonate layers that is nevertheless stabilizing (bonding) and may serve as a possible pathway for antiferromagnetic interactions.

Novel multichiral diols and diamines by highly stereoselective pinacol coupling of planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophane derivatives.

The TiCl4/Zn-mediated intermolecular pinacol coupling of the planar chiral carbonyl compounds [2.2]paracyclophane-4-carbaldehyde, 4-acetyl[2.2]paracyclophane (ketone) and the four regioisomeric 5-, 7-, 12- and 13-methoxy[2.2]paracyclophane-4-carbaldehydes as well as the pTosOH-Zn/Cu-promoted coupling of their N-substituted imines is described. Coupling of the enantiomerically pure substrates (most of carbonyl compounds and all imines) occurs stereoselectively giving rise to diastereomerically pure 1,2-diols and 1,2-diamines. Racemic aldehydes and ketone react with different degrees of stereoselectivity (depending on the substituents in certain positions) and produce one to three diastereomers. 7-methoxy[2.2]paracyclophane-4-carbaldehyde undergoes a tandem pinacol coupling-pinacol rearrangement to yield bis-(7-methoxy[2.2]paracyclophane-4-yl)acetaldehyde. Coupling of the racemic imines produces a mixture of single racemic D,L-diamine and single meso-diamine in each case. The stereoselective formation of the asymmetric centres is governed by the planar chiral [2.2]paracyclophanyl moiety. The techniques elaborated are extended to the intramolecular coupling of [2.2]paracyclophane-4,13-dicarbaldehyde and its bis-N-phenylimine, resulting in stereoselective formation of the chiral triply-bridged diol and exclusive formation of the meso-diamine. X-Ray investigations of several diols and diamines have been carried out and the structural features of these derivatives are discussed.