Inclusion and release of ant alarm pheromones from metal-organic frameworks.

Zinc(ii) and zirconium(iv) metal-organic frameworks show uptake and slow release of the ant alarm pheromones 3-octanone and 4-methyl-3-heptanone. Inclusion of N-propyl groups on the MOFs allows for enhanced uptake and release over several months. In preliminary field trials, leaf cutting ants show normal behavioural responses to the released pheromones.

A synthetic, catalytic and theoretical investigation of an unsymmetrical SCN pincer palladacycle.

The SCN ligand 2-{3-[(methylsulfanyl)methyl]phenyl}pyridine, 1, has been synthesized starting from an initial Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) coupling between 3-((hydroxymethyl)phenyl)boronic acid and 2-bromopyridine. The C-H activation of 1 with in situ formed Pd(MeCN)4(BF4)2 has been studied and leads to a mixture of palladacycles, which were characterized by X-ray crystallography. The monomeric palladacycle LPdCl 6, where L-H = 1, has been synthesized, and tested in SM couplings of aryl bromides, where it showed moderate activity. Density functional theory and the atoms in molecules (AIM) method have been used to investigate the formation and bonding of 6, revealing a difference in the nature of the Pd-S and Pd-N bonds. It was found that S-coordination to the metal in the rate determining C-H bond activation step leads to better stabilization of the Pd(II) centre (by 13-28 kJ mol(-1)) than with N-coordination. This is attributed to the electron donating ability of the donor atoms determined by Bader charges. The AIM analysis also revealed that the Pd-N bonds are stronger than the Pd-S bonds influencing the stability of key intermediates in the palladacycle formation reaction pathway.

Bismuth coordination networks containing deferiprone: synthesis, characterisation, stability and antibacterial activity.

A series of bismuth-dicarboxylate-deferiprone coordination networks have been prepared and structurally characterised. The new compounds have been demonstrated to release the iron overload drug deferiprone on treatment with PBS and have also been shown to have antibacterial activity against H. pylori.

The nature of the bonding in symmetrical pincer palladacycles.

The accuracy of DFT-optimised geometries of the symmetrical pincer palladacycles PdNCN and PdSCS, [ClPd{2,6-(Me2NCH2)2C6H3}] and [ClPd{2,6-(MeSCH2)2C6H3}] respectively, has been evaluated by investigating the performance of eight commonly used density functionals with four combinations of basis set, in reproducing their X-ray crystal structures. It was found that whilst the ωB97XD functional performed best over all, the PBE and TPSS functionals performed best when considering the palladium coordination geometry. The role of the donor atom in the stability and reactivity of the symmetric palladacycles, PdYCY, Y = N, S, or P, has been determined using Bader's Atoms in Molecules method to elucidate the nature of the bonding, and using a model formation reaction, which involves the C-H activation of the pincer ligand YCY by PdCl2. The calculations reveal distinct differences in the bond strength and nature of the interaction of Pd with the donor atoms Y, which support differences in the thermodynamic stability of the palladacycles.

Computational study of the coordination of methane to first row transition metal dication complexes.

The coordination of methane, the first step in methane activation, to coordinately unsaturated first row transition metal dication complexes has been studied computationally to determine the most stable metal-methane interaction. The geometries and the vibrational frequencies of the encounter complexes [M(pyridine)2(CH4)](2+) have been determined using density functional theory with the ωB97XD hybrid functional and triple-ζ basis sets. The structure is dependent on the metal center; for the early transition metals η(3) coordination is favored, whereas η(2) is more favorable for the later transition metals. The periodic trend in methane binding energies in the [M(pyridine)2(CH4)](2+) complexes follows the trend in electron affinity until the Mn complex but then exhibits decreasing energies from Fe to Zn. This is attributed to increasing Pauli repulsion and ligand-ligand repulsion. For the most stable complex, [Cr(pyridine)2(CH4)](2+), the structures, energies, and spin states of the key intermediates and products in the oxidative addition/reductive elimination pathway have been investigated. It is found that the reaction is thermodynamically favorable and indicates that two-state reactivity may play an important role in lowering the energy of the hydridomethyl intermediate.