Chalcogeno[bis(phosphaalkenyl)] germanium and tin compounds.

The first diphosphaalkenylstannylene stabilized through complexation with a carbene NHC-Sn[C(Cl)═PMes*](2)1 (Mes* = 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl; NHC = :C{N(iPr)C(Me)}(2)) was isolated and fully characterized including single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Its reaction with elemental sulfur rapidly gives the cyclic Sn(2)S(2) (dithiadistannetanne) derivative 3, presumably formed by dimerization of a stannathione intermediate. By contrast, its germanium analogue NHC-Ge[C(Cl)═PMes*](2)7 leads to the corresponding monomeric germathione 4 and germaselenone 5. The germaselenone was more stable than the germathione and could be structurally characterized. An unusual thermal cyclization reaction of the last one occurs with an excess of selenium to give the Ge(2)Se(3) (triselenadigermolane) ring derivative 6.

A robust metal-organic framework constructed from alkoxo-bridged binuclear nodes and hexamethylenetetramine spacers: crystal structure and sorption studies.

A neutral 3D metal-organic framework, (3)(∞)[Cu(2)(mand)(2)(hmt)]·H(2)O (1), was constructed from binuclear Cu(2)O(2) alkoxo-bridged nodes, generated by the doubly deprotonated mandelic acid. The nodes are connected by hexamethylenetetramine (hmt) spacers, which act as biconnective bridging ligands, and by carboxylato groups. Channels are observed along the crystallographic c axis. The water molecules from the channels can be easily removed, preserving the architecture of the crystal, which is stable up to 280 °C. The Langmuir surface area was found to be 610 m(2) g(-1). The sorption ability of 1 was investigated using H(2) and CO(2).

The metal-carbonyl···π(aryl) interaction as a supramolecular synthon for the stabilisation of transition metal carbonyl crystal structures.

M-carbonyl(lone pair)···π(aryl) interactions provide stability to their transition metal crystal structures. This supramolecular synthon usually leads to zero- or one-dimensional aggregation patterns; a rare example of a three-dimensional architecture based on the M-CO(lone pair)···π(aryl) synthon has also been revealed.

catena-Poly[[[(2,2'-bipyrid-yl)copper(II)]-µ-l-alaninato] perchlorate monohydrate].

In the structure of the polymeric title complex, {[Cu(C(3)H(6)NO(2))(C(10)H(8)N(2))]ClO(4)·H(2)O}(n), the carboxyl-ate group of the chelating amino acid is further linked to a neighbouring Cu centre, generating a supra-molecular single-stranded chain parallel to [010]. The structure displays inter-molecular N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonding, which consolidates the crystal packing.