3,4,5-Trimeth-oxy-4'-methyl-biphen-yl.

In the title compound, C16H18O3, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 33.4 (2)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are packed in a zigzag arrangement along the b-axis and are inter-connected via weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, and C-H⋯π inter-actions involving the meth-oxy groups and the benzene rings of neighbouring molecules.

3,5-Dimeth-oxy-4'-methyl-biphen-yl.

The title compound, C15H16O2, crystallizes with three independent mol-ecules in the asymmetric unit. The intra-molecular torsion angle between the aromatic rings of each mol-ecule are -36.4 (3), 41.3 (3) and -37.8 (3)°. In the crystal, the complicated packing of the mol-ecules forms wave-like layers along the b and c axes. The mol-ecules are connected via extensive meth-oxy-phenyl C-H⋯π inter-actions. A weak C-H⋯O hydrogen-bonding network also exists between meth-oxy O atoms and aromatic or meth-oxy H atoms.

Methyl 3',4',5'-trimeth-oxy-biphenyl-4-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C17H18O5, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 31.23 (16)°. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are packed in an anti-parallel fashion in layers along the a axis. In each layer, very weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds occur between the meth-oxy and methyl ester groups. Weak C-H⋯π inter-actions between the 4'- and 5'-meth-oxy groups and neighbouring benzene rings [meth-oxy-C-ring centroid distances = 4.075 and 3.486 Å, respectively] connect the layers.

Methyl 3',5'-dimeth-oxy-biphenyl-4-carboxyl-ate.

In the title compound, C16H16O4, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 28.9 (2)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are packed in layers parallel to the b axis in which they are connected via weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O contacts. Face-to-face π-π inter-actions also exist between the benzene rings of adjacent mol-ecules, with centroid-centroid and plane-to-plane shift distances of 3.8597 (14) and 1.843 (2) Å, respectively.

4,4'-[Thio-phene-2,5-diylbis(ethyne-2,1-di-yl)]dibenzonitrile.

In the solid state, the title compound, C(22)H(10)N(2)S, forms centrosymmetric dimers by pairs of non-classical C-H⋯S hydrogen bonds linking approximately coplanar mol-ecules. The benzene ring involved in this inter-action makes a dihedral angle of only 7.21 (16)° with the thio-phene ring, while the other benzene ring is twisted somewhat out of the plane, with a dihedral angle of 39.58 (9)°. The hydrogen-bonded dimers stack on top of each other with an inter-planar spacing of 3.44 Å. C-H⋯N hydrogen bonds link together stacks that run in approximately perpendicular directions. Each mol-ecule thus inter-acts with 12 adjacent mol-ecules, five of them approaching closer than the sum of the van der Waals radii for the relevant atoms. Optimization of the inter-stack contacts contributes to the non-planarity of the mol-ecule.

The transfer of tin and germanium atoms from N-heterocyclic stannylenes and germylenes to diazadienes.

New N-heterocyclic stannylenes and germylenes were synthesized by transamination of E[N(SiMe3)2] (E = Ge, Sn) with alpha-amino-aldimines or ethylidene-1,2-diamines and were characterized by spectroscopic methods and in the case of the germylene 10 g by X-ray diffraction. The reactions of several germylenes and stannylenes with diazadienes were studied by using dynamic NMR and computational methods. Experimental and theoretical studies confirmed that metathesis with exchange of the Group 14 atom is feasible for both stannylenes and germylenes, with exchange rates being generally higher for stannylenes. The metathesis of the diazadiene 3 b and the stannylene 1 b follows second-order kinetics and exhibits a sizeable negative entropy of activation. The transfer reaction is inhibited by bulky substituents in both reactants and surprisingly coincides with a suppression of the fragmentation of the stannylene into tin and diazadiene. A connection between oxidative addition and ring fragmentation was also observed in the reaction of 1 f with sulfur. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations suggest that all metathesis reactions proceed via transient spirocyclic [1+4] cycloaddition products, the formation of which is generally endothermic and endergonic. The spirostannanes display a distorted Psi-tbp geometry at the tin atom and their cycloreversion requires low or nearly negligible activation energies; spirogermanes exhibit distorted tetrahedral central atoms and sizeable energy barriers with respect to the same reaction. Complementary studies of cycloadditions of diazadienes to triplet germylenes or stannylenes indicate that these reactions are exothermic. The lowest triplet state in the carbene homologues results from promotion of an electron from an n(N) orbital with pi character rather than the n(C)-sigma orbital as in carbenes, and singlet-triplet excitation energies decrease from carbon to tin. Spirostannanes exhibit a triplet ground-state multiplicity that implies that the energy hypersurfaces for the reactions of singlet and triplet stannylenes with diazadienes intersect; for germylenes, the singlet hypersurface is always lower in energy. A reaction mechanism explaining the different thermal stabilities of N-heterocyclic germylenes and stannylenes, and the coincidence between ring metathesis and thermal decomposition of the latter, is proposed based on the different separation of the singlet and triplet energy hypersurfaces.

Structurally diverse second-generation [2.2]paracyclophane ketimines with planar and central chirality: syntheses, structural determination, and evaluation for asymmetric catalysis.

A set of 20 novel [2.2]paracyclophane ketimines with planar and central chirality has been synthesized from enantiomerically pure and racemic 5-acyl-4-hydroxy[2.2]paracyclophane and alpha-branched chiral amines. Their X-ray structures were determined to elucidate the three-dimensional structures and the absolute configuration. The ketimines were used as catalysts in the asymmetric 1,2-addition reactions of diethylzinc with substituted benzaldehydes to furnish chiral alcohols in up to 95 % ee.

Mixed-valence, mixed-spin-state, and heterometallic [2x2] grid-type arrays based on heteroditopic hydrazone ligands: synthesis and electrochemical features.

An extended family of heterometallic [(M1)2(M2)2(L-)4](n+) [2x2] grid-type arrays 1-9 has been prepared. The three-tiered synthetic route encompasses regioselective, redox and enantioselective features and is based on the stepwise construction of heteroditopic hydrazone ligands A-C. These ligands contain ionisable NH and nonionisable NMe hydrazone units, which allows the metal redox properties to be controlled according to the charge on the ligand binding pocket. The 2-pyrimidine (R) and 6-pyridine (R') substituents have a significant effect on complex geometry and influence both the electrochemical and magnetic behaviour of the system. 1H NMR spectroscopic studies show that the Fe(II) ions in the grid can be low spin, high spin or spin crossover depending on the steric effect of substituents R and R'. This steric effect has been manipulated to construct an unusual array possessing two low-spin and two spin-crossover Fe(II) centres (grid 8). Electrochemical studies were performed for the grid-type arrays 1-9 and their respective mononuclear precursor complexes 10-13. The grids function as electron reservoirs and display up to eight monoelectronic, reversible reduction steps. These processes generally occur in pairs and are assigned to ligand-based reductions and to the Co(III)/Co(II) redox couple. Individual metal ions in the heterometallic grid motif can be selectively addressed electrochemically (e.g., either the Co(III) or Fe(II) ions can be targeted in grids 2 and 5). The Fe(II) oxidation potential is governed by the charge on the ligand binding unit, rather than the spin state, thus permitting facile electrochemical discrimination between the two types of Fe(II) centre in 7 or in 8. Such multistable heterometallic [2x2] gridlike arrays are of great interest for future supramolecular devices incorporating multilevel redox activity.

p-(1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2-yl)- substituted calix[4]arene, a deep cavity for guest inclusion.

The reaction of tetra-p-formyltetra-O-propylcalix[4]arene with phenanthrenequinone in the presence of NH(4)OAc affords compound 2, a new class of calixarene with an expanded aromatic cavity, that could be stabilized by hydrogen-bonded bridges and/or ion pairing, thus preventing collapse into fully stacked pinched cone conformations as depicted. Two partially protonated calixarenes interdigitate in the solid state to give rise to a self-assembled face-to-face dimer, stabilized by pi-pi stacking interactions.

Ligand entrapment in twofold interpenetrating PtS matrixes by metallo-organic frameworks.

Single-crystal X-ray crystallography was used to determine the structures of four metallo-organic frameworks (MOFs). A dendritic tetradentate ligand (tetrakis(isonicotinoxymethyl)methane, TINM) was used with first-row transition-metal elements copper, nickel, and cobalt to synthesize MOFs with a PtS interpenetration, due to both planar and tetrahedral junctions being present in the framework. Two different polymeric complexes, 1 and 2, were obtained from similar starting materials, TINM and Cu(NO(3))(2).3H(2)O, but different solvents. The use of dichloromethane in addition to methanol and water promoted the coordination of nitrate ions to the copper. With only methanol and water used as solvent, the copper atom was coordinated to water molecules instead. Compound 1 has pores going through the structure in two dimensions, along crystallographic axes a and c with diameters of the pores (the diameters correspond to the minimum distances between van der Waals surfaces of opposing walls defined by projection along channel axis) approximately 1.0 x 3.1 and 2.5 x 3.7 A, respectively. Compound 2 has channels along all crystallographic axes. The dimensions of the channels are 3.2 x 3.7, 3.7 x 5.0, and 2.8 x 4.1 A, respectively. The structures of 3 and 4 entrap a large guest ligand molecule in the framework. The guest ligand is uncoordinated, although the pattern that the entrapped guests form brings the two arms of any two guests within close range. The lack of 3-fold penetration is due to only two arms being close to each other and also the fact that there is no space for an additional set of metal centers.

Metal binding characteristics of a laterally nonsymmetric aza cryptand upon functionalization with a pi-acceptor group.

The laterally nonsymmetric aza cryptand synthesized by condensing tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (tren) with tris[[2-(3-(oxomethyl)phenyl)oxy]ethyl]amine readily forms mononuclear inclusion complexes with both transition and main-group metal ions. In these complexes, the metal ion occupies the tren-end of the cavity making bonds with the three secondary amino and the bridgehead N atoms. When a strong pi-acceptor group such as 2,4-dinitrobenzene is attached to one of the secondary amines, the binding property of the cryptand changes drastically. When perchlorate or tetrafluoroborate salts of Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), or Cd(II) are used, the metal ion enters the cavity which can be monitored by the hypsochromic shift of the intramolecular charge-transfer transition from the donor amino N atom to the acceptor dinitrobenzene. However, in the presence of coordinating ions such as Cl(-), N(3)(-), and SCN(-), the metal ion comes out of the cavity and binds the cryptand outside the cavity at a site away from the dinitrobenzene moiety. Four such complexes are characterized by X-ray crystallography. Thus, a metal ion can translocate between inside and outside of the cryptand cavity depending upon the nature of the counter anion.

Calcium dicaesium silver thiocyanate dihydrate.

The title compound, CaCs2[Ag2(SCN)6]*2H2O, forms a continuous structure where the Ag atoms form chains with S atoms in the c-axis direction. The chains are bonded together through Cs and Ca atoms. The crystal water of the structure is bonded to the Ca atoms, which lie on centers of symmetry.