A nitrogen-rich ligand as a scaffold for slow magnetic relaxation in dysprosium-based 0D and 1D architectures.

A recently designed nitrogen-rich ligand is successfully applied as a scaffold for lanthanide ions to show that the intricate chemistry of energetic materials can be combined with other fields of research, including that of molecular magnetism. Herein, we report the synthesis of two different types of molecular architectures using a single ligand template, in which the discrete monomer exhibits single-molecule magnet-like behaviour along with two well-isolated modes of magnetic relaxation.

Dense nitrogen-rich energetic materials: a study of 5,5'-bis(1H-tetrazolyl)amine [corrected].

5,5'-bis(1H-tetrazolyl)amine (BTA), a nitrogen rich molecular solid has been investigated under compression at room temperature [corrected]. Powder x-ray diffraction using synchrotron radiation and micro-Raman spectroscopy were carried out to pressures up to 12.9 GPa. BTA conserves the crystalline structure of its room condition phase up to the highest pressure, i.e., an orthorhombic unit cell (Pbca). A fit of the isothermal compression data to the Birch-Murnaghan equation of state reveals the high compressibility of BTA. An analysis of the volume change with pressure yields a bulk modulus and its derivative similar to that of high-nitrogen content molecular crystals. Upon laser heating to approximately 1100 K, the sample decomposed while pressurized at 2.1 GPa, resulting in a graphitic compound. Finally, numerical simulations demonstrate that the minimum energy conformation is not experimentally observed since a higher energy conformation allows for a more stable dense packing of the BTA molecules.

Vinyl oxidative coupling as a synthetic route to catalytically active monovalent chromium.

Reaction of the deprotonated form of cis-{(t-Bu)N(H)P[µ-N(t-Bu)](2)PN(H)(t-Bu)} with CrCl(3)(THF)(3) afforded the trivalent cis-{(t-Bu)NP[µ-N(t-Bu)](2)PN(t-Bu)}[Li (THF)])CrCl(2) (1). Subsequent reaction with 2 equiv of vinyl Grignard (CH(2)=CH)Mg Cl gave the butadiene derivative (cis-{(t-Bu)NP[µ-N(t-Bu)](2)PN(t-Bu)}[Li(THF)])Cr(cis-η(4)-butadiene) (3) formally containing the metal in its monovalent state. The presence of the monovalent state was thereafter confirmed by DFT calculations. The coordination of the butadiene unit appears to be rather robust since reaction with Me(3)P afforded cleavage of the dimeric ligand core but not its displacement. The reaction formed the new butadiene complex [(t-Bu)N-P-N(t-Bu)]Cr(cis-η(4)-butadiene)PMe(3) (4) containing a regular NPN monoanion. In agreement with the presence of monovalent chromium, complexes 3 and 4 act as single-component self-activating catalysts for selective ethylene trimerization and dimerization, respectively.