New Data on the Reactions of Zirconium and Hafnium Tetrachlorides with Aliphatic Acids

The reaction of ZrCl4 or HfCl4 with excess 2-methylpropanoic acid when boiling under reflux has been studied. The formation of polynuclear Zr and Hf complexes of the composition M2O(i-C3H7CO2)6 during prolonged reflux of the reaction mixtures was found. The complexes are very sensitive to hydrolysis, forming hexanuclear [M6(O)4(OH)4(i-C3H7CO2)12]. The reactions have a general character for aliphatic acids and can be used as an alternative to the known methods for the synthesis of polynuclear carboxylate clusters of Group 4 metals. The crystal and molecular structures of previously undescribed {[Hf6(μ3-O)4(μ3-OH)4(i-C3H7CO2)12(H2O)]·3i-C3H7COOH} have been determined. The molecular structure is a completely asymmetric hexanuclear cluster containing six Hf(IV) atoms united by a 4:4 μ3-O/OH system of bridges, and stabilized by twelve 2-methylpropanoate ligands, eight of which are bidentate bridging, three are chelating, and one is monodentate. The crystal structure of the complex includes three independent solvating 2-methylpropanoic acid molecules. The obtained IR spectroscopy data make it possible to determine the type of complexes in the reaction mixture. The results of the study may be useful for improving the catalytic systems for ethylene oligomerization

Synthesis and Catalytic Activity in the Hydrogenation Reaction of Palladium-Doped Metal-Organic Frameworks Based on Oxo-Centered Zirconium Complexes

Metal-nanocluster-doped porous composite materials are attracting considerable research attention, due to their specific catalytic performance. Here we report a simple, cheap, and efficient strategy for the preparation of palladium hydrogenation catalysts based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). It has been shown that the synthesis of Pd/MOF results in the formation of palladium nanoparticles uniformly fixed on the surface. The composition and structure of the resulting composites were studied using elemental analysis, DSC, TGA, XRD, TEM, and IR spectroscopy. Pd nanoparticles with an average diameter of 8–12 nm were successfully confined in the UiO-type MOFs, and the obtained nanocomposites exhibited abundant porosity, high stability, and a large surface area. It has been shown that the resulting catalytic systems with high activity, selectivity, and stability reduce phenylacetylene and allyl alcohol to styrene and propanol, respectively, in liquid-phase hydrogenation reactions

Effect of Ligand Substitution on Zero-Field Slow Magnetic Relaxation in Mononuclear Dy(III) β-Diketonate Complexes with Phenanthroline-Based Ligands

Herein, we report the synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of two mononuclear complexes of general formula [Dy(acac)3(L)], where L = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolo[4,5-f][1,10] phenanthroline (1) or 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione (2), and acac− = acetylacetonate anion. A distorted square-antiprismatic N2O6 environment around the central Dy(III) ion is formed by three acetylacetonate anions and a phenanthroline-type ligand. Both complexes display a single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior at zero applied magnetic field. Modification of the peripheral part of ligands L provide substantial effects both on the magnetic relaxation barrier Ueff and on the quantum tunneling of magnetization (QTM). Ab initio quantum-chemical calculations are used to analyze the electronic structure and magnetic properties

Mononuclear Heptacoordinated 3d-Metal Helicates as a New Family of Single Ion Magnets

The series of Co(II), Fe(II), and Ni(II) mononuclear coordination compounds of [CoL(NCS)2]·3DMSO (1), [CoL(H2O)2](ClO4)2·DMSO (2), [CoL(H2O)(EtOH)][CoCl4]·2H2O (2a), [FeL(NCS)2]·DMSO (3), and [NiL(NCS)2]·CH3CN (4) composition (where L is 2,6-bis(1-(2-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl)hydrazineylidene)ethyl)pyridine), with an [MLA2] coordination unit (where A is a pair of apical monodentate ligands), was synthesized. In compounds 1, 2, 2a, and 3, the ligand L is pentadentate, and cobalt and iron ions are placed in a heavily distorted pentagonal pyramidal coordination environment, while in 4 the Ni(II) ion is hexacoordinated. Easy plane-type magnetic anisotropy (D = 13.69, 11.46, 19.5, and 6.2 cm−1 for 1, 2, 2a, and 4, respectively) was established for cobalt and nickel compounds, while easy axis-type magnetic anisotropy (D = −14.5 cm−1) was established for iron compound 3. The cobalt coordination compounds 1 and 2 show SIM behavior under a 1500 Oe external magnetic field, with effective magnetization reversal barriers of 65(1) and 60(1) K for 1 and 2, respectively. The combination of Orbach and Raman relaxation mechanisms was shown to adequately describe the temperature dependence of relaxation times for 1 and 2. CASSCF/NEVPT2 calculations were performed to model the parameters of the effective spin Hamiltonian for the compounds under study

Solubility Enhancement of Dihydroquercetin via “Green” Phase Modification

Dihydroquercetin (DHQ) is a promising antioxidant for medical applications. The poor water solubility of this flavanonol at ambient conditions inhibits its implementation in clinical practice as an injectable dosage form. Thus, increasing water solubility is a critical step toward solving this problem. Herein we attempted to deal with this problem via DHQ phase modification while at the same time adhering to the principles of green chemistry as much as possible. Lyophilization is an appropriate method to achieve phase modification in an environment-friendly way. This method was employed to generate new phase modifications of DHQ that were then characterized. Mixtures of water with ethanol or acetonitrile were used as solvents for the preparation of the lyophilizates, DHQE, and DHQA, respectively. The results of dissolution testing of the obtained DHQE and DHQA demonstrated that the lyophilization increased water solubility at least 30-fold times. These new DHQ modifications were studied by scanning electron microscopy, mass-spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and thermal analysis. Their solid-state phases were confirmed to differ from the initial DHQ substance without any changes in the molecular structure. Both DHQE and DHQA showed as high antioxidant activity as the initial DHQ. These data demonstrate the potential of DHQE and DHQA as active pharmaceutical ingredients for injectable dosage forms

A new member of the cationic dinitrosyl iron complexes family incorporating N-ethylthiourea is effective against human HeLa and MCF-7 tumor cell lines

<p>A new analog of the active site of mononuclear dinitrosyl [1Fe–2S] proteins, [C₃N₂H₈SFe(NO)₂Cl][Fe(NO)₂(C₃N₂H₈S)₂]⁺Cl⁻ (<b>I</b>), has been synthesized by reacting NO with an aqueous mixture of iron(II) sulfate and N-ethylthiourea in acidic medium. The structure and properties of the complex were studied by X-ray diffraction, IR, Mössbauer, and EPR spectroscopy, in addition to quantum chemical calculations. Complex <b>I</b> spontaneously generates NO in protic media. The cytotoxicity of <b>I</b> was investigated against human cervical carcinoma (HeLa), breast cancer (MCF7), and non-immortalized (FetMCS) cell lines. The cytotoxicity of <b>I</b> against HeLa is similar to that of anticancer agents currently used clinically (platinum complexes), but <b>I</b> is 10 times less toxic in normal cells. The cytotoxicity of MCF7 cells to <b>I</b> is low.</p

Multifunctional Compound Combining Conductivity and Single-Molecule Magnetism in the Same Temperature Range

We report the first highly conducting single-molecule magnet, (BEDO)₄[ReF₆]·6H₂O [<b>1</b>; BEDO = bis­(ethylenedioxo)­tetrathiafulvalene], whose conductivity and single-molecule magnetism coexist in the same temperature range. The compound was synthesized by BEDO electrocrystallization in the presence of (Ph₄P)₂[ReF₆]·2H₂O and characterized by crystallography and measurements of the conductivity and alternating-current magnetic susceptibility