Tris(ethane-1,2-diamine)copper(II) bis­(trifluoro­acetate)

In the title complex, [Cu(H2NCH2CH2NH2)3](CF3COO)2, the environment of the Cu atom is distorted octa­hedral, formed by six N atoms from three chelating ethane-1,2-diamine ligands. The Cu—N distances range from 2.050 (2) to 2.300 (2) Å. This complex cation and the two trifluoro­acetate anions are connected by weak N—H⋯O and N—H⋯F hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional framework. In both anions, the F atoms are disordered over two positions; in one the site-occupancy factors are 0.55 and 0.45, in the other the values are 0.69 and 0.31

Rapidly inducible, genetically targeted inactivation of neural and synaptic activity in vivo

Inducible and reversible perturbation of the activity of selected neurons in vivo is critical to understanding the dynamics of brain circuits. Several genetically encoded systems for rapid inducible neuronal silencing have been developed in the past few years offering an arsenal of tools for in vivo experiments. Some systems are based on ion-channels or pumps, others on G protein coupled receptors, and yet others on modified presynaptic proteins. Inducers range from light to small molecules to peptides. This diversity results in differences in the various parameters that may determine the applicability of each tool to a particular biological question. Although further development would be beneficial, the current silencing tool kit already provides the ability to make specific perturbations of circuit function in behaving animals