Nonverbal immediacy mediates the relationship between interpersonal motives and belongingness

While belongingness is a predictor of mental and physical health, the lack of social bonds is an issue for many people in occidental countries. This issue calls for global and affordable solutions. In this study, we notably investigated (a) the presumed positive relationships between agentic and communal interactional motives and belongingness, and (b) the mediating role of self-reported nonverbal immediacy - an indicator of availability to interact - in these relationships. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data were collected by means of questionnaires to test these hypotheses (NCrossectional = 344; NLongitudinal = 126) using the General Belongingness Scale, the Nonverbal Immediacy Scale, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Results supported the hypotheses: Interpersonal motives and nonverbal immediacy are associated cross-sectionally to belongingness, nonverbal immediacy mediates the interpersonal motives - belongingness relationship and positive changes in nonverbal immediacy is also related to increased belongingness. Practical and research implications are discussed

An organic cage controlling the dimension and stability of gold nanoparticles

A molecular cage encapsulating gold nanoparticles is presented. Six benzylic thioethers are pointing into its cavity, stabilizing the particles in a 1 : 1 ligand-to-particle-ratio in excellent yields. They are bench-stable for several months and can withstand unprecedented thermal stress of up to 130 °C, documenting the advantages of the cage-type stabilization over open-chain analogues

Alkyne-Monofunctionalized Gold Nanoparticles as Massive Molecular Building Blocks

Using a tripodal, thioether-based ligand comprising a remote protected acetylene, we efficiently stabilize small gold nanoparticles (Ø ≈ 1.2 nm) which are isolated and purified by chromatography. The 1:1 ligand-to-particle ratio is obtained by comparing the particles\u27 dimensions measured by transmission electron microscopy with the weight fraction of the coating ligand determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The single ligand coating of the gold particle guarantees the presence of a single masked alkyne per particle. It can be addressed by wet chemical protocols providing the particles with the properties of “massive molecules”. The “massive molecule” nature of the particles is demonstrated by involving them in wet chemical coupling protocols like oxidative acetylene coupling providing gold nanoparticle dimers (34 % isolated yield) or alkyne-azide “click”-chemistry with a suitable triazide, giving trimeric particle architectures (30 % determined by transmission electron microscopy). The particle stabilization obtained by the coating ligand allows, for the first time, to treat these multi-particle architectures by size exclusion chromatography

An organic cage controlling the dimension and stability of gold nanoparticles

A molecular cage encapsulating gold nanoparticles is presented. Six benzylic thioethers are pointing into its cavity, stabilizing the particles in a 1 : 1 ligand-to-particle-ratio in excellent yields. They are bench-stable for several months and can withstand unprecedented thermal stress of up to 130 °C, documenting the advantages of the cage-type stabilization over open-chain analogues

From the Loom to the Laboratory: Molecular Textiles

Weaving is an old technique producing fabric materials by interlocking yarns, which we appreciate every day by wearing textiles. The splendid mechanical features of these macroscopic interwoven structures such as stability, flexibility, and shape adaptability raised the question whether or not such properties might also be observed on a molecular level. In this article, molecular analogues to textiles are discussed and strategies to molecular weaves are presented. While there are impressive structural similarities between the macroscopic and the molecular world, molecular textiles consisting of interwoven linear polymers remain a challenge. The scope of the article ranges from discrete superstructures like Solomon knots, over deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) based nanoscale patterns and interwoven 2D sheets of coordination polymers, to weaving strategies interlinking small organic precursors.`

Rigid multipodal platforms for metal surfaces

In this review the recent progress in molecular platforms that form rigid and well-defined contact to a metal surface are discussed. Most of the presented examples have at least three anchoring units in order to control the spatial arrangement of the protruding molecular subunit. Another interesting feature is the lateral orientation of these foot structures which, depending on the particular application, is equally important as the spatial arrangement of the molecules. The numerous approaches towards assembling and organizing functional molecules into specific architectures on metal substrates are reviewed here. Particular attention is paid to variations of both, the core structures and the anchoring groups. Furthermore, the analytical methods enabling the investigation of individual molecules as well as monomolecular layers of ordered platform structures are summarized. The presented multipodal platforms bearing several anchoring groups form considerably more stable molecule-metal contacts than corresponding monopodal analogues and exhibit an enlarged separation of the functional molecules due to the increased footprint, as well as restrict tilting of the functional termini with respect to the metal surface. These platforms are thus ideally suited to tune important properties of the molecule-metal interface. On a single-molecule level, several of these platforms enable the control over the arrangement of the protruding rod-type molecular structures (e.g., molecular wires, switches, rotors, sensors) with respect to the surface of the substrate

Chirality in curved polyaromatic systems

Carbon allotropes constituted of sp(2)-hybridised carbon atoms display a variety of properties that arise from their delocalised Pi-conjugated electronic structure. Apart from carbon's planar allotropic form graphene, bent or curved structures, such as carbon nanotubes or fullerenes, respectively, have been discovered. In this Tutorial Review, we analyse and conceptually categorise chiral synthetic molecular fragments of non-planar sp(2)-carbon allotropes, including hypothetical forms of carbon that have been proposed to exist as stable entities. Two types of molecular systems composed of equally or differently sized rings are examined: bent with zero Gaussian curvature and curved with positive or negative Gaussian curvature. To affirm that a system is chiral, two conditions must be fulfilled: (1) both reflective symmetry elements, an inversion centre and a mirror plane, must be absent and (2) the system must be stereochemically rigid. It is therefore crucial to not only consider the symmetry of a given system as if it was a rigid object but also its structural dynamics. These principles serve as guidelines for the design of molecular fragments that encode and transcribe chirality into larger systems

Determining Inversion Barriers in Atrop- isomers - A Tutorial for Organic Chemists

Dynamic behavior is a fascinating property of natural and artificial systems and its understanding has significantly impacted the transformation of molecular interchanges into controlled molecular motion. In this tutorial, the key descriptors of enantiomeric stability are examined in-depth. Enantiomerization and racemization are discussed and differentiated on a fundamental level proposing a unified and distinct nomenclature. Their mathematical meanings and relations are described and deduced cohesively in the context of atropisomerization. The calculation of inversion barriers from thermodynamic and kinetic data is demonstrated and the interdependences between the latter are explained mathematically. Using current examples from our group, the determination of rate constants and the thermodynamic parameters is shown in a step-by-step manner using the most common techniques. The tutorial is concluded with aspects and considerations concerning statistical data analysis and error determination of measurements including a practical guide to Monte-Carlo simulations