A Theoretical Study of Models for X2Y2 Zintl Ions

Ab initio and extended Hückel calculations have been used to discuss the bonding scheme in X₂Y₂ neutral and ionic main group clusters. A qualitative analysis suggests that two different electron counts, 20 and 22, are possible for the butterfly structures of these systems. This results from two orbital crossings in the correlation diagram for the tetrahedral (T_d) -\u3e butterfly (C_2v) -\u3e square-planar (D_2h) transformation. Detailed ab initio computations substantiate this analysis and show that the 20-electron butterfly structure becomes increasingly favored over the tetrahedral one in X₂Y₂ clusters when the 2 atoms have increasing electronegativity difference. These results are in agreement with the known structures for the Pb₂Sb₂²­­­­­­̄ and Sb₂Bi₂²­­­­­­̄ clusters (tetrahedral-like) and the Tl₂Te₂²­­­­­­̄ one (butterfly-like)

The Bond Between CO and Cp?3U in Cp?3U(CO) involves Backbondingfrom the Cp'3U Ligand-based Orbitals of ?pi-Symmetry, where Cp' Represents a Substituted Cyclopentadienyl Ligand.

The experimental CO stretching frequencies in the 1:1 adducts between (C5H5-nRn)3U and CO range from 1976 cm-1 in (C5H4SiMe3)3U(CO) to 1900 cm-1 in (C5HMe4)3U(CO). The origin of the large difference between the stretching frequencies in free (2143 cm-1) and coordinated CO and the large effect the substituents on the cyclopentadienyl ligands play in the difference is explored by DFT calculations with a small core effective core potential in which 32 electrons on uranium are explicitly treated. The results of these calculations, along with a NBO analysis, show that a sigma-bond is formed between CO and an empty sigma-orbital on the Cp'3U fragment composed of f sigma and d sigma parentage orbitals. The backbonding interaction, which results in lowering the CO stretching frequency, does not originate from non-bonding metal-based orbitals but from the filled ligand-based orbitals of pi-symmetry that are used for bonding in the Cp'3U fragment. This model, which is different from the backbonding model used in the d-transition metal complexes, rationalizes the large substituent effect in the 5f-metal complexes

Selectivity of C-H activation and competition between C-H and C-F bond activation at fluorocarbons

Partially fluorinated alkanes, arenes and alkenes can be transformed by a variety of transition metal and lanthanide systems. Although the C-H bond is weaker than the C-F bond regardless of the hybridization of the carbon, the reaction of the C-F bond at the metal is usually more exothermic than the corresponding reaction of the C-H bonds. Both bonds are activated by the metal systems, but the preference for activating these bonds depends on the nature of the hydrocarbon and of the metal system, so that the reaction can be directed exclusively toward C-H or C-F bonds or yield a mixture of products. Additionally, the presence of fluorine differentiates between C-H bonds at different positions resulting in regioselective C-H bond activation; paradoxically, the strongest C-H bond reacts preferentially. The purpose of this review is to describe the field of reaction of partially fluorinated substrates with transition metal atoms, ions and molecular complexes. The controlling physical properties (thermodynamics and kinetics) are described first, followed by a description of stoichiometric reactions, with the competition between the C-H and C-F activations as focus. A few representative catalytic systems are discussed. The review also highlights the benefit of combining experimental and theoretical studie

Reduction of ketones by sodium borohydride in the absence of protic solvents. Inter versus intramolecular mechanism

Acetone, acetophenone and benzophenone react with sodium borohydride in the absence of protic solvent to give the corresponding tetraalkoxyborates. In view of theseresults, the possibility of the 4-centre mechanism for these reductions is discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24146/1/0000403.pd

Reactions of Monomeric [1,2,4-(Me3C)3C5H2]2CeH and CO with orwithout H2:An Experimental and Computational Study

Addition of CO to [1,2,4-(Me3C)3C5H2]2CeH, Cp'2CeH, intoluene yields the cis (Cp'2Ce)2(mu-OCHCHO), in which the cis enediolategroup bridges the two metallocene fragments. The cis enediolatequantitatively isomerizes intramolecularly to the trans-enediolate inC6D6 at 100oC over seven months. When the solvent is pentane,Cp'2Ce(OCH2)CeCp'2 forms, in which the oxomethylene group or theformaldehyde dianion bridges the two metallocene fragments. The cisenediolate is suggested to form by insertion of CO into the Ce-C bond ofCp'2Ce(OCH2)CeCp'2 generating Cp'2CeOCH2COCeCp'2. The stereochemistry ofthe cis-enediolate is determined by a 1,2-hydrogen shift in the OCH2COfragment that has the OC(H2) bond anti periplanar relative to the carbenelone pair. The bridging oxomethylene complex reacts with H2, but not withCH4, to give Cp'2CeOMe, which is also the product of the reaction betweenCp'2CeH and a mixture of CO and H2. The oxomethylene complex reacts withCO to give the cis enediolate complex. DFT calculations on C5H5 modelmetallocenes show that the reaction of Cp2CeH with CO and H2 to giveCp2CeOMe is exoergic by 50 kcal mol-1. The net reaction proceeds by aseries of elementary reactions that occur after the formyl complex,Cp2Ce(eta-2 CHO), is formed by further reaction with H2. The key pointthat emerges from the calculated potential energy surface is thebifunctional nature of the metal formyl in which the carbon atom behavesas a donor and acceptor. Replacing H2 by CH4 increases the activationenergy barrier by 17 kcal mol-1

Solid-State 19F NMR Chemical Shift in Square-Planar Nickel-Fluoride Complexes Linked by Halogen Bonds

The halogen bond (XB) is a highly directional class of noncovalent interactions widely explored by experimental and computational studies. However, the NMR signature of the XB has attracted limited attention. The prediction and analysis of the solid-state NMR (SSNMR) chemical shift tensor provide useful strategies to better understand XB interactions. In this work, we employ a computational protocol for modeling and analyzing the 19F SSNMR chemical shifts previously measured in a family of square-planar trans NiII-L2-iodoaryl-fluoride (L = PEt3) complexes capable of forming self-complementary networks held by a NiF···I(C) halogen bond [ Thangavadivale, V. ; Chem. Sci. 2018, 9, 3767−3781 ]. To understand how the 19F NMR resonances of the nickel-bonded fluoride are affected by the XB, we investigate the origin of the shielding in trans-[NiF(2,3,5,6-C6F4I)(PEt3)2], trans-[NiF(2,3,4,5-C6F4I)(PEt3)2], and trans-[NiF(C6F5)(PEt3)2] in the solid state, where a XB is present in the two former systems but not in the last. We perform the 19F NMR chemical shift calculations both in periodic and molecular models. The results show that the crystal packing has little influence on the NMR signatures of the XB, and the NMR can be modeled successfully with a pair of molecules interacting via the XB. Thus, the observed difference in chemical shift between solid-state and solution NMR can be essentially attributed to the XB interaction. The very high shielding of the fluoride and its driving contributor, the most shielded component of the chemical shift tensor, are well reproduced at the 2c-ZORA level. Analysis of the factors controlling the shielding shows how the highest occupied Ni/F orbitals shield the fluoride in the directions perpendicular to the Ni-F bond and specifically perpendicular to the coordination plane. This shielding arises from the magnetic coupling of the Ni(3d)/F(2p lone pair) orbitals with the vacant σNi-F* orbital, thereby rationalizing the very highly upfield (shielded) resonance of the component (δ33) along this direction. We show that these features are characteristic of square-planar nickel-fluoride complexes. The deshielding of the fluoride in the halogen-bonded systems is attributed to an increase in the energy gap between the occupied and vacant orbitals that are mostly responsible for the paramagnetic terms, notably along the most shielded direction

Импортозамещение в энергетике

В статье рассматривается зависимость отраслей ТЭК России от импортного оборудования и предлагаются конкретные механизмы как максимально эффективно, обеспечить дальнейшее устойчивое развитие ТЭК с учётом технологических потребностей

Simple but Stronger UO, Double but Weaker UNMe Bonds: The Tale Told by Cp2UO and Cp2UNR

The free energies of reaction and the activation energies are calculated, with DFT (B3PW91) and small RECP (relativistic core potential) for uranium, for the reaction of Cp2UNMe and Cp2UO with MeCCMe and H3Si-Cl that yields the corresponding addition products. CAS(2,7) and DFT calculations on Cp2UO and Cp2UNMe give similar results, which validates the use of DFT calculations in these cases. The calculated results mirror the experimental reaction of [1,2,4-(CMe3)3C5H2]2UNMe with dimethylacetylene and [1,2,4-(CMe3)3C5H2]2UO with Me3SiCl. The net reactions are controlled by the change in free energy between the products and reactants, not by the activation energies, and therefore by the nature of the UO and UNMe bonds in the initial and final states. A NBO analysis indicates that the U-O interaction in Cp2UO is composed of a single U-O bond with three lone pairs of electrons localized on oxygen, leading to a polarized U-O fragment. In contrast, the U-NMe interaction in Cp2UNMe is composed of a and component and a lone pairof electrons localized on the nitrogen, resulting in a less polarized UNMe fragment, in accord with the lower electronegativity of NMe relative to O. The strongly polarized U(+)-O(-) bond is calculated to be about 70 kcal mol-1 stronger than the less polarized U=NMe bond

PKCε-CREB-Nrf2 signalling induces HO-1 in the vascular endothelium and enhances resistance to inflammation and apoptosis

Aims Vascular injury leading to endothelial dysfunction is a characteristic feature of chronic renal disease, diabetes mellitus, and systemic inflammatory conditions, and predisposes to apoptosis and atherogenesis. Thus, endothelial dysfunction represents a potential therapeutic target for atherosclerosis prevention. The observation that activity of either protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) or haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) enhances endothelial cell (EC) resistance to inflammation and apoptosis led us to test the hypothesis that HO-1 is a downstream target of PKCε. Methods and results Expression of constitutively active PKCε in human EC significantly increased HO-1 mRNA and protein, whereas conversely aortas or cardiac EC from PKCε-deficient mice exhibited reduced HO-1 when compared with wild-type littermates. Angiotensin II activated PKCε and induced HO-1 via a PKCε-dependent pathway. PKCε activation significantly attenuated TNFα-induced intercellular adhesion molecule-1, and increased resistance to serum starvation-induced apoptosis. These responses were reversed by the HO antagonist zinc protoporphyrin IX. Phosphokinase antibody array analysis identified CREB1(Ser133) phosphorylation as a PKCε signalling intermediary, and cAMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB1) siRNA abrogated PKCε-induced HO-1 up-regulation. Likewise, nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) was identified as a PKCε target using nuclear translocation and DNA-binding assays, and Nrf2 siRNA prevented PKCε-mediated HO-1 induction. Moreover, depletion of CREB1 inhibited PKCε-induced Nrf2 DNA binding, suggestive of transcriptional co-operation between CREB1 and Nrf2. Conclusions PKCε activity in the vascular endothelium regulates HO-1 via a pathway requiring CREB1 and Nrf2. Given the potent protective actions of HO-1, we propose that this mechanism is an important contributor to the emerging role of PKCε in the maintenance of endothelial homeostasis and resistance to injury