The different story of π bonds

We revisit “classical” issues in multiply bonded systems between main groups elements, namely the structural distortions that may occur at the multiple bonds and that lead, e.g., to trans-bent and bond-length alternated structures. The focus is on the role that orbital hybridization and electron correlation play in this context, here analyzed with the help of simple models for σ-and π-bonds, numerically exact solutions of Hubbard Hamiltonians and first principles (density functional theory) investigations of an extended set of systems

Homo Citans and Carbon Allotropes : For an Ethics of Citation

Cite we must, cite we do. We cite because we are links in a chain, using properties and methods validated by others. We also cite to negotiate the anxiety of influence. And to be fair. After outlining the reasons for citation, we use two case studies of citation amnesia in the field of hypothetical carbon allotropes to present a computer-age search tool (SACADA) in that subsubfield. Finally, we advise on good search practice, including what to do if you miss a citation

Textural Properties of a Large Collection of Computationally Constructed MOFs and Zeolites

Metal\u2013organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous crystals with the potential to improve many industrial gas adsorption and separations processes. Because MOFs are synthesized in a \u2018\u2018building block\u2019\u2019 fashion and can incorporate a wide range of organic linkers, an almost unlimited number of different MOFs are possible. Here, we applied high-throughput computational analysis methods to 137,000 hypothetical MOFs and calculated their geometric and adsorption properties. For every structure and its energy minimized counterpart, we calculated the underlying net (framework topology), pore limiting diameter, largest cavity diameter, accessible void volume, accessible surface area, as well as the Henry\u2019s constant and equilibrium loading of methane at 35 bar and 298 K. The analysis showed that these hypothetical MOFs have a wide range of geometric properties but lack topological diversity. The analysis also provides insights into the geometric method used to generate the hypothetical MOFs. Finally, we compared with hypothetical zeolites, finding that for the materials analyzed here, the MOFs tend to be more texturally diverse than the zeolites

Sleep and epilepsy: A snapshot of knowledge and future research lines

Sleep and epilepsy have a reciprocal relationship, and have been recognized as bedfellows since antiquity. However, research on this topic has made a big step forward only in recent years. In this narrative review we summarize the most stimulating discoveries and insights reached by the “European school.” In particular, different aspects concerning the sleep–epilepsy interactions are analysed: (a) the effects of sleep on epilepsy; (b) the effects of epilepsy on sleep structure; (c) the relationship between epilepsy, sleep and epileptogenesis; (d) the impact of epileptic activity during sleep on cognition; (e) the relationship between epilepsy and the circadian rhythm; (f) the history and features of sleep hypermotor epilepsy and its differential diagnosis; (g) the relationship between epilepsy and sleep disorders

Efficient Palladium-Catalyzed Cyclotrimeriza- tion of Arynes: Synthesis of Triphenylenes**

Over the last 15 years much effort has been devoted to the preparation and characterization of transition metal complexes of arynes. [1] Parallel studies on the reactivity of these complexesÐparticularly those of Ti, Zr, As part of a project aimed at the development of new reactions of arynes promoted by metal complexes, here we report on the metal-mediated cyclotrimerization of arynes. These preliminary results show that the reaction proceeds in the presence of catalytic amounts of metal and that it has great potential for the preparation of triphenylenes, which are found at the core of many discotic liquid crystals [9] An example of the formation of triphenylene as side product of a palladium-catalyzed domino reaction has also been reported. [10] However, to the best of our knowledge, efficient preparation of triphenylenes by metalcatalyzed reaction of arynes is without precedent. Development of a catalytic procedure for the trimerization of arynes requires careful selection of the catalyst and the method for generation of the aryne. The catalyst was chosen from among the various metal systems used for trimerization of alkynes; suitable candidates contained metals such as Ni, Co, Pd, and Pt. We decided to carry out the first trials with palladium complexes because they are easy to handle and in general stable. Among the many procedures available for the generation of arynes [9] S

Metal-organic frameworks assembled from flexible alicyclic carboxylate and bipyridyl ligands for sensing of nitroaromatic explosives

Three new metal-organic frameworks based on flexible ligands (FL-MOFs) generally formulated as [Cd(cis-chdc)(anti-bpe)(H2O)]n (1), [Ni(cis-chdc)(gauche-bpe)]n (2) and [Cd2(trans-chdc)(cis-chdc)(TG-bpp)2]n (3) [H2chdc = 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, bpe = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane and bpp = 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane], have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized. The crystal structures of the three compounds feature one-dimensional infinite chains cross-linked via flexible ligand skeletons to form three-dimensional networks. Of peculiar interest, compound 1 represents a rare self-catenated MOF with a 65\ub78-zst topology, which shows high sensitivity and quick response to the presence of trace amounts of nitroaromatic compounds. Meanwhile, the excellent ability of 1 for selective detection of 4-nitrotoluene in the presence of other nitroaromatic compounds has been demonstrated. The recyclability and reusability of 1 have also been tested based on consecutive detection reactions, in which 1 remains unchanged and detection efficiency is maintained

Predicting crystal growth via a unified kinetic three-dimensional partition model

Understanding and predicting crystal growth is fundamental to the control of functionality in modern materials. Despite investigations for more than one hundred years1, 2, 3, 4, 5, it is only recently that the molecular intricacies of these processes have been revealed by scanning probe microscopy6, 7, 8. To organize and understand this large amount of new information, new rules for crystal growth need to be developed and tested. However, because of the complexity and variety of different crystal systems, attempts to understand crystal growth in detail have so far relied on developing models that are usually applicable to only one system9, 10, 11. Such models cannot be used to achieve the wide scope of understanding that is required to create a unified model across crystal types and crystal structures. Here we describe a general approach to understanding and, in theory, predicting the growth of a wide range of crystal types, including the incorporation of defect structures, by simultaneous molecular-scale simulation of crystal habit and surface topology using a unified kinetic three-dimensional partition model. This entails dividing the structure into ‘natural tiles’ or Voronoi polyhedra that are metastable and, consequently, temporally persistent. As such, these units are then suitable for re-construction of the crystal via a Monte Carlo algorithm. We demonstrate our approach by predicting the crystal growth of a diverse set of crystal types, including zeolites, metal–organic frameworks, calcite, urea and L-cystine

Generating carbon schwarzites via zeolite-templating

Zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) comprise a relatively recent material class synthesized via the chemical vapor deposition of a carbon-containing precursor on a zeolite template, followed by the removal of the template. We have developed a theoretical framework to generate a ZTC model from any given zeolite structure, which we show can successfully predict the structure of known ZTCs. We use our method to generate a library of ZTCs from all known zeolites, to establish criteria for which zeolites can produce experimentally accessible ZTCs, and to identify over 10 ZTCs that have never before been synthesized. We show that ZTCs partition space into two disjoint labyrinths that can be described by a pair of interpenetrating nets. Since such a pair of nets also describes a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS), our results establish the relationship between ZTCs and schwarzites-carbon materials with negative Gaussian curvature that resemble TPMSs-linking the research topics and demonstrating that schwarzites should no longer be thought of as purely hypothetical materials

Single-cell analysis of CD4+ T-cell differentiation reveals three major cell states and progressive acceleration of proliferation

Background: Differentiation of lymphocytes is frequently accompanied by cell cycle changes, interplay that is of central importance for immunity but is still incompletely understood. Here, we interrogate and quantitatively model how proliferation is linked to differentiation in CD4+ T cells. Results: We perform ex vivo single-cell RNA-sequencing of CD4+ T cells during a mouse model of infection that elicits a type 2 immune response and infer that the differentiated, cytokine-producing cells cycle faster than early activated precursor cells. To dissect this phenomenon quantitatively, we determine expression profiles across consecutive generations of differentiated and undifferentiated cells during Th2 polarization in vitro. We predict three discrete cell states, which we verify by single-cell quantitative PCR. Based on these three states, we extract rates of death, division and differentiation with a branching state Markov model to describe the cell population dynamics. From this multi-scale modelling, we infer a significant acceleration in proliferation from the intermediate activated cell state to the mature cytokine-secreting effector state. We confirm this acceleration both by live imaging of single Th2 cells and in an ex vivo Th1 malaria model by single-cell RNA-sequencing. Conclusion: The link between cytokine secretion and proliferation rate holds both in Th1 and Th2 cells in vivo and in vitro, indicating that this is likely a general phenomenon in adaptive immunity