Indebted societies: how private borrowing has become a substitute for social policy in rich democracies

When citizens encounter financial difficulties, they often turn to private borrowing on credit markets. As Andreas Wiedemann explains, this form of borrowing now increasingly acts as a support mechanism that complements the welfare state in rich democracies. But while credit markets and welfare states appear to fulfil similar functions, they follow different underlying logics, each with their own socio-economic and political consequences that shape and amplify insecurities, inequalities, and social solidarity

"... and honour their art!" – evaluation of historical and new routes to 1,5-dihydroxy-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridine-2-carboxylic acid and 1,3-dihydroxy-2-oxo-3-pyrroline-4-carboxylic acid.

The historical and recent literature describing synthetical pathways to the title compds. is comprehensively summarized and evaluated. Routes via 2,5-dioxoadipic acid or 2,5-dihydroxymuconic acid as intermediates could not be followed reproducibly. 3-Hydroxy-2-oxo-2H-pyran-6-carboxylic acid and Et 3-hydroxy-2-oxo-3-pyrroline-4-carboxylate (I) were fully characterized by spectroscopic methods and single-crystal x-ray diffraction. Both compds. have an enolic structure in soln. as well as in the solid state. A recently published ring-closing metathesis (RCM) protocol to a deriv. of the first title compd. was unproductive in the authors' hands. The authors present a new two-step synthesis of the similarly substituted 5-hydroxy-6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyridine-2-carboxamide (II) using succinyl cyanide. The product was identified and characterized by spectroscopic methods and x-ray crystallog. [on SciFinder(R)

Bulk spin-crossover in the complex [FeL(NCS)(2)] of a tris(pyridyl)ethane-derived N-4-ligand-a temperature-dependent crystallographic study

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.We have recently shown that the vacuum-deposited complex [FeIIL(NCS)2] (L: 1-{6-[1,1-di(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl]-pyridin-2-yl}-N,N-dimethylmethanamine) is capable of a thermally induced spin crossover (SCO) in direct contact with a graphite surface. The SCO significantly differs from the transition behaviour in the bulk phase (powder). In the present work, the assumption of virtually no intermolecular interaction in the powder is confirmed by comparison with the spin transition in acetone solution (T1/2 = 234[3] K, ΔT80 = 58[4] K), as monitored by temperature-dependent UV/Vis spectroscopy. The complex crystallises from chlorocarbons in the form of a number of pseudopolymorphs. Amongst these, the sufficiently stable solvate [FeIIL(NCS)2]·CHCl3 is investigated by variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. Its SCO behaviour (T1/2 = 240[3] K, ΔT80 = 35[4] K) correlates with features of molecular structure that are unambiguously identified by analysis of the tensor of thermal expansion. Following comprehensive comparison of spin-transition properties in different states of aggregation (also in relation to the newly synthesised high-spin iron(II) and iron(III) complexes [FeIICl2L] and [FeIIICl2L]PF6), a mode of adsorption on graphite surfaces is proposed, that complies with all previous findings.DFG, SFB 658, Elementarprozesse in molekularen Schaltern auf Oberfläche

3d-and 4d-metal(II) complexes of a tris(pyridyl)ethane-derived N-4 ligand – a structural study and reactivity remarks

A series of complexes of the new N-4 chelate ligand L (L = 1-{6-[1,1-bis(pyridin-2-yl) ethyl] pyridin-2-yl}-N, N-dimethylmethanamine) with intermediate to late divalent transition metal ions M was obtained by the reaction between L and the respective chloride salt or similar precursor in methanol: [MCl2L] (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn; Ru) and [CuClL]Cl. The stereochemical characteristics of the chelate ligand were studied by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and quantified on the basis of several geometric parameters, including the tetragonal distortion Sigma and the continuous symmetry measure S(O-h). The overall distortion of the coordination environment is predomi-nantly determined by the steric demand of the central ion, while electronic or other subtler influences essentially contribute to the distortion of the ligand L. Unlike similar complexes, [(MnCl2L)-Cl-II] cannot be oxidized to a manganese(III) complex by dioxygen, hydrogen peroxide, or iodosylbenzene. In [(RuCl2L)-Cl-II], one chlorido ligand can be exchanged against small p-accepting molecules such as acetonitrile or dinitrogen. L offers an environment ideal for small metal ions (0.4-0.6 angstrom), such as low-spin iron(II), which rationalizes the late onset of thermal spin crossover in the complex [(FeL)-L-II(NCS)(2)].DFG, SFB 658, Elementarprozesse in molekularen Schaltern auf Oberfläche

Die Reinhard-Heydrich-Stiftung in Prag (1942 - 1945)

Aus der Einleitung S. 7: „Auch der Chef des Reichssicherheitshauptamtes (RSHA) Reinhard Heydrich verfolgte nach seinem Amtsantritt in Prag als Stellvertretender Reichsprotektor im September 1941 diese Linie. Primäres Ziel aber war die Unterdrückung des Widerstands und die Aufrechterhaltung von Ruhe und Ordnung im Protektorat, um den Kriegsbeitrag der tschechischen Wirtschaft, der für das Deutsche Reich außerordentlich wichtig war, nicht zu gefährden...