Andreas Scheurer

The {FeIII[FeIII(L1)2]3} star-type single-molecule magnet

Star-shaped complex {FeIII[FeIII(L1)2]3} (3) was synthesized starting from N-methyldiethanolamine H2L1 (1) and ferric chloride in the presence of sodium hydride. For 3, two different high-spin iron(III) ion sites were confirmed by Mossbauer spectroscopy at 77 K. Single-crystal X-ray structure determination revealed that 3 crystallizes with four molecules of chloroform, but, with only three molecules of dichloromethane. The unit cell of 3·4CHCl3 contains the enantiomers (Δ)-[(S,S)(R,R)(R,R)] and (Λ)-[(R,R)(S,S)(S,S)], whereas in case of 3·3CH2Cl2 four independent molecules, forming pairs of the enantiomers [Λ-(R,R)(R,R)(R,R)]-3 and [Δ-(S,S)(S,S)(S,S)]-3, were observed in the unit cell. According to SQUID measurements, the antiferromagnetic intramolecular coupling of the iron(III) ions in 3 results in a S = 10/2 ground state multiplet. The anisotropy is of the easy-axis type. EPR measurements enabled an accurate determination of the ligand-field splitting parameters. The ferric star 3 is a single-molecule magnet (SMM) and shows hysteretic magnetization characteristics below a blocking temperature of about 1.2 K. However, weak intermolecular couplings, mediated in a chainlike fashion via solvent molecules, have a strong influence on the magnetic properties. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) were used to determine the structural and electronic properties of star-type tetranuclear iron(III) complex 3. The molecules were deposited onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Small, regular molecule clusters, two-dimensional monolayers as well as separated single molecules were observed. In our STS measurements we found a rather large contrast at the expected locations of the metal centers of the molecules. This direct addressing of the metal centers was confirmed by DFT calculations.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Uranium(II) Monoarene Complex Supported by δ Backbonding

The low-temperature (<-35 °C) reduction of the trivalent uranium monoarene complex [{((Ad,Me) ArO)3 mes}U] (1), with potassium spheres in the presence of a slight excess of 2.2.2-cryptand, affords the quantitative conversion of 1 into the uranium(II) monoarene complex [K(2.2.2-crypt)][(((Ad,Me) ArO)3 mes)U] (1-K). The molecular and electronic structure of 1-K was established experimentally by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, variable-temperature (1) H NMR and X-band EPR spectroscopy, solution-state and solid-state magnetism studies, and optical absorption spectroscopy. The electronic structure of the complex was further investigated by DFT calculations. The complete body of evidence confirms that 1-K is a uranium(II) monoarene complex with a 5f (4) electronic configuration supported by δ backbonding and that the nearly reversible, room-temperature reduction observed for 1 at -2.495 V vs. Fc/Fc(+) is principally metal-centered.

Template and pH‐Mediated Synthesis of Tetrahedral Indium Complexes [Cs⊂{In4(L)4}]+ and [In4(HNL)4]4+: Breaking the Symmetry of N‐Centered C3 (L)3− To Give Neutral [In4(L)4]

There are two classes of well known T-symmetric complexes, in which four octahedrally coordinated metal ions are located in the apices of a tetrahedron, and each of the six edges are bridged by linear C2-symmetric bis(bidentate) chelators (L) and (L) . In [Cs {FeFe3(L)6}] (1), [M {Fe4(L )6}] + (2 ; M = NH4 , K, Cs), and [R4N {M4(L )6}] 11 (3 ; M = Fe, Ga), a cation is endohedrally encapsulated in the center of the tetrahedron, whereas in the complexes [M4\{M4(L)6}] (4) (M = NH4, RNH3: empty, K, Cs: H2O as guest; M 3 = Mg, Co, Ni, Mn), four cations are exohedrally centered above the four tetrahedral triangular faces (Figure 1). However, there are far fewer examples known of Tsymmetric complexes, in which the octahedrally coordinated metal centers in the vertices of the tetrahedra are linked by C3-symmetric tris(bidentate) chelators (L ) or (L) , which occupy the faces of the tetrahedra. Examples thereof

Asymmetric cyclopropanation catalyzed by C2-symmetric bi(oxazolines)

Abstract C 2 -symmetric bi(oxazolines) 3a – e were prepared in three steps based on a tartaric-derived vicinal diamine as common precursor. These chiral ligands were studied with respect to their directive influence on the enantioselective copper catalyzed cyclopropanation of 1,1-diphenylethylene and styrene. The highest enantioselectivities (79% ee) were achieved with bi(oxazoline) 3e , bearing bulky adamantyl groups even using commercial CuOTf. The presence of desiccants such as molecular sieves or magnesium sulfate was found to be crucial for high yields and reproducibility.

Synthesis, Magnetic Properties, and STM Spectroscopy of Cobalt(II) Cubanes [CoII4(Cl)4(HL)4]†

Reaction of cobalt(II) chloride hexahydrate with N-substituted diethanolamines H(2)L(2-4) (3) in the presence of LiH in anhydrous THF leads under anaerobic conditions to the formation of three isostructural tetranuclear cobalt(II) complexes [Co(II) (4)(Cl)(4)(HL(2-4))(4)] (4) with a [Co(4)(mu(3)-O)(4)](4+) cubane core. According to X-ray structural analyses, the complexes 4 a,c crystallize in the tetragonal space group I4(1)/a, whereas for complex 4 b the tetragonal space group P

Enantiospecific Syntheses of Copper Cubanes, Double-Stranded Copper/ Palladium Helicates, and a (Dilithium)-Dinickel Coronate from Enantiomerically Pure Bis-1,3-diketones-Solid-State Self-Organization Towards Wirelike Copper/Palladium Strands

\bar 4

Coronates, Spherical Containers, Bowl-Shaped Surfaces, Porous 1D-, 2D-, 3D-Metallo-Coordination Polymers, and Metallodendrimers

was found. In the solid state the orientation of the cubane cores and the formation of a 3D framework were controlled by the ligand substituents of the cobalt(II) cubanes 4. This also allowed detailed magnetic investigations on single crystals. The analysis of the SQUID magnetic susceptibility data for 4 a gave intramolecular ferromagnetic couplings of the cobalt(II) ions (J(1) approximately 20.4 K, J(2) approximately 7.6 K), resulting in an S=6 ground-state multiplet. The anisotropy was found to be of the easy-axis type (D=-1.55 K) with a resulting anisotropy barrier of Delta approximately 55.8 K. Two-dimensional electron-gas (2DEG) Hall magnetization measurements revealed that complex 4 a is a single-molecule magnet and shows hysteretic magnetization characteristics with typical temperature and sweep-rate dependencies below a blocking temperature of about 4.4 K. The hysteresis loops collapse at zero field owing to fast quantum tunneling of the magnetization (QTM). The structural and electronic properties of cobalt(II) cubane 4 a, deposited on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface, were investigated by means of STM and current imaging tunneling spectroscopy (CITS) at RT and standard atmospheric pressure. In CITS measurements the rather large contrast found at the expected locations of the metal centers of the molecules indicated the presence of a strongly localized LUMO.

Reverse asymmetric catalytic epoxidation of unfunctionalized alkenes

Enantiomerically pure, vicinal diols 1 afforded in a two-step synthesis (etherification and subsequent Claisen condensation) chiral bis-1,3-diketones H(2)L((S,S)) (3 a-c) with different substitution patterns. Reaction of these C(2)-symmetric ligands with various transition-metal acetates in the presence of alkali ions generated distinct polynuclear aggregates 4-8 by diastereoselective self-assembly. Starting from copper(II) acetate monohydrate and depending on the ratio of transition-metal ion to alkali ion to ligand, chiral tetranuclear copper(II) cubanes (C,C,C,C)-[Cu(4)(L((S,S)))(2)(OMe)(4)] (4 a-c) or dinuclear copper(II) helicates (P)-[Cu(2)(L((S,S)))(2)] (5) could be synthesized with square-pyramidal and square-planar coordination geometry at the metal center. In analogy to the last case, with palladium(II) acetate double-stranded helical systems (P)-[Pd(2)(L((S,S)))(2)] (6,7) were accessible exhibiting a linear self-organization of ligand-isolated palladium filaments in the solid state with short inter- and intramolecular metal distances. Finally, the introduction of hexacoordinate nickel(II) in combination with lithium hydroxide monohydrate and chiral ligand H(2)L((S,S)) (3 a) allowed the isolation of enantiomerically pure dinuclear nickel(II) coronate [(LiMeOH)(2) subset{(Delta,Lambda)-Ni(2)(L((S,S)))(2)(OMe)(2)}] (8) with two lithium ions in the voids, defined by the oxygen donors in the ligand backbone. The high diastereoselectivity, induced by the chiral ligands, during the self-assembly process in the systems 4-8 could be exemplarily proven by circular dichroism spectroscopy for the synthesized enantiomers of the chiral copper(II) cubane 4 a and palladium(II) helicate 6.

Catching gaseous SO2 in cone-type lanthanide complexes: an unexpected coordination mode for SO2 in f-element chemistry.

Supramolecular coordination cages and polymers bear exceptional advantages over their organic counterparts. They are available in one-pot reactions and in high yields and display physical properties that are generally inaccessible with organic species. Moreover, their weak, reversible, noncovalent bonding interactions facilitate error checking and self-correction. This review emphasizes the achievements in supramolecular coordination container as well as polymer chemistry initiated by serendipity and their materialization based on rational design. The recognition of similarities in the synthesis of different supramolecular assemblies allows prediction of potential structures in related cases. The combination of detailed symmetry considerations with the basic rules of coordination chemistry has only recently allowed for the design of rational strategies for the construction of a variety of nanosized spherical containers, bowls, 1D-, 2D-, and 3D-coordination polymers with specified size and shape.

Metal- and Ligand-Directed One-Pot Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Properties of Novel Oxo-Centered Tetra- and Hexametallic Clusters†

Abstract New salen Mn(III) complexes (S,S)- 6a-e prepared from tartaric-derived alicyclic C 2 symmetric vicinal diamines were studied in the catalysis of the asymmetric epoxidation of unfunctionalized alkenes. Although the enantioselectivities obtained were not as high as for Jacobsen and Katsuki catalysts, the most striking result was the reversed asymmetric induction.