Xiaoping Wang

Heterolytic cleavage of hydrogen by an iron hydrogenase model: an Fe-H⋅⋅⋅H-N dihydrogen bond characterized by neutron diffraction.

Hydrogenase enzymes in nature use hydrogen as a fuel, but the heterolytic cleavage of H-H bonds cannot be readily observed in enzymes. Here we show that an iron complex with pendant amines in the diphosphine ligand cleaves hydrogen heterolytically. The product has a strong Fe-H⋅⋅⋅H-N dihydrogen bond. The structure was determined by single-crystal neutron diffraction, and has a remarkably short H⋅⋅⋅H distance of 1.489(10)u2005Å between the protic N-H(δ+) and hydridic Fe-H(δ-) part. The structural data for [Cp(C5F4N)FeH(P(tBu)2N(tBu)2H)](+) provide a glimpse of how the H-H bond is oxidized or generated in hydrogenase enzymes. These results now provide a full picture for the first time, illustrating structures and reactivity of the dihydrogen complex and the product of the heterolytic cleavage of H2 in a functional model of the active site of the [FeFe] hydrogenase enzyme.

Integration of neutron time-of-flight single-crystal Bragg peaks in reciprocal space

The intensity of single-crystal Bragg peaks obtained by mapping neutron time-of-flight event data into reciprocal space and integrating in various ways is compared. These methods include spherical integration with a fixed radius, ellipsoid fitting and integration of the peak intensity, and one-dimensional peak profile fitting. In comparison to intensities obtained by integrating in real detector histogram space, the data integrated in reciprocal space result in better agreement factors and more accurate atomic parameters. Furthermore, structure refinement using integrated intensities from one-dimensional profile fitting is demonstrated to be more accurate than simple peak-minus-background integration.

CrystalPlan: an experiment-planning tool for crystallography

Beam time at large user program based x-ray and neutron scattering facilities is in high demand and always at a premium. CrystalPlan, a highly efficient experiment planning software has been developed to maximize the use of available beamtime per sample per experiment. This program can calculate and optimize the data coverage of a crystal in reciprocal space in a single-crystal diffraction time-of- flight experiment. CrystalPlan can help a user build an experiment plan that will acquire the most data possible, with sufficient coverage but limited redundancy, therefore increasing scientific productivity. A user friendly GUI including a 3D viewer, an automated coverage optimizer, and an option to reorient the crystal for the measurement of selected hkls on specific detector positions are among its useful features. A sample use case of the program with the TOPAZ beamline at SNS will be presented.

Neutron Diffraction Studies of a Four-Coordinated Hydride in Near Square-Planar Geometry

The structure of a nanospheric polyhydrido copper cluster, [Cu20(H)11{S2P(O(i)Pr)2}9], was determined by single-crystal neutron diffraction. The Cu20 cluster consists of an elongated triangular orthobicupola constructed from 18 Cu atoms that encapsulate a [Cu2H5](3-) ion with an exceptionally short Cu-Cu distance. The 11 hydrides in the cluster display three different coordination modes to the Cu atoms: six μ3-hydrides in a pyramidal geometry, two μ4-hydrides in a tetrahedral cavity, and three μ4-hydrides in an unprecedented near square-planar geometry. The neutron data set was collected for 7 days on a small crystal with dimensions of 0.20 mm × 0.50 mm × 0.65 mm using the Spallation Neutron Source TOPAZ single-crystal time-of-flight Laue diffractometer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The final R-factor was 8.63% for 16,014 reflections.

Quantitative analysis of intermolecular interactions in orthorhombic rubrene

A combination of single-crystal X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments are used to determine the electron density distribution in orthorhombic rubrene. The topology of electron density, NCI analysis and energetics of intermolecular interactions clearly demonstrate the presence of π⋯π stacking interactions in the crystalline state.

Diselenophosphate‐Induced Conversion of an Achiral [Cu20H11{S2P(OiPr)2}9] into a Chiral [Cu20H11{Se2P(OiPr)2}9] Polyhydrido Nanocluster

A polyhydrido copper nanocluster, [Cu20H11{Se2P(OiPr)2}9] (2H), which exhibits an intrinsically chiral inorganic core of C3 symmetry, was synthesized from achiral [Cu20H11{S2P(OiPr)2}9] (1H) of C(3h) symmetry by a ligand-exchange method. The structure has a distorted cuboctahedral Cu13 core, two triangular faces of which are capped along the C3 axis, one by a Cu6 cupola and the other by a single Cu atom. The Cu20 framework is further stabilized by 9 diselenophosphate and 11 hydride ligands. The number of hydride, phosphorus, and selenium resonances and their splitting patterns in multinuclear NMR spectra of 2H indicate that the chiral Cu20H11 core retains its C3 symmetry in solution. The 11 hydride ligands were located by neutron diffraction experiments and shown to be capping μ3-H and interstitial μ5-H ligands (in square-pyramidal and trigonal-bipyramidal cavities), as supported by DFT calculations on [Cu20H11(Se2PH2)9] (2H) as a simplified model.

Nanoscale Atomic Displacements Ordering for Enhanced Piezoelectric Properties in Lead-Free ABO3 Ferroelectrics

In situ synchrotron X-ray diffuse scattering and inelastic neutron scattering measurements from a prototype ABO3 ferroelectric single-crystal are used to elucidate how electric fields along a nonpolar direction can enhance its piezoelectric properties. The central mechanism is found to be a nanoscale ordering of B atom displacements, which induces increased lattice instability and therefore a greater susceptibility to electric-field-induced mechanical deformation.

Accurate atomic displacement parameters from time-of-flight neutron-diffraction data at TOPAZ

Accurate atomic displacement parameters (ADPs) are a good indication of high-quality diffraction data. Results from the newly commissioned time-of-flight Laue diffractometer TOPAZ at the SNS are presented. Excellent agreement is found between ADPs derived independently from the neutron and X-ray data emphasizing the high quality of the data from the time-of-flight Laue diffractometer.

Quantitative analysis of hydrogen sites and occupancy in deep mantle hydrous wadsleyite using single crystal neutron diffraction

Evidence from seismological and mineralogical studies increasingly indicates that water from the oceans has been transported to the deep earth to form water-bearing dense mantle minerals. Wadsleyite [(Mg, Fe2+)2SiO4] has been identified as one of the most important host minerals incorporating this type of water, which is capable of storing the entire mass of the oceans as a hidden reservoir. To understand the effects of such water on the physical properties and chemical evolution of Earth’s interior, it is essential to determine where in the crystal structure the hydration occurs and which chemical bonds are altered and weakened after hydration. Here, we conduct a neutron time-of-flight single-crystal Laue diffraction study on hydrous wadsleyite. Single crystals were grown under pressure to a size suitable for the experiment and with physical qualities representative of wet, deep mantle conditions. The results of this neutron single crystal diffraction study unambiguously demonstrate the method of hydrogen incorporation into the wadsleyite, which is qualitatively different from that of its denser polymorph, ringwoodite, in the wet mantle. The difference is a vital clue towards understanding why these dense mantle minerals show distinctly different softening behaviours after hydration.

Determination of hydrogen site and occupancy in hydrous Mg2SiO4 spinel by single-crystal neutron diffraction

A single-crystal neutron diffraction study was performed on hydrogen incorporation in ringwoodite, which is the most important host mineral of water in the Earth’s deep mantle. Its hydrogen incorporation mechanism, bonding geometry and occupancy at the relevant hydrogen site were unambiguously revealed.