Themed collection New Talent: Asia-Pacific

Welcome to this themed issue of Dalton Transactions entitled “New Talent: Asia-Pacific”.

Well-dispersed gold nanoparticles show rather good biocompatibility, while aggregated gold nanoparticles with the same dose show considerable cytotoxicity. This result indicates that the dispersity of nanoparticles plays an important role in cytotoxicity.

An O₂ evolution catalyst system based on liposomes and lipophilic Ru(II) complexes was fabricated with regulating the surrounding environment of reaction centre.

Thermal conversion of a Li- and Si-containing MOF produces ceramic Li₄SiO₄ with a coral-like morphology, which is an advanced CO₂ absorbent with high uptake and fast absorption.

We propose that nano-sized Mn oxides are true catalysts for the oxidation of some alcohols to aldehydes in the presence of a mononuclear manganese(II) complex, and Oxone as an oxidant.

Potential gradient along a phenylazomethine dendrimer structure can control favorable electron transfer direction.

A neutral complex PN³P-Rh(I)Cl (2) was prepared from a reaction of the PN³P pincer ligand (1) with [Rh(COD)Cl]₂ (COD = 1,5-cyclooctadiene).

Porous Mg(2-methyl imidazolate)₂ (Mg-ZIF-8) was synthesised from Mg(BH₄)₂, and it possesses an uncommon tetrahedral Mg²⁺–N coordination geometry.

Two phosphaalkene radical cations have been made by using a weakly coordinating anion, and they exhibit inverse spin density distributions.

Heteroleptic bis(dipyrrinato)copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes are synthesized for the first time, and their structural, photochemical, and electrochemical properties are disclosed.

Two planar tridentate N-heterocyclic stannylenes synthesized from the corresponding 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexaamino-triphenylene and Sn[N(TMS)₂]₂ are reported.

Small PbS nanocrystals were synthesized by a one-pot procedure, but large octahedra were produced by changing the reagent introduction sequence.

A straightforward synthesis of a new type of iodine(III) complex is presented – an N′N chelated [ICl₂]⁺ cation.

A rare iron(III) symmetry breaking spin crossover compound with an extremely wide [LS–HS] plateau is reported.

Encapsulation of four sulfates in hydrated form is demonstrated in the coordination driven self-assembly of a tripodal urea receptor.

A series of cobalt(II) complexes derived from the C₆F₅-substituted amido ligand [N(C₆F₅)(C₆H₃Prⁱ₂-2,6)]⁻ (L) have been prepared and structurally characterized.

A physiologically stable PCP based on titanium ions produces nitric oxide from bis-N-nitroso functionality on ligands under light irradiation.

Flexible porous frameworks based on substitution-inert paddle-wheel Rh(II) dimers with active sites were successfully synthesized by using multipoint arene-perfluoroarene interactions and the porous properties of the frameworks were investigated.

The amino-ethyl-rhodamine-B based probe 2 appended with a 3-aminomethyl-(2-amino-1-pyridyl) group retained its Hg(II)-specific chromogenic and fluorogenic signaling responses in an aqueous medium even upon immobilization onto a silica gel surface for selective detection and extraction of Hg(II) ions.

Wild-type cytochrome P450_SPα and cytochrome P450_BSβ can catalyze the oxidation of non-native substrates by performing the reaction at a high concentration of the acetate anion.

Individual steps of the aluminium-mediated contrathermodynamic isomerisation of internal olefins to α-olefins are studied.

Two Cu(I) frameworks were synthesised with the NPy₃ ligand and Cu(II) salts to yield electroactive Cu(I) frameworks whose spectral properties varied as a function of the redox state.

Herein, we introduce a novel engineered polypeptide containing tyrosine around a nano-sized manganese–calcium oxide, which was shown to be a highly active catalyst toward water oxidation at low overpotential.

The facile surface modification of LiCoO₂ (LCO) – a positive electrode material for a lithium ion battery – with a framework compound, Prussian blue, in a step-by-step manner under operationally simple ambient conditions is described.

Two types of hybrid films of AgNPs and ruthenium complexes are constructed via chemical bond formation and electroreductive polymerization.

An ethylene/propylene copolymer with random monomer distribution could be prepared with air-stable vanadium complexes containing the NHC ligand.

Solid and solution state anion binding via a side cleft and pseudocapsular fashion by two cyanophenyl substituted first (L₁) and second (L₂) generation tripodal amides has been demonstrated along with a selective anion induced conformational change of L₂ from open C_2v to folded C_3v symmetry.

Methane activation by dinuclear high-valent iron–oxo species: do we need two metals to activate such inert bonds? Our theoretical study using DFT methods where electronic structure details and mechanistic aspects are established answers this intriguing question.

Several classes of rhenium(I), ruthenium(II), iridium(III) and rhodium(III) complexes tethered with a rhodamine moiety have been synthesized and characterized, and their photophysical and ion-binding properties were investigated.

Highly phosphorescent cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes with isocyanoborate ligands.

Visible light sensitized NIR emission of Nd³⁺ and Yb³⁺ by Ru(II)/Ir(III) metalloligands is reported.

A multi-stimuli-responsive metallogel is obtained by the self-assembly of an already self-assembled trinuclear palladium(II) based coordination ring of the rare M₃L₆ composition.

Self-sorting behavior of a newly synthesized macrocycle with divalent metal ions and aromatic ligands via pseudorotaxane formation has been described.

By tuning the reaction conditions and using macrocyclic ligands, three [Mn(CN)₆]³⁻-based magnetic complexes were prepared and characterized.

A metal–organic framework with a pendant Lewis basic recognition site was employed to achieve selective detection of the nitro explosive TNP in the aqueous phase.

Treatment of a series of aromatic NHCs with trimethylaluminium produced their corresponding NHC·AlMe₃ adducts displaying different stabilities. Their stabilities are rationalized using topographic steric maps and NHC % V Bur.

Reversible ligand disproportionation of gold(I) mono-carbene complexes also works for weaker triazole-derived carbene ligand.

Three ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, [Ru(bpy)₂(icip)]²⁺ (1), [Ru(bpy)₂(pdppz)]²⁺ (2), and [Ru(bpy)₂(tactp)]²⁺ (3), were selected to inhibit telomerase by inducing and stabilising the G-quadruplex structure, and behave as topoisomerase I/II poisons at the same time.