Themed collection New Talent: Asia-Pacific

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

Recent research and development is focused in an intensive manner to increase the efficiency of solar energy conversion into electrical energy via photovoltaics and photo-electrochemical reactions.

Installation of new organic components (including multitopic anionic and neutral linkers) in MOFs and MOPs for multicomponent materials.

This frontier article discusses chemical tools and techniques for tracking and imaging Mn ions in biology.

Recent advances in amidinium and guanidinium-containing hydrogen-bonded framework materials are highlighted.

A 2D MOF with polar pendant carboxylate functional groups has been successfully employed for the stabilization of Pd-nps and the resulting composite exhibited excellent catalytic performance for Suzuki–Miyaura ‘C–C’ coupling reactions.

Cocatalyst loading on ambient-air synthesized Bi₃TaO₇–Bi₄TaO₈X (X = Cl, Br) composites for highly suppressed exciton recombination and efficient solar light harvesting.

We achieved a tunable P_go for gas adsorption in a flexible framework by modulating the dynamic rearrangement of coordination bonds of paddle-wheel unit via cobalt substitution.

Two gold N-heterocyclic carbene complexes show contrasting luminescent mechanochromism behavior with hypso- and bathochromic spectral shifts.

Mn-catalyzed C-alkylation of amides and tert-butyl acetate using alcohols as alkylating agents is reported. This approach exhibits a broad substrate scope providing the C(α)-alkylated amides in good yields via hydrogen auto-transfer strategy.

Herein, we report a metallopolymer based on a polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) matrix cross-linked by tetranuclear Ln₄L₄ cages.

Cluster nuclearity control over the SBUs of zirconium MOFs to target Zr₆-based and Zr₂-based phases is demonstrated for the Zr terephthalate system (Zr-BDC) using a modulated hydrothermal synthesis method.

Anion-π and metal–ligand coordinate bonding interactions lead to nitrite anion recognition by bimetallic cryptates.

The Jahn–Teller distortion, π-conjugation mode, and magnetic properties were coupled in the ferromagnetic Cu^II-radical chain, resulting in unique properties.

In this study, composite films of nanoparticles of an Fe^II-1,2,4-triazole spin-crossover complex and carbon nanotubes were explored.

The photophysical properties of the anthracene appended koneramines (L^An) were analyzed and utilized as a chemosensor for the selective detection of Cd²⁺ and Zn²⁺.

This manuscript reports the first examples of germylene stabilized cadmium complexes 3, 6, and 7, and novel germylene zinc complexes 2 and 5.

The synthesis of a series of naphthalene bridged disilanes and siloxanes via catalytic intramolecular dehydrocoupling was achieved, and the effect of the substituents on the structure and electronic properties of the compounds was investigated.

Two curcumin conjugated ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, [Ru(NN)₂(cur)](PF₆) (1, 2), were systematically exploited for their antimicrobial activity in vitro and in vivo and potential selectivity against multidrug resistant S. aureus strains.

The heme(III)-Cu(I)-Aβ complexes relevant to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) can reduce nitrite to nitric oxide (NO) and thus behave as nitrite reductases.

Bowl shaped organoaluminum bridged neutral and cationic pyridinophanes and aluminum containing neutral bicyclic pyridinophane compounds have been reported.

The organometallic AcAHQ/AQ-Ru system turns out to be an effective redox and pH stimuli triggered bimodal molecular switch.

fac-Re(CO)₃-based synthetic approach i.e., combination of rigid dianionic bis-chelating donor, flexible neutral ditopic nitrogen donor and Re₂(CO)₁₀, for neutral, heteroleptic tetrahedral shaped supramolecular coordination complexes was designed.

Platinum(IV) prodrug complexes releases cisplatin upon UV-activation via dissociation of axial aromatic carboxylate ligands.

Ruthenium complexes featuring phosphinate and dual Ru⋯H–B interactions between Ru and B–H bonds of borate ligands supported by mercapto-benzothiazolyl heterocycles have been synthesized.

The affinity between a guest molecule and a dodecavanadate host molecule was evaluated via monitoring the structural transformation caused by the presence of a guest molecule.

A NiCo₂O₄@MnO₂/NF/MnO₂ sandwich with robust adhesion can prevent NiCo₂O₄ from falling off from the conductive substrate, so the electrode material indicates a satisfactory cycling stability.

A homotrimetallic manganese(III) corrole–porphyrin–corrole triad has been synthesized and structurally characterized.

The first reported BTBT-involved metal complexes substantially varied their intramolecular charge transfer properties through oxidation and metal substitution.

An NNO pincer ligand is reduced by three electrons which are stabilized by the mixed-valent cobalt ions, which is extremely rare and structurally characterized with unusual binding mode of pyridine, for the first time. The accurate electronic structure of the complex was determined by various analytical techniques such as XPS, SQUID, EPR etc.

A series of Mn(I) complexes bearing amine and benzimidazole fragment containing ligands were investigated in the TH of ketones and imines.

Enhanced oxygen reduction reaction performances were achieved on size-controlled Pt nanoparticle catalysts prepared by the copolymerization of a Pt₄-pyrrole complex and pyrrole monomer in the presence of multi-wall carbon nanotubes.

Through examining a range of heteroatom substituted dinuclear species a variety of spin crossover properties emerge, including a rare two-step spin-state transition.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are crystalline porous solids with broad potential applications.

Bis(chlorogermyliumylidene)s stabilized within the PNNP frameworks show diverse reactivity with Lewis bases, depending on the coordinated ligand backbone.

A series of hydrogen bonded binary salts of diphenyl diisopropylamino phosphonium halides of the formula [Ph₂(ⁱPrNH)₂P]·X (X = Cl, Br, I) shows dielectric, piezoelectric and possible ferroelectric properties.

Novel bis(2,9-diaryl-1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I) complexes were prepared to study a photoredox-catalysed reaction.

We report the synthesis, structure and reactivity of molecular amidomagnesium cations bearing tris{2-(dimethylamino)-ethyl}amine (Me₆TREN).

The state-of-art RuO₂ catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is measured by using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to elucidate the structural transformation during catalyzing the reaction in acidic and alkaline conditions.

The intrinsic capability of the paddlewheel-type dirhodium tetraacetate complex, [Rh₂(O₂CCH₃)₄(H₂O)₂] ([1(H₂O)₂]), as a hydrogen evolution catalyst (HEC) for photochemical hydrogen evolution from aqueous solution was illustrated.

Reaction of hexavacant α-Dawson phosphotungstates with metal species in acetonitrile affords γ-Dawson structures supporting a bis(squarepyramidal) core.

The electronic properties of cyclometalating ligands and ancillary ligands were successfully tailored to achieve blue emission in monocyclometalated gold(III) complexes.

Two neodymium alkylborohydride complexes that differ with respect to the number of hydrides on the boron center were synthesized and characterized.

This work demonstrates the synthesis of Co₃O₄-entrapped, B,N-codoped mesoporous carbon via the molten salt route and investigates its electrocatalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction.

We have prepared three fully supported PNP-based dimeric Au(I) complexes with intramolecular Au⋯Au interactions and studied their photophysical properties. They exhibit various colors of emission with good quantum yields.

A copper catalyzed efficient synthetic method has been developed to access bis(N-arylbenzamide) selenides from 2-halo-N-arylbenzamide substrates and disodium selenide in HMPA at 110 °C.

A series of 1,2-N-substituted o-carboranes were obtained. Ultra-long C–C distances were found in the secondary-amino o-carboranes 3. The relationship between C–C bond lengths and the electron effects of the benzyl groups was discussed.

A reversible fluorescence turn off/on switch induced by the encapsulation and release of a guest molecule within an organometallic cage was presented.

Catalytic hydroamination of amino acid esters with carbodiimides and isocyanates to furnish corresponding quinazolinone and urea derivatives using two Ti^IV complexes under mild conditions is reported.

The effects of the morphologies of MOF precursors on the properties of their derived carbonaceous materials are systematically studied.

A new hexahydropyrimidine-based NHC proligand undergoes facile double C–H bond activation to give Pd(II) and Ni(II) NHC pincer cationic complexes. The Pd complex catalyzes C–N cross couplings very efficiently.

A red emissive perylenediimide-triarylboron conjugate (PDI-TAB) with interesting 1D self-assembled nanowires, concentration dependent emission colors and potential fluoride ion sensing is reported.

Iodo coordinated half-sandwich Ru^II-anthraimidazoldione shows stability and low cytotoxicity even under hypoxia in metastatic cancer MDA-MB-231 cells (1–2 μM), induces apoptosis without ROS, and prevents migration at IC₂₀ dose.

Consecutive oxidative additions of iodine on the undulating 2D coordination polymer produced unprecedented anisotropic structures.

Most known heme enzymes utilize hydrogen bonding interactions in their active sites to control electronic and geometric structures and the ensuing reactivity.

The sidearm effect is employed to inhibit transesterification for the synthesis of well-defined block copolyesters in ROP of lactones.

With a one-dimensional coordination polymer as a precursor, a Co–N active center-rich Co₃O₄-based bi-functional electrocatalyst was synthesized as a cathode for Zn–air batteries.

Heterometallic Ln–Pt complexes, with the formula [Ln₂Pt₃(H₂O)₂(SAc)₁₂] (Ln = Ho(1), Er(2); SAc = thioacetate), were synthesized.

A series of N,O-chelate half-sandwich ruthenium complexes have been synthesized, which exhibited high activity for the catalytic hydrogenation of carbonyl and nitro compounds in aqueous solution.

Four lanthanide 3D coordination frameworks with 1D hydrophilic channels along the crystallographic c direction have been investigated for their proton conduction and magnetic properties.