Themed collection New Talent: Americas

Welcome to this themed issue of Dalton Transactions entitled “New talent: Americas”

A divergence from the conventional approach to chromophore design has led to the establishment of many exciting new benchmarks for the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC), including the first documented power conversion efficiency in excess of 12%.

2-Azametallacyclobutanes have been reported for a number of metals. This Perspective provides a brief overview of 2-azametallacyclobutanes, focusing on complexes in which the ring nitrogen is anionic (amido).

Modern ab initio methods have the potential to transform the way simple orbital-based Hückel calculations are used to examine new chemical bonding phenomena. In this perspective we illustrate a simple and general method for translating DFT results on crystalline phases into effective Hückel models that can reveal molecular themes at work in intermetallic phases.

The phosphole unit can provide a variety of intriguing opportunities for the design of highly functional organic materials.

The promise, problems and progress of photocatalytic water oxidation with iron oxide.

The use of a 1,1′-ferrocenediamide ruthenium complex as a mediator for base-free transfer hydrogenation is reported.

Lithium–lanthanide-2-naphthoxide complexes are found to have solvent dependent solution structures and related monomeric/dimeric solid state structures.

An amide-appended quinoline-based ligand was prepared that presents three hydrogen bond acceptor groups to a metal-bound substrate.

Reaction of tris(5-amino-2-ethoxy-3-isopropylphenyl)methane and pyridine-2,6-dicarbonyl-dichloride affords a multi-dentate cryptand in 48% yield.

The complementary reactions of forming and activating hydrogen are studied using a nickel system with a wide bite-angle diphosphine ligand.

A versatile method for synthesizing anisotropic Au@SiO₂ core–shell nanostructures is reported, circumventing the traditional multi-step surface functionalization strategies.

Dioxygen reactivity of a new {Fe(NO)₂}¹⁰ dinitrosyl iron complex is reported.

A supramolecular ensemble held together via synergistic π-stacking and Co^III/V^I− contact ion interactions was synthesized via three different routes and represents the first subvalent, diisocyanoarene-linked polynuclear organometallics.

The rigid tris(ketimine) tripod N(ArCNHPh)₃ readily coordinates a number of Cu^I salts, generating complexes that exhibit trigonal pyramidal geometries in the solid-state.

Employing a semi-rigid di-1,2,4-triazole ligand leads to the formation of new MOFs [Cu₄(L)₄(SO₄)₄]·4[Cu(H₂O)₆(SO₄)] (3) and [Cu₆(L)₃(SO₄)₅(OH)₂(H₂O)₆]·13H₂O (4).

A technique for preparing heterobimetallic frameworks is demonstrated by the synthesis of an isostructural family of two-dimensional solids (Et₂NH₂)[Cd(H₂O)][(MTCPP)], where M = H₂, Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Pd(II).

C-alkylation of [HCB₁₁Cl₁₁]⁻ to [RCB₁₁Cl₁₁]⁻ can be conveniently accomplished with KOBu^t/R-I in 80–90% isolated yield.

Surface-bound 1,2,3,4-thiatriazole-5-thiolate on CdSe nanocrystals decomposes under remarkably mild heating (<100 °C) to give an all-inorganic ligand shell (comprised of thiocyanate and sulfur) with loss of nitrogen gas.

A seven-residue peptide based on the high-affinity metal-binding site of E. coli HypB maintains the nickel-binding activity of the full-length protein.

A novel bis(phosphinimine)pyrrole based ligand has been prepared and used to support thermally stable and base free dialkyl rare earth (Er, Lu, Sc) complexes.

We report the preparation and isolation of the first well-defined [(NHC)Pd(PR₂Cl)] complexes, which are formed by way of an unusual P–Cl bond reductive elimination process.

Aluminum(III) complexes with two different redox-active ligands show evidence of non-innocent behavior.

Reaction of a cis-dimethylpalladium complex supported by a bis-NHC ligand framework with wet CO₂ leads to formation of the corresponding κ²-carbonato complex.

The capture and release of a non-native His ligand to the heme during folding of a Geobacter sulfurreducens sensor GSU0935 demonstrates the flexibility of the heme environment which may relate to the domain sensor function.

New dimethyldi(2-pyridyl)borato (dmdpb) platinum(II) complexes, (dmdpb)Pt^IIMe(SMe₂) (1), (dmdpb)Pt^II(L)(SMe₂)⁺, L = MeOH (2), MeCN (3), supported by dimethylsulfide ligand and featuring one (1) or no hydrocarbyls at the metal (2, 3) were prepared and their oxidation with hydrogen peroxide was studied.

Uranium(III) and (IV) complexes of extremely rigid, dianionic NON-donor and NSN-donor ligands have been prepared, and the extent of covalency in U–SAr₂versus U–OAr₂ bonding was assessed using DFT and Atoms in Molecules calculations.

The syntheses and spectroscopic properties of a series of {RuNO}⁶ complexes with TPA as the coligand are reported, and the photolability of the bound NO ligand in these systems is investigated in comparison to analogous edta complexes.

The synthesis, activation, and heats of CO₂ adsorption for the M₃(BTC)₂ (HKUST-1) isostructural series with M = Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Ni, Cu, Mo were investigated to gain insight into the impact of CO₂–metal interactions for CO₂ storage/separation.

The solution-phase magnetic susceptibility of the tris(κ₂-hydrazide)manganese(IV) propeller complex varies with temperature and concentration. The variable solution phase magnetic susceptibility is explained by a dimerization mechanism whereby the monomeric S = 3/2 complex is in equilibrium with an antiferromagnetically coupled S = 0 binuclear complex in solution.

The photocatalytic properties of Bi₂WO₆ microspheres and microplates prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis have been evaluated.

The relaxivity of particulate MRI contrast agents does not increase continuously with increasing aggregation induced by increasing concentration of analyte.

A family of phosphorescent, cyclometalated Pt(II) complexes was synthesized and their photophysical and electrochemical properties were investigated.

Organochromium complexes with anionic radical diimine and pyridine-imine ligands were synthesized, characterized, and investigated using theoretical calculations.

Dialuminiummacrocycles based on bisglyoximato moieties were prepared and their coordination chemistry with Fe^II and Pd^II was investigated.

The coordination and structural properties of a new class of encumbering picolinate ligands for transition-metal and main-group ions are presented.

A facile two-step hydrothermal method is developed for the large-scale preparation of lithium nickel manganese oxide spinel as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries.

Helicobacter pylori NikR recognizes DNA with high affinity when thymine is present at a specific position on the DNA sequence.

Well defined, sp² C–H bond activation of dimethyl fumarate is mediated by a [(Cp*Co)₂-μ-(η⁴ : η⁴-toluene)] complex.

The isolation of a catalyst for C–H bond stannylation allows for insight into the mechanism of this novel functionalization reaction.

The oxidation chemistry of a bimetallic Cu complex employing a non-innocent dioxolene bridge is explored.

A family of uranium(IV) imido species, Tp*₂U(NR), have been synthesized by loss of bibenzyl from the uranium(III) alkyl, Tp*₂UCH₂Ph.

Effects of ligand substituents on Ni–S bond lengths, bond dissociation energies, and nucleophilicity of a series of nickel thiolate complexes have been investigated.

The cycloaddition reaction between first-row transition metal–azide complexes and alkynes was investigated and the metal–triazolate products were structurally characterized.

Two-electron oxidation of [(IP²⁻)₂Ga]⁻ by MeSSMe yields (IP⁻)₂Ga(SMe) via a ligand-based change in oxidation state.

Described here are two novel synthetic pathways toward the preparation of Cr₂M(dpa)₄(N₃)₂ complexes, and characterization of these compounds.

An yttrium (amidate) complex can catalyze the room temperature amidation of aldehydes with amines in only 5 min.

A pentafluoroethyl-derivatized nickel pincer complex was synthesized, and its electronic properties were evaluated by electrochemical and computational methods.

Two generations of nitrobenzhydrol-based photocages for Zn²⁺ have been prepared and characterized.

Functionalized diaminophenols were investigated as ligands for dinuclear indium catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of racemic lactide. Changes in ligand sterics have a significant impact on the structure and reactivity of the complexes. The dissociation of these catalysts in the presence of lactide was investigated.

PCM-15 is a terbium(III)-triphenylphosphine oxide coordination polymer that exhibits reversible tuning of the luminescence quantum yield, based on desolvation and resolvation of the metal centres. It also has a large capacity for low-temperature small molecule sorption.

A new redox route utilizing cobaltocene to generate a Pn(I) synthon from Pn(III) was developed. Subsequent 4 + 2 cycloaddition with a α-diimine gives N-heterocyclic chloropnictine. In the absence of a reductant a donor–acceptor complex is formed.

We report herein convenient, aerobic conditions for the oxidation of thiazolines to thiazoles and data regarding the oxidation mechanism.

A tetralithio salt (1) derived by treating 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-cyclooctatriene with ⁿBuLi serves as the first structural evidence for a multi-alkali metallocene.

Imido coordination to Group V metals in Nb–Co and Ta–Co heterobimetallic complexes decreases metal–metal interactions.

Structural analysis of H-NOX domains reveals incomplete histidine dissociation upon NO binding, challenging this widely hypothesized requirement for NO/H-NOX signaling.

Through the reactions of substituted terpy ligands with Grignard reagents, we have prepared rare examples of Mg complexes supported by terpy ligands.