Themed collection Modern coordination chemistry

This special issue of Dalton Transactions is to mark the 60th birthday of Professor Dr. Annie K. Powell. The issue highlights advances in Modern Coordination Chemistry.

In this perspective, we review those stereoselective photocatalytic reactions that use synergy between photoredox catalysts and transition metal catalysts.

A collective overview of iron(II)-Schiff base complexes, showing abrupt and hysteretic SCO suitable for device applications, and the structure–property relationships governing the SCO of the complexes in the solid-state is presented.

An update overview of emerging single-molecule toroics (SMTs) is expounded to elucidate the strategy to design SMTs and ultimately inspire the seeking of SMTs with enhanced toroidal moment.

The first double-decker Ga(III)/Dy(III) 12-MC-4 complex has been isolated and magnetic studies revealed its SMM properties.

The heterometallic Zn₂Dy₂ entity bearing partially saturated metal centres covalently decorates a highly ordered amyloid fibril core and the functionalised assembly exhibits catalytic Lewis acid behaviour.

Two isostructural iron(III) spin crossover complexes show anion-size dependent spin crossover.

FeO core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) are obtained by thermal decomposition of Cp₂Fe in 1-octadecene and oleic acid and oleylamine. Cubic and spherical NPs are obtained whose size and shape can be controlled through adjusting reaction parameters.

The paper presents a combined experimental and theoretical study of the influence of the type of neutral ligand L on the electronic and magnetic properties of trigonal planar iron(II) bis(trimethylsilyl)amido complexes [Fe(N(SiMe₃)₂L].

In this study, we present two ruthenium(II) diimine complexes appended with ferrocene which show metal to ligand charge transfer ³MLCT emission lifetimes around 630 ns.

Herein we present the synthesis, and magnetic and photophysical properties of four mononuclear Ln^III complexes, among which the two Er^III complexes 2 and 4 exhibit field-induced SIM behaviour that provides a new route towards air-stable erbium SIMs.

The reactions of tetravalent thorium, an element named after the Scandinavian God of thunder and war, with tridentate Schiff bases give tetranuclear complexes with the extremely rare {Th^IV₄(μ₄-O)} unit and interesting properties.

The synthesis, structures, magnetism and ab initio calculations are presented for three new triangular Ln₃ single molecule toroidal species, Ln = Tb, Dy and Ho, and for a new hexagonal Dy₆ wheel compound.

A radical bromanilate-bridged dinuclear Dy(III) complex exhibits improved single-molecule magnet performance over the parent compound with a diamagnetic bridge.

Newly luminescent Cu(I) AlkylPyrPhos complexes with a special focus on fluorine have been synthesized and comprehensively investigated by a variety of spectroscopic and theoretical methods.

An optically pure binuclear copper(II) complex was prepared based on a rosin derivative, which is a DNA/BSA binder and a potential drug with multifunctional anticancer effects.

Alkyl-xanthato gallium(III) complexes, [Ga(S₂COR)₃] where R = Me, Et, ⁱPr, ⁿPr, ⁿBu, ^sBu and ⁱBu, have been synthesized and examined as potential precursors for gallium sulfides.

Nuclear inelastic scattering experiments and DFT calculations have been performed to explore the vibrational properties and molecular modes for the high-spin and low-spin phases of the spin crossover network [Fe(pyrazine)][Pt(CN)₄].

Water soluble bis(PYE) pro-ligands and derived Pd(II) complexes show activity against breast cancer cells.

Paramagnetic polyoxometalates are of special interest with regard to their application as alternative contrast agents in nonhuman magnetic resonance imaging which is increasingly used in materials science and process engineering.

We report several new dyads constituted of cationic iridium(III) photosensitizers and cobalt(III) catalyst connected via free pendant pyridine on the photosensitizers.

Anion interactions have been optimized in a tritopic host prepared by using ‘knock-on’ synthesis of calix[4]pyrrole and their anion binding properties evaluated using different spectroscopic methods.

Ligand pK_a and Hammett parameter are key in rationalising the formation of complexes with a soluble copper(II) Schiff base unit.

Photoexcitation of a newly synthesized, neutral tetrasubstituted Ge₉ cluster with a covalently bound transition metal substituent led to a complete ground state recovery within 150 ps indicating the strong influence of the Fe moiety.

Structural, magnetic and spectroscopic data on four new spin triplet Mn³⁺ complexes reveals a large magnetic anisotropy. Spin state is sensitive to lattice contents as the spin quintet ground state is stabilized on co-crystallization with ethanol.

The first example of an isopolyanion (W₄O₁₆) held by redox-active Mn^II anchors within an archetypal superlacunary heteropolyanion {P₈W₄₈}.

The magnetic coercivity of four new heptacyanomolybdate(III)-based coordination polymers is correlated with the geometry of the [Mo^III(CN)₇]⁴⁻ anion and the cyanide bridging pattern of the framework.

The novel tellurium rhenium carbonyls [TeI₂Re(CO)₅][AlCl₄] (1), [BMIm][Te₂I₄(μ-I)₂Re(CO)₄] (2), {Te₃I₂(μ-I)₃(μ₃-I)}Re(CO)₃ (3) and [BMIm][(Te₂)₃{Re(CO)₃}₂{Re(CO)₄}₃] (4) were prepared by reacting TeI₄ and Re₂(CO)₁₀ in ionic liquids (ILs).

The supramolecular assembly of acetylsalicylic acid to a merocyanine–Zn complex translates into a photo-controllable drug delivery system.

Two iron(III) complexes, [Fe(qsal-X)₂]OTs·nH₂O, are found to exhibit abrupt spin crossover with the spin transition temperature substituent dependent, and X⋯O halogen bonds linking the spin centres.

Two two-dimensional and three-dimensional Co(II) coordination polymers with slow magnetic relaxation are reported, which enlarge the family of high-dimensional coordination polymers exhibiting single ion magnet behavior.

Rhenium tetrazolato complexes appended to phenol substituents are exploited for cell labelling.

The copper coordination chemistry of bis(dithiocarbazate) Schiff base ligands derived from acetylacetone yields a diversity of products depending on the reaction conditions and presence of oxygen. Both di- and trivalent copper complexes have been isolated and characterised.

A Zr-MOF, which contains partially hydrated, 12-connected {Zr₆} nodes and extended carboxylate ligands was synthesized, characterised and utilised in CO₂ cycloaddition catalysis.

The trigonal symmetry around the Mn^II ion is fine-tuned to control the rhombic zero-field splitting.

Two new neodymium molecular magnets of formula {[Nd(α-fur)₃(H₂O)₂]·DMF}_n (1) and {[Nd_0.065La_0.935(α-fur)₃(H₂O)₂]}_n (2), α-fur = C₄H₃OCOO, have been synthesized and characterized.

1,4,8,11-Tetraazacyclodecane plus (a) a silicon catecholate ion generates novel hollow tetragonal crystalline materials, and (b) tetramethoxysilane generates amorphous silica sols.

Robust hybrid [Fe(Htrz)₂(trz)](BF₄)@SiO₂ nanoparticles with reduced sizes (from ca. 90 to 28 nm) and ultrathin silica shells (<3 nm) have been obtained, presenting abrupt spin transition and reduced thermal hysteresis.

Copper(I) complexes of cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes coordinated to monodentate or hemilabile guanidinato and formamidinato complexes show intense photoluminescence including white emissions.

New phosphine-functionalised tris(pyrazolyl)methane ligands, their coordination flexibility and their ability to generate heterobimetallic complexes are presented.

Two families of magnetic heterometallic coordination polymers (1D and 2D) have been assembled using heteroleptic dicyanido-Ru^III building blocks.

Architecture, helicate or cage, is controlled by choice of meta vs. para phenylene linker in new, robust, ditopic triazole-pyrimidine ligands.

A series of homo- and hetero-polynuclear coinage metal complexes based on a phosphine-substituted 1,2,3-triazole system was synthesized.

The distortion degree from the ideal tetrahedral geometry has been correlated with the zero-field splitting parameter in a series of mononuclear cobalt(II)-sulfonamide complexes with a CoN₄ coordination environment.