Modulating the structures of subnanometric metal clusters at the atomic level is a great synthetic and characterization challenge in catalysis. Here we show how the catalytic properties of subnanometric Pt clusters (0.5-0.6 nm) confined in the sinusoidal 10R channels of purely siliceous MFI zeolite modulate upon introduction of partially reduced Sn species that interact with the noble metal at the metal/support interface. The low mobility of Sn in H2 over an extended period of time (>6 h) even at high temperatures (e.g. 600 ⁰C), which is determined by only a few additional Sn atoms added to the Pt clusters. Such structural features, which are not immediately visible by conventional characterization techniques and can be laid out after combination of in situ EXAFS, HAADF-STEM and CO-IR data, is key to provide one-order of magnitude lower deactivation rate in the propane dehydrogenation reaction while maintaining high intrinsic (initial) catalytic activity. Pt foil a12 2.763 ± 0

A new approach toward higher efficiency organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) is described. Complementarity in shape between the donor (contorted hexabenzocoronene, see picture) and acceptor (buckminsterfullerene) molecules results in OPVs that perform surprisingly well. This exploitation of host–guest chemistry at the organic/organic interface demonstrates a new direction for OPV device design.

The cleavage of C-H and C-C bonds by transition metal centres is of fundamental interest and plays an important role in the synthesis of complex organic molecules from petroleum feedstocks. But while there are many examples for the oxidative addition of C-H bonds to a metal centre, transformations that feature oxidative addition of C-C bonds are rare. The paucity of transformations that involve the cleavage of C-C rather than C-H bonds is usually attributed to kinetic factors arising from the greater steric hindrance and the directional nature of the sp(n) hybrids that form the C-C bond, and to thermodynamic factors arising from the fact that M-C bonds are weaker than M-H bonds. Not surprisingly, therefore, most examples of C-C bond cleavage either avoid the kinetic limitations by using metal compounds in which the C-C bond is held in close proximity to the metal centre, or avoid the thermodynamic limitations by using organic substrates in which the cleavage is accompanied by either a relief of strain energy or the formation of an aromatic system. Here, we show that a tungsten centre can be used to cleave a strong C-C bond that is a component of an unstrained 6-membered aromatic ring. The cleavage is enabled by the formation of an unusual chelating di(isocyanide) ligand, which suggests that other metal centres with suitable ancillary ligands could also accomplish the cleavage of strong C-C bonds of aromatic substrates and thereby provide new ways of functionalizing such molecules.

No abstract

Eight new ruthenium complexes of clotrimazole (CTZ) with high antiparasitic activity have been synthesized, cis,fac-[RuIICl2(DMSO)3(CTZ)] (1), cis,cis,trans-[RuIICl2(DMSO)2(CTZ)2] (2), Na[RuIIICl4(DMSO)(CTZ)] (3) and Na[trans-RuIIICl4(CTZ)2] (4), [RuII(η6-p-cymene)Cl2(CTZ)] (5), [RuII(η6-p-cymene)(bipy)(CTZ)][BF4]2 (6), [RuII(η6-p-cymene)(en)(CTZ)][BF4]2 (7) and [RuII(η6-p-cymene)(acac)(CTZ)][BF4] (8) (bipy = bipyridine; en = ethlylenediamine; acac = acetylacetonate). The crystal structures of compounds 4-8 are described. Complexes 1-8 are active against promastigotes of Leishmania major and epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi. Most notably complex 5 increases the activity of CTZ by factors of 110 and 58 against L. major and T. cruzi, with no appreciable toxicity to human osteoblasts, resulting in nanomolar and low micromolar lethal doses and therapeutic indexes of 500 and 75, respectively. In a high-content imaging assay on L. major infected intraperitoneal mice macrophages, complex 5 showed significant inhibition on the proliferation of intracellular amastigotes (IC70 = 29 nM), while complex 8 displayed some effect at a higher concentration (IC40 = 1 μM).