Dalton Transactions Blog

IL-nanofluids were produced in a simple, inexpensive and reproducible manner.

Małgorzata Swadźba-Kwaśny, Peter Nockemann and colleagues from The Queen’s University Belfast describe the one-pot synthesis of ionic liquid-nanofluids in this HOT paper.  The ionic-liquid nanofluids consist of copper(II) oxide nanoparticles and copper(I,II), oxide clusters in acetate-based ionic liquids.  Combining ionic liquids and nanoparticles can create ionic liquids with additional or significantly improved properties that could then be used as catalysts or as heat transfer fluids.

It’s currently free so do take a look!

Facile in situ synthesis of nanofluids based on ionic liquids and copper oxide clusters and nanoparticles
Małgorzata Swadźba-Kwaśny, Léa Chancelier, Shieling Ng, Haresh G. Manyar, Christopher Hardacre and Peter Nockemann
Dalton Trans., 2012
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT11578B

The reactivity of ligands upon coordination to a metal ion is currently a very exciting area.

Read about the rare and novel transformations of the oxime ligand, 2-pyridinealdehyde oxime, when it is reacted with Zn(II) sources, in this HOT communication from Annie Powell, Spyros Perplepes et al.

It’s currently free to access so do take a look!

Metal ion-assisted transformations of 2-pyridinealdoxime and hexafluorophosphate
Konstantis F. Konidaris, Christina D. Polyzou, George E. Kostakis, Anastasios J. Tasiopoulos, Olivier Roubeau, Simon J. Teat, Evy Manessi-Zoupa, Annie K. Powell and Spyros P. Perlepes
Dalton Trans., 2012
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT11881A

You might also find the following perspective interesting:

Diol-type ligands as central ‘players’ in the chemistry of high-spin molecules and single-molecule magnets
Anastasios J. Tasiopoulos and Spyros P. Perlepes
Dalton Trans., 2008, 5537-5555
DOI: 10.1039/B805014G

The dual nature of donor ligands is explored in Oxygen Atom Transfer (OAT) in this hot article by Adam Veige and co-workers.  In this study, donor ligands enhance the rate of OAT by hindering µ-O dimer formation; however, the addition of a too strongly coordinating ligand can actually prevent OAT by
making the transfer thermodynamically unfavorable.

Read more about this ligand duality for FREE until 13th December 2012:

The influence of reversible trianionic pincer OCO^3– µ-oxo Cr^IV dimer formation ([Cr^IV]₂(µ-O)) and donor ligands in oxygen-atom-transfer (OAT)
Matthew E. O’Reilly, Trevor J. Del Castillo, Khalil A. Abboud and Adam S. Veige
Dalton Trans., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT11104C

Transition metal complexes bearing functional P,N-type ligands attract much attention because they combine hard nitrogen donor(s) and soft phosphorus donor(s) and offer considerable chemical and structural diversity. In this HOT Article,  Braunstein et al. report several palladium/cobalt and nickel complexes with phosphino-oxazoline ligands. Some of the nickel complexes were further checked for their ethylene reactivity, and showed activity for ethylene non-selective oligomerization. Interestingly, a reversible interconversion transform phenomena was observed between a couple of the isomeric Ni-complexes with variation of the solvent between CH₂Cl₂ and CHCl₃.
The role of functional bidentate ligands in catalysis provides a versatile tool for fine tuning the performance of catalysts (Lewis base – Lewis acid interactions).

Read more for FREE until 29th November at:
A phosphino-oxazoline ligand as a P,N-bridge in palladium/cobalt or P,N-chelate in nickel complexes: catalytic ethylene oligomerization
Shuanming Zhang, Roberto Pattacini, Suyun Jie and Pierre Braunstein
Dalton Trans., 2011, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT11352F

Braunstein and co-workers have formed a dinuclear Ir(I) complex with a bis-NHC ligand in situ from
1,1′-((4,6-dimethyl-1,3-phenylene)bis(methylene))bis(3-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium) in
the presence of Cs₂CO₃ and [Ir(µ-Cl)(cod)]₂. Its solid-state structure, determined by X-ray
diffraction, shows a figure-of-eight loop with both the P and M enantiomers being present. Solution NMR studies were also performed to examine the enantiodiscrimination between them.

Read more for FREE until the 29th November 2011 at:

Chiral anion-based NMR enantiodiscrimination of a dinuclear, cationic Ir(I) NHC complex with a figure-of-eight loop structure
Xianghao Liu, Jérôme Lacour and Pierre Braunstein
Dalton Trans., 2012, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C1DT11604E

Also read about the formation of unprecedented eight-membered chelates at:

Contrasting bonding modes of a tridentate bis(oxazoline)phosphine ligand in cobalt and iron vs. palladium complexes: unprecedented N,N-coordination for a N,P,N ligand
Anthony Kermagoret and Pierre Braunstein
Dalton Trans., 2008, 585-587
DOI: 10.1039/B717021C