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1. Solid-state ¹¹ B NMR studies of coinage metal complexes containing a phosphine substituted diboraanthracene ligand

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d1dt02981a  

   Huynh, Winn; Taylor, Jordan W.; Harman, W. Hill; Conley, Matthew P. (October 2021, Dalton Transactions)

   Transition metal interactions with Lewis acids (M → Z linkages) are fundamentally interesting and practically important. The most common Z-type ligands contain boron, which contains an NMR active 11 B nucleus. We measured solid-state 11 B{ 1 H} NMR spectra of copper, silver, and gold complexes containing a phosphine substituted 9,10-diboraanthracene ligand (B 2 P 2 ) that contain planar boron centers and weak M → BR 3 linkages ([(B 2 P 2 )M][BAr F 4 ] (M = Cu (1), Ag (2), Au (3)) characterized by large quadrupolar coupling ( C Q ) values (4.4–4.7 MHz) and large span ( Ω ) values (93–139 ppm). However, the solid-state 11 B{ 1 H} NMR spectrum of K[Au(B 2 P 2 )] − (4), which contains tetrahedral borons, is narrow and characterized by small C Q and Ω values. DFT analysis of 1–4 shows that C Q and Ω are expected to be large for planar boron environments and small for tetrahedral boron, and that the presence of a M → BR 3 linkage relates to the reduction in C Q and 11 B NMR shielding properties. Thus solid-state 11 B NMR spectroscopy contains valuable information about M → BR 3 linkages in complexes containing the B 2 P 2 ligand. 

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2. Synthesis of diphenyl-(2-thienyl)phosphine, its chalcogenide derivatives and a series of novel complexes of lanthanide nitrates and triflates

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d2dt01570f  

   Luster, Troy; Van de Roovaart, Hannah J.; Korman, Kyle J.; Sands, Georgia G.; Dunn, Kylie M.; Spyker, Anthony; Staples, Richard J.; Biros, Shannon M.; Bender, John E. (June 2022, Dalton Transactions)

   A novel synthesis of diphenyl(2-thienyl)phosphine, along with its’ oxide, sulfide and selenide derivatives, is reported here. These phosphines have been characterized by NMR, IR, MS and X-Ray crystallography. The phosphine oxide derivative was reacted with a selection of lanthanide( iii ) nitrates and triflates, LnX 3 , to give the resultant metal–ligand complexes. These complexes have also been characterized by NMR, IR, MS and X-Ray crystallography. Single crystal X-Ray diffraction data shows a difference in metal–ligand complex stoichiometry and stereochemistry depending on the counteranion (nitrate vs. triflate). The [Ln(Ar 3 PO) 3 (NO 3 ) 3 ] ligand–nitrate complexes are nine-coordinate to the metal in the solid state (bidentate nitrate), featuring a 1 : 3 lanthanide–ligand ratio and bear an overall octahedral arrangement of the six, coordinated ligands. Our [Ln(Ar 3 PO) 3 (NO 3 ) 3 ] ligand–nitrate complexes gave three examples of fac -stereochemistry, where mer -stereochemistry is almost universally observed in the literature of highly related [Ln(Ar 3 PO) 3 (NO 3 ) 3 ] complexes. For the Tb complexes, two different arrangements of the ligands around the metal were observed in the solid state for [Tb(Ar 3 PO) 3 (NO 3 ) 3 ] and [Tb(Ar 3 PO) 4 (OTf) 2 ] [OTf]. [Tb(Ar 3 PO) 3 (NO 3 ) 3 ] is strictly nine-coordinate, ligand mer -stereochemistry in the solid state, and [Tb(Ar 3 PO) 4 (OTf) 2 ] [OTf] is strictly octahedral, six-coordinate, with a square-planar stereochemical arrangement of the phosphine oxide ligands around the metal. 

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3. Pt(II)-Coordinated Tricomponent Self-Assemblies of Tetrapyridyl Porphyrin and Dicarboxylate Ligands: Are They 3D Prisms or 2D Bow-Ties?

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SC06533E  

   Benavides, Paola A.; Gordillo, Monica A.; Yadav, Ashok; Joaqui-Joaqui, M. Andrey; Saha, Sourav (March 2022, Chemical Science)

   Goldup, S (Ed.)

   Thermodynamically favored simultaneous coordination of Pt(II) corners with aza- and carboxylate ligands yields tricomponent coordination complexes with sophisticated structures and functions, which require careful structural characterization to paint accurate depiction of their structure–function relationships. Previous reports had claimed that heteroleptic coordination of cis-(Et3P)2PtII with tetrapyridyl porphyrins (M'TPP, M' = Zn or H2) and dicarboxylate ligands (XDC) yielded 3D tetragonal prisms containing two horizontal M'TPP faces and four vertical XDC pillars connected by eight Pt(II) corners, even though such structures were not supported by their 1H NMR data. Through extensive X-ray crystallographic and NMR studies, herein, we demonstrate that self-assembly of cis-(Et3P)2PtII, M'TPP, and four different XDC linkers having varied lengths and rigidity actually yields bow-tie (⋈)-shaped 2D [{cis-(Et3P)2Pt}4(M'TPP)(XDC)2]4+ complexes featuring a M'TPP core and two parallel XDC linkers connected by four heteroleptic PtII corners instead of 3D prisms. This happened because (i) irrespective of their length (~7–11 Å) and rigidity, the XDC linkers intramolecularly bridged two adjacent pyridyl-N atoms of a M'TPP core via PtII corners instead of connecting two cofacial M'TPP ligands and (ii) the bow-tie complexes are entropically more favored over prisms. The electron-rich ZnTPP core of a bow-tie complex selectively formed a charge-transfer complex with highly π-acidic 1,4,5,8,9,12-hexaazatriphenylene-2,3,6,7,10,11-heaxacarbonitrile but not with a π-donor like pyrene. Thus, this work not only produced novel M'TPP-based bow-tie complexes and demonstrated their selective π-acid recognition capability, but also underscored the importance of proper structural characterization of supramolecular assemblies to ensure accurate depiction of their structure–property relationships. 

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4. Selective self-assembly of discrete 2D and 3D porphyrinoid architectures using a directional-bonding approach

   https://doi.org/10.1080/00958972.2025.2544013  

   Zhang, Daoyang; Snider, Rachel L; Crawley, Matthew R; Cook, Timothy R (August 2025, Journal of Coordination Chemistry)

   Herein, we report the coordination-driven self-assembly of a diazaporphyrin plate and a porphyrin prism, made using the same Ru-benzo molecular clip and 2:1 diruthenium acceptor to tetrapyridyl donor stoichiometry, and discuss characterization techniques used to distinguish the two. We describe how 1H NMR data can distinguish between plate and prism geometries based on peak shifts and splitting in the context of molecular symmetries. DOSY spectra show changes in hydrodynamic radius from the monomeric porphyrin to the prism (4.78 Å to 15.2 Å) and diazaporphyrin to plate (6.02 Å to 12.2 Å) consistent with the increase in size upon assembly. High resolution mass spectrometry provides further evidence for plate and prism, where specific peaks at diagnostic m/z values unequivocally establish the stoichiometry of assembly. Electronic absorption spectroscopy revealed a marked increase in molar absorptivity upon self-assembly. These results establish how molecular characterization techniques may be used to distinguish between possible self-assembly outcomes when a given building block may be encoded with directionality that is suitable for more than one geometry. 

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5. Kinetically Controlled Synthesis of Rotaxane Geometric Isomers

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SC04412B  

   McCarthy, Dillon R.; Xu, Ke; Schenkelberg, Mica; Balegamire, Nils A.; Liang, Huiming; Bellino, Shea; Li, Jianing; Schneebeli, Severin Thomas (January 2024, Chemical Science)

   Geometric isomerism in mechanically interlocked systems — which arises when the axle of a mechanically interlocked molecule is oriented, and the macrocyclic component is facially dissymmetric — can provide enhanced functionality for directional transport and polymerization catalysis. We now introduce a kinetically controlled strategy to control geometric isomerism in [2]rotaxanes. Our synthesis provides the major geometric isomer with high selectivity, broadening synthetic access to such interlocked structures. Starting from a readily accessible [2]rotaxane with a symmetrical axle, one of the two stoppers is activated selectively for stopper exchange by the substituents on the ring component. High selectivities are achieved in these reactions, based on coupling the selective formation reactions leading to the major products with inversely selective depletion reactions for the minor products. Specifically, in our reaction system, the desired (major) product forms faster in the first step, while the undesired (minor) product subsequently reacts away faster in the second step. Quantitative 1H NMR data, fit to a detailed kinetic model, demonstrates that this effect (which is conceptually closely related to minor enantiomer recycling and related processes) can significantly improve the intrinsic selectivity of the reactions. Our results serve as proof of principle for how multiple selective reaction steps can work together to enhance the stereoselectivity of synthetic processes forming complex mechanically interlocked molecules. 

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