Coordination chemistry articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Indole C-H silylation preferentially occurs at the C3 and C2 positions, while functionalization of the benzene core (C4-C7 sites) remains challenging. Here, the authors report a regioselective C7-H silylation of indole derivatives assisted by strong coordination of the palladium catalyst with a phosphorus directing group.

    • Dingyi Wang
    • , Xiangyang Chen
    •  & Zhuangzhi Shi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Landau-Zener formula is a semiclassical model describing nonadiabatic transitions, but its range of validity in approaching the adiabatic regime had not been verified. The authors investigate electron transfer reactions in a series of mixed-valence complexes spanning the nonadiabatic throughout the adiabatic limit, and show that the model is valid in a broader range of conditions than previously expected.

    • Guang Yuan Zhu
    • , Yi Qin
    •  & Chun Y. Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Metal-organic framework adsorbents are promising materials for gas separation and purification. Herein, the authors present a metal-organic framework that selectively captures CO2 over small hydrocarbons; this separation is relevant for the purification of natural gas and industrial feedstocks.

    • Omid T. Qazvini
    • , Ravichandar Babarao
    •  & Shane G. Telfer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial enzymes with reprogrammed and augmented catalytic activity and substrate selectivity have emerged to tackle limitations of noble metals or transition metal oxides. Here, the authors report Au25 clusterzymes which are endowed with high catalytic activity and selectivity in a range of enzyme-mimicking reactions.

    • Haile Liu
    • , Yonghui Li
    •  & Xiao-Dong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Manganese-based hydrogenation catalysts are sensitive to high temperatures and may degrade under industrially relevant conditions. Here, the authors report a highly efficient manganese pincer pre-catalyst displaying high TOF values (up to 41 000 h−1) and stability (TON up to 200 000) at loadings as low as 5-200 ppm.

    • Wenjun Yang
    • , Ivan Yu. Chernyshov
    •  & Evgeny A. Pidko

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Unlike traditional chiral metal complexes, which typically contain chiral ligands, in chiral-at-metal complexes chirality originates from a stereogenic metal center bound to achiral ligands. Herein, the authors use an unsymmetric tridentate ligand to construct a Werner-type tetrahedral chiral-at-zinc complex which displays high configurational stability and catalyzes an oxa-Diels-Alder reaction with high yield and enantioselectivity.

    • Kenichi Endo
    • , Yuanfei Liu
    •  & Mitsuhiko Shionoya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The reactivity of expanded porphyrins is highly influenced by their scaffold architecture. Here, the authors construct two nonaromatic dumbbell-shaped benzene- and pyridine-incorporating octaphyrins via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling; depending on the framework, different coordination modes are obtained upon metallation with Pd(II).

    • Le Liu
    • , Zhiwen Hu
    •  & Jianxin Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The extraction of metals from seawater is an area of great potential; especially for the extraction of uranium. Here, the authors report on the synthesis of a DNA based uranium adsorbent with high selectivity and demonstrate the potential for the DNA based extraction of high-value soluble minerals from seawater.

    • Yihui Yuan
    • , Tingting Liu
    •  & Ning Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synergistic photoredox–copper catalysis is limited by fluorescence quenching of Cu(II) ions to photoreductive dyes in solution. Here, the authors compromise photoreduction and Cu(II) catalysis by diode-like coordination polymer with twisted Cu(II)–dye conjugation, revealing its vast application vistas.

    • Yusheng Shi
    • , Tiexin Zhang
    •  & Chunying Duan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tessellation of self-assembling molecular building blocks is attractive for accessing metal-organic materials with geometric frustration, however such motifs are rare. Here the authors use ytterbium(II) as a five-vertex node to assemble an Archimedean tessellation in a bulk, molecule-based material.

    • Laura Voigt
    • , Mariusz Kubus
    •  & Kasper S. Pedersen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The polyhedral skeletal electron pair theory (PESPT), also known as Wade-Mingos’ rules, defines a relationship between skeletal bonding electron pairs and structure of clusters. Here the authors report the synthesis, structure and computational studies of planar C2B4R4 carboranes that do not adhere to PESPT.

    • Wei Lu
    • , Dinh Cao Huan Do
    •  & Rei Kinjo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nested polyhedra are compelling but incredibly complex synthetic targets in cluster chemistry. Here, the authors synthesize a Ag90 nanocluster comprising three concentric polyhedra with apparently incompatible octahedral (Oh) and icosahedral (Ih) symmetry, a mathematical oddity that is solved by the shells’ symmetric arrangement around rotational 2- and 3-fold axes.

    • Yan-Min Su
    • , Zhi Wang
    •  & Di Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precise assembly of heterometallic complexes is a challenge. Here, the authors design a heterometallic triangular necklace through a highly efficient threading-and-ring-closing approach driven by metal-ligand coordination, which shows strong bacterium-binding and cell wall/plasma membrane-disrupting capacity for killing bacterial cells.

    • Gui-Yuan Wu
    • , Xueliang Shi
    •  & Hai-Bo Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Amides are versatile synthetic building blocks, however the general stability of the amide bond makes its selective transformation challenging. Here, the authors report a chemodivergent transformation of primary, secondary and tertiary amides by using 1,1-diborylalkanes as pro-nucleophiles.

    • Wei Sun
    • , Lu Wang
    •  & Chao Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Catalytic asymmetric hydrosilylation of internal alkenes has proven elusive due to more favourable double bond reduction or isomerization. Here, the authors show an enantioselective Si-C coupling by hydrosilylation of activated alkenes using a palladium/phosphoramidite catalyst affording axially chiral succinimides.

    • Xing-Wei Gu
    • , Yu-Li Sun
    •  & Li-Wen Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Switching of nonlinear optical signals is attractive for photoelectronics and photonics, but development is hindered by a lack of control over the switch temperature. Here the authors report a coordination polymer system that serves as an alloy-like nonlinear optical switch with a tunable switch temperature.

    • Shi-Yong Zhang
    • , Xia Shu
    •  & Xiao-Ming Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Catenated cages are challenging synthetic targets in chemistry. Here, the authors employ a multi-component coordination strategy using a Pt(II) heteroligation to construct a cyclic bis[2]catenane metallacage, which could be reversibly transformed between the catenated structure and the bis-metallacage.

    • Yiliang Wang
    • , Yicheng Zhang
    •  & Peter J. Stang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chiral 1,4-dienes are versatile building blocks in asymmetric synthesis, therefore their production is highly sought after. Here, the authors report an efficient enantioselective cross-hydroalkenylation of cyclic 1,3-dienes and terminal olefins affording chiral 1,4-dienes by using a chiral NHC-Ni(allyl)]BArF catalyst.

    • Yang Chen
    • , Liang Dang
    •  & Chun-Yu Ho

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Realizing efficient blue-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with long operational lifetime is key to the development of future display technologies. Here, the authors report efficient host-guest and host-free OLEDs featuring designed carbene-metal-amide-type deep-blue photoemitters.

    • Patrick J. Conaghan
    • , Campbell S. B. Matthews
    •  & Alexander S. Romanov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electron spin is a fundamental property of molecules, and changes in spin state affect both molecular structure and dynamics. Here, the authors resolve, by ultrafast electron diffraction, the nuclear reorganization stabilizing spin transitions in a [FeII(bpy)3](PF6)2 crystal.

    • Yifeng Jiang
    • , Lai Chung Liu
    •  & R. J. Dwayne Miller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lanthanoid complexes are widely used for various applications but so far it is difficult to combine multiple lanthanoids into one single molecular entity with sufficient stability. Here, the authors report a method for this purpose using peptide synthesis, and show that a trinuclear lanthanoid complex can be used to create a luminescence nanocode.

    • Elisabeth Kreidt
    • , Wolfgang Leis
    •  & Michael Seitz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transition metal-catalysed C–H hydroxylation is one of the most notable synthetic advances to access alcohols and phenols. Here, the authors report a metal-free, mild C–H hydroxylation of (hetero)arenes via boron-mediated chelation.

    • Jiahang Lv
    • , Binlin Zhao
    •  & Zhuangzhi Shi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developing simple routes for construction of multi-compartmental cages is a compelling and challenging task. Here, the authors report modular construction of multi-3D-cavity cages featuring one, two or three units of a [Pd2L4] entity conjoined with a [Pd3L6] core.

    • Sagarika Samantray
    • , Shobhana Krishnaswamy
    •  & Dillip K. Chand

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of cost-effective, sustainable, and efficient catalysts for liquid organic hydrogen carrier systems is a significant goal. Herein, authors present a system based on manganese catalysis with a theoretical H2 capacity of 5.3 wt% and high selectivity for the dehydrogenation reaction.

    • Zhihui Shao
    • , Yang Li
    •  & Qiang Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecules can serve as biomimetic sensors, but dual self-controlling systems that involve self-activation and self-regulation are difficult to mimic. Here the authors report an insulated conjugated bimetallopolymer with cooperative multiple transition metals that phosphoresces in response to carbon monoxide.

    • Hiroshi Masai
    • , Takuya Yokoyama
    •  & Jun Terao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chlorine evolution reaction (CER) is a key electrochemical reaction for chemical, pulp, and paper industries, and water treatments. Here, the authors report that an atomically dispersed Pt−N4 site can catalyse CER with high activity and selectivity under a wide range of Cl– concentrations and pH.

    • Taejung Lim
    • , Gwan Yeong Jung
    •  & Sang Hoon Joo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite their importance as mechanistic models for Haber Bosch ammonia synthesis from N2 and H2, high oxidation state terminal metal-nitrides are notoriously unreactive towards H2. Here, the authors report hydrogenolysis of a uranium(V)-nitride, which can occur directly or by Frustrated Lewis Pair chemistry with a borane ancillary.

    • Lucile Chatelain
    • , Elisa Louyriac
    •  & Stephen T. Liddle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The assembly of giant silver clusters by using macrocylic multidentate ligand remains a challenge. Here, the authors synthesize a chromate-templated 88-nuclei silver super calix and reveal the role of anion templating effects and a hierarchical assembly mechanism.

    • Zhi Wang
    • , Hai-Feng Su
    •  & Lan-Sun Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Retrofitting is recognized as a powerful tool to control the structure and the corresponding functionality in MOFs. Here, the authors develop a low-cost computational framework to guide experimentalists for retrofitting experiments in MOFs and test it on the prototypical Cu3BTC2 MOF.

    • Christian Schneider
    • , David Bodesheim
    •  & Gregor Kieslich

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Copper-oxygen species in organometallic complexes and enzymes are involved in many oxidation reactions. Here, the authors synthesize a macrocycle-protected mixed valence Cu(I/II) cluster with an unusually strong oxidation capacity and apply it to hydrogen atom transfer reactions with inert hydrocarbons.

    • Siqi Zhang
    •  & Liang Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While main group elements possess four valence orbitals that are accessible for bonding, quadruple bonding to main group elements is very rarely observed. Here the authors report that boron is able to form four bonding interactions with iron in the BFe(CO)3- anion complex.

    • Chaoxian Chi
    • , Jia-Qi Wang
    •  & Jun Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Studying the single-molecule behavior of host-guest complexes can provide fundamental insights into their supramolecular interactions. Here, the authors use the scanning tunneling microscopy break junction technique to show that encapsulation of a C60 molecule significantly enhances the conductance of an organoplatinum metallocycle; mechanical stretching of the junction releases the guest, returning the conductance to free-host level.

    • Jian-Hong Tang
    • , Yueqi Li
    •  & Peter J. Stang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fluorescent supramolecular coordination complexes are of interest for chemical sensing and optical devices. Here the authors synthesize nine organoplatinum metallacycles with high quantum yields, whose fluorescence wavelengths are tuned through manipulation of their photoinduced electron transfer and intramolecular charge transfer properties.

    • Jun-Long Zhu
    • , Lin Xu
    •  & Hai-Bo Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite the burgeoning nature of uranium–ligand multiple bonding, analogous thorium complexes remain incredibly rare. Here the authors report evidence for a transient thorium–nitride species, which, together with data on parent imido derivatives, suggests that the pushing-from-below phenomenon may be more widespread than previously thought.

    • Jingzhen Du
    • , Carlos Alvarez-Lamsfus
    •  & Stephen T. Liddle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ultrathin membranes have demonstrated great promise for water purification technologies owing to their high permeance. Here the authors fabricate sub-10 nm, defect-free, robust membranes for dye remediation from water through the coordination-driven assembly of metal-organophosphates.

    • Xinda You
    • , Hong Wu
    •  & Zhongyi Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Noble metal nanoclusters are commonly protected by thiolate, phosphine, or alkynyl ligands. Here, the authors synthesize two homoleptic amido-protected silver clusters, whose structures interconvert easily with changes of solvent due to the coordination flexibility and diverse binding modes of the nitrogen-donor ligands.

    • Shang-Fu Yuan
    • , Zong-Jie Guan
    •  & Quan-Ming Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The sensing of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) is important for the environment and public health but challenging to achieve. Here the authors report a stable zirconium-based metal-organic framework for the selective sensing of two representative PCCDs based on the fluorescence quenching method.

    • Bin Wang
    • , Peilong Wang
    •  & Banglin Chen

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