[Pb{Mn(CO)5}3][AlCl4]: a lead-manganese carbonyl with AlCl4-linked PbMn3 clusters

Predictive Mixing for Density Functional Theory (and Other Fixed-Point Problems)

Density functional theory calculations use a significant fraction of current supercomputing time. The resources required scale with the problem size, the internal workings of the code, and the number of iterations to convergence, with the latter being controlled by what is called "mixing". This paper describes a new approach to handling trust regions within these and other fixed-point problems. Rather than adjusting the trust region based upon improvement, the prior steps are used to estimate what the parameters and trust regions should be, effectively estimating the optimal Polyak step from the prior history. Detailed results are shown for eight structures using both the "good" and "bad" multisecant versions as well as the Anderson method and a hybrid approach, all with the same predictive method. Additional comparisons are made for 36 cases with a fixed algorithm greed. The predictive method works well independent of which method is used for the candidate step, and it is capable of adapting to different problem types particularly when coupled with the hybrid approach.

Synthesis, structure, and photoluminesence of the chloridoaluminates [BMIm][Sn(AlCl4)3], [BMPyr][Sn(AlCl4)3], and [BMIm][Pb(AlCl4)3]

[BMIm][Sn(AlCl4)3] (1) ([BMIm]: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium), [BMPyr][Sn(AlCl4)3] (2) ([BMPyr]: 1-butyl-1-methyl-pyrrolidinium), and [BMIm][Pb(AlCl4)3] (3) are obtained by reaction of SnCl2/PbCl2 in [BMIm]Cl/[BMPyr]Cl/AlCl3-based ionic liquids. The colourless crystals of the title compounds contain infinite 1∞[M(AlCl4)3]n- chains (M: Sn, Pb) that are separated by the voluminous [BMIm]+/[BMPyr]+ cations. The central Sn2+/Pb2+ is coordinated by chlorine in the form of distorted squared anti-prismatic polyhedra. Each Cl atom, in turn, is part of an [AlCl4]- tetrahedron that interlinks Sn2+/Pb2+ to the chain-like building unit. In addition to the novel structural arrangement, all title compounds surprisingly show intense white-light emission. Although Sn2+ and Pb2+ are well-known as dopants in conventional phosphors, efficient luminescence via s-p-transitions of compounds containing Sn2+/Pb2+ in molar quantities and as regular lattice constituents is rare. The emission of [BMIm][Sn(AlCl4)3] and [BMPyr][Sn(AlCl4)3] is very efficient with quantum yields of 51 and 76%, which belong to the highest values known for s-p-based luminescence of Sn2+.

Ge-Fe Carbonyl Cluster Compounds: Ionic Liquids-Based Synthesis, Structures, and Properties

Nine Ge-Fe carbonyl cluster compounds are prepared via ionic liquids-based synthesis. This includes the novel compounds [EMIm][Fe(CO)3 I(GeI3 )], [EHIm][Fe(CO)3 I(GeI3 )], [BMIm][GeI2 {Fe(CO)4 }2 (μ-I)][AlCl4 ]2 , [GeI2 {Fe(CO)4 }2 (μ-I)][Fe(AlBr4 )3 ], [BMIm]2 [(FeI2 )0.75 {Fe(CO)2 I(GeI3 )2 }2 ], and [EHIm][Fe(CO)4 (GeI2 )2 Fe(CO)3 GeI3 ] as well as the previously reported compounds (Fe(CO)4 (GeI3 )2 , FeI4 {GeI3 Fe(CO)3 }2 , and Ge12 {Fe(CO)3 }8 (μ-I)4 (EMIm: 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium, EHIm: 1-ethylimidazolium, BMIm: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium). With this series of compounds, a comparison of synthesis conditions and structural features is possible and, for instance, allows correlating the composition and structure of the respective Ge-Fe carbonyl cluster compounds with the type and acidity of the ionic liquid. With [EMIm][{GeI3 }2 Fe(CO)3 I], moreover, we can exemplarily show the thermal decomposition as a single-source precursor in the ionic liquid, resulting in bimetallic Ge-Fe nanoparticles with small size and narrow size distribution (7.0±1.4 nm).

Cluster Salts [Nb6 Cl12 (HIm)6 ]An (with HIm=1H-imidazole and A=Mineral Acid Anion, n=1 or 2) Made in and with Brønsted-basic Ionic Liquids and Liquid Mixtures

Four new hexanuclear niobium cluster compounds of the general formula [Nb6 Cl12 (HIm)6 ](A)n  ⋅ x(solvent molecule) (HIm=1H-imidazole, A=mineral acid anion, Cl- (n=2) (1), (SO4 )2- (n=1) (2), (CrO4 )2- (n=1) (3), and (HAsO4 )2- (n=1) (4)) were prepared. Their synthesis can be done in basic ionic liquids, which form on the addition of a mineral acid, which also delivers the counter anion for the final cluster compound, to an excess of the 1H-imidazole. Some addition of an auxiliary solvent, like methanol, improves the speed of crystallisation. The cluster unit comprises a hexanuclear Nb6 unit of octahedral shape with the edges bridged by Cl atoms and the exo sites being occupied by N-bonded 1H-imidazole ligands. The cluster cation carries sixteen cluster-based electrons. Between the NH groups of the ligands of the cluster unit, the anions and the co-crystallised water (1), or 1H-imidazole and methanol molecules (2, 3, and 4) a network of hydrogen bonds exists.

Metal carbonyl cluster-based coordination polymers: diverse syntheses, versatile network structures, and special properties

This highlight surveys recent progress in groups 6–10 metal carbonyl cluster-based coordination polymers, focusing on diverse synthetic strategies, versatile structures, structural transformations, and semiconducting as well as magnetic properties.