A simple self-assembled [Pd2 L4 ] coordination cage consisting of four carbazole-based ligands was found to dimerize into the interpenetrated double cage [3 X@Pd4 L8 ] upon the addition of 1.5 equivalents of halide anions (X=Cl(-) , Br(-) ). The halide anions serve as templates, as they are sandwiched by four Pd(II) cations and occupy the three pockets of the entangled cage structure. The subsequent addition of larger amounts of the same halide triggers another structural conversion, now yielding a triply catenated link structure in which each Pd(II) node is trans-coordinated by two pyridine donors and two halide ligands. This simple system demonstrates how molecular complexity can increase upon a gradual change of the relative concentrations of reaction partners that are able to serve different structural roles.

Molecular encapsulation processes under the control of an external trigger play a major role in biological signal transduction processes and enzyme catalysis. Here, we present an artificial mimic of a controllable host system that forms via self-assembly from a simple bis-monodentate ligand and Pd(II) cations. The resulting interpenetrated double cage features three consecutive pockets which initially contain one tetrafluoroborate anion, each. Activation of this host system with two halide anions triggers a conformational change that renders the central pocket susceptible to the uptake of small neutral guest molecules. Thereby, the pentacationic cage expels the central anion and replaces it with a neutral molecule to give a hexacationic species. The cage structures prior and after the halide triggered binding of benzene were examined by X-ray crystallography, ESI MS, and NMR techniques. The kinetics and thermodynamics of the encapsulation of benzene, cyclohexane, and norbornadiene are compared.

A disiladicarbene, (Cy-cAAC)2Si2 (2), was synthesized by reduction of Cy-cAAC:SiCl4 adduct with KC8. The dark-colored compound 2 is stable at room temperature for a year under an inert atmosphere. Moreover, it is stable up to 190 °C and also can be characterized by electron ionization mass spectrometry. Theoretical and Raman studies reveal the existence of a Si═Si double bond with a partial double bond between each carbene carbon atom and silicon atom. Cyclic voltammetry suggests that 2 can quasi-reversibly accept an electron to produce a very reactive radical anion, 2(•-), as an intermediate species. Thus, reduction of 2 with potassium metal at room temperature led to the isolation of an isomeric neutral rearranged product and an anionic dimer of a potassium salt via the formation of 2(•-).

Despite its cramped interior, a [Pd2L4] coordination cage consisting of bulky adamantyl ligands shows impressive motility and a rich encapsulation chemistry.

Amino acid structures are an ideal test set for method‐development studies in crystallography. High‐resolution X‐ray diffraction data for eight previously studied genetically encoding amino acids are provided, complemented by a non‐standard amino acid. Structures were re‐investigated to study a widely applicable treatment that permits accurate X−H bond lengths to hydrogen atoms to be obtained: this treatment combines refinement of positional hydrogen‐atom parameters with aspherical scattering factors with constrained “TLS+INV” estimated hydrogen anisotropic displacement parameters (H‐ADPs). Tabulated invariom scattering factors allow rapid modeling without further computations, and unconstrained Hirshfeld atom refinement provides a computationally demanding alternative when database entries are missing. Both should incorporate estimated H‐ADPs, as free refinement frequently leads to over‐parameterization and non‐positive definite H‐ADPs irrespective of the aspherical scattering model used. Using estimated H‐ADPs, both methods yield accurate and precise X−H distances in best quantitative agreement with neutron diffraction data (available for five of the test‐set molecules). This work thus solves the last remaining problem to obtain such results more frequently. Density functional theoretical QM/MM computations are able to play the role of an alternative benchmark to neutron diffraction.

The angucyclines form the largest family of polycyclic aromatic polyketides, and have been studied extensively. Herein, we report the discovery of lugdunomycin, an angucycline‐derived polyketide, produced by Streptomyces species QL37. Lugdunomycin has unique structural characteristics, including a heptacyclic ring system, a spiroatom, two all‐carbon stereocenters, and a benzaza‐[4,3,3]propellane motif. Considering the structural novelty, we propose that lugdunomycin represents a novel subclass of aromatic polyketides. Metabolomics, combined with MS‐based molecular networking analysis of Streptomyces sp. QL37, elucidated 24 other rearranged and non‐rearranged angucyclines, 11 of which were previously undescribed. A biosynthetic route for the lugdunomycin and limamycins is also proposed. This work demonstrates that revisiting well‐known compound families and their producer strains still is a promising approach for drug discovery.

A new aspherical scattering factor formalism was implemented in SHELXL. It relies on Gaussian functions and can optionally complement the independent atom model to take into account the deformation of electron-density distribution due to chemical bonding and lone pairs. The automated atom-type assignment was derived from the invariom formalism.

A new series of [Pd2(L)4] cages based on photochromic dithienylethene (DTE) ligands allowed us to gain insight into the successive photoswitching of multiple DTE moieties in a confined metallo‐supramolecular assembly. Three new X‐ray structures of [Pd2(o‐L4)4], [Pd2(o‐L1)2(c‐L1)2] and [Pd2(c‐L1)4] (o‐L and c‐L = open and closed forms of DTE ligands, respectively) were obtained. The structures deliver snapshots of three different combinations of DTE photoisomeric states within the cage, facilitating a comparison of the all‐open with the all‐closed, and most notably, an intermediate form where open and closed switches co‐exist in the same cage. Moreover, a series of spherical anionic borate clusters was introduced in order to study their roles in the light‐controllable host–guest chemistry. The binding guests show higher affinities with the flexible open cage [Pd2(o‐L1)4] than with the rigid closed cage [Pd2(c‐L1)4]. For the [B12F12]2− guest, thermodynamic data obtained from NMR experiments was compared to results from isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC).