Characterization of reactive organometallic species via MicroED

Abstract

Here we apply microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) to the structural determination of transition metal complexes. We find that the simultaneous use of 300 keV electrons, very low electron doses, and an ultra-sensitive camera allows for the collection of data without cryogenic cooling of the stage. This technique reveals the first crystal structures of the classic zirconocene hydride, colloquially known as “Schwartz’s reagent”, a novel Pd(II) complex not amenable to solution-state NMR or X-ray crystallography, and five other paramagnetic or diamagnetic transition metal complexes.

Prospecting for natural products by genome mining and microcrystal electron diffraction

“…Given these challenges, we envisioned that application of the recently reported CryoEM modality MicroED 5 could lead to vertical advances in the field of natural product discovery, as MicroED has recently been demonstrated to provide unambiguous structures from sub-micron-sized crystals of chemical compounds that had failed to yield large crystals suitable for X-ray analysis. 13,14 As an entry into the area, we became interested in a-pyridone containing fungal metabolites. These compounds, including fischerin (1, Fig.…”