Crystallographic texture is a key organization feature of many technical and biological materials. In these materials, especially hierarchically structured ones, the preferential alignment of the nano constituents heavily influences the macroscopic behavior of the material. To study local crystallographic texture with both high spatial and angular resolution, we developed Texture Tomography (TexTOM). This approach allows the user to model the diffraction data of polycrystalline materials using the full reciprocal space of the crystal ensemble and describe the texture in each voxel via an orientation distribution function, hence it provides 3D reconstructions of the local texture by measuring the probabilities of all crystal orientations. The TexTOM approach addresses limitations associated with existing models: it correlates the intensities from several Bragg reflections, thus reducing ambiguities resulting from symmetry. Further, it yields quantitative probability distributions of local real space crystal orientations without further assumptions about the sample structure. Finally, its efficient mathematical formulation enables reconstructions faster than the time scale of the experiment. This manuscript presents the mathematical model, the inversion strategy and its current experimental implementation. We show characterizations of simulated data as well as experimental data obtained from a synthetic, inorganic model sample: the silica–witherite biomorph. TexTOM provides a versatile framework to reconstruct 3D quantitative texture information for polycrystalline samples; it opens the door for unprecedented insights into the nanostructural makeup of natural and technical materials.

This study examines various methods for modelling the electron density and, thus, the electrostatic potential of an organometallic complex for use in crystal structure refinement against 3D electron diffraction (ED) data. It focuses on modelling the scattering factors of iron(III), considering the electron density distribution specific for coordination with organic linkers. We refined the structural model of the metal–organic complex, iron(III) acetyl­acetonate (FeAcAc), using both the independent atom model (IAM) and the transferable aspherical atom model (TAAM). TAAM refinement initially employed multipolar parameters from the MATTS databank for acetyl­acetonate, while iron was modelled with a spherical and neutral approach (TAAM ligand). Later, custom-made TAAM scattering factors for Fe—O coordination were derived from DFT calculations [TAAM-ligand-Fe(III)]. Our findings show that, in this compound, the TAAM scattering factor corresponding to Fe3+ has a lower scattering amplitude than the Fe3+ charged scattering factor described by IAM. When using scattering factors corresponding to the oxidation state of iron, IAM inaccurately represents electrostatic potential maps and overestimates the scattering potential of the iron. In addition, TAAM significantly improved the fitting of the model to the data, shown by improved R1 values, goodness-of-fit (GooF) and reduced noise in the Fourier difference map (based on the residual distribution analysis). For 3D ED, R1 values improved from 19.36% (IAM) to 17.44% (TAAM-ligand) and 17.49% (TAAM-ligand-Fe3+), and for single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) from 3.82 to 2.03% and 1.98%, respectively. For 3D ED, the most significant R1 reductions occurred in the low-resolution region (8.65–2.00 Å), dropping from 20.19% (IAM) to 14.67% and 14.89% for TAAM-ligand and TAAM-ligand-Fe(III), respectively, with less improvement in high-resolution ranges (2.00–0.85 Å). This indicates that the major enhancements are due to better scattering modelling in low-resolution zones. Furthermore, when using TAAM instead of IAM, there was a noticeable improvement in the shape of the thermal ellipsoids, which more closely resembled those of an SCXRD-refined model. This study demonstrates the applicability of more sophisticated scattering factors to improve the refinement of metal–organic complexes against 3D ED data, suggesting the need for more accurate modelling methods and highlighting the potential of TAAM in examining the charge distribution of large molecular structures using 3D ED.

Reaching beyond the commonly used spherical atomic electron density model allows one to greatly improve the accuracy of hydrogen atom structural param­eters derived from X-ray data. However, the effects of atomic asphericity are less explored for electron diffraction data. In this work, Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR), a method that uses an accurate description of electron density by quantum mechanical calculation for a system of interest, was applied for the first time to the kinematical refinement of electron diffraction data. This approach was applied here to derive the structure of ordinary hexagonal ice (Ih). The effect of introducing HAR is much less noticeable than in the case of X-ray refinement and it is largely overshadowed by dynamical scattering effects. It led to only a slight change in the O—H bond lengths (shortening by 0.01 Å) compared with the independent atom model (IAM). The average absolute differences in O—H bond lengths between the kinematical refinements and the reference neutron structure were much larger: 0.044 for IAM and 0.046 Å for HAR. The refinement results changed considerably when dynamical scattering effects were modelled – with extinction correction or with dynamical refinement. The latter led to an improvement of the O—H bond length accuracy to 0.021 Å on average (with IAM refinement). Though there is a potential for deriving more accurate structures using HAR for electron diffraction, modelling of dynamical scattering effects seems to be a necessary step to achieve this. However, at present there is no software to support both HAR and dynamical refinement.

A pressure-induced triclinic-to-monoclinic phase transition has been caught `in the act' over a wider series of high-pressure synchrotron diffraction experiments conducted on a large, photoluminescent organo-gold(I) compound. Here, we describe the mechanism of this single-crystal-to-single-crystal phase transition, the onset of which occurs at ∼0.6 GPa, and we report a high-quality structure of the new monoclinic phase, refined using aspherical atomic scattering factors. Our case illustrates how conducting a fast series of diffraction experiments, enabled by modern equipment at synchrotron facilities, can lead to overestimation of the actual pressure of a phase transition due to slow transformation kinetics.

Biological materials have outstanding properties. With ease, challenging mechanical, optical or electrical properties are realised from comparatively `humble' building blocks. The key strategy to realise these properties is through extensive hierarchical structuring of the material from the millimetre to the nanometre scale in 3D. Though hierarchical structuring in biological materials has long been recognized, the 3D characterization of such structures remains a challenge. To understand the behaviour of materials, multimodal and multi-scale characterization approaches are needed. In this review, we outline current X-ray analysis approaches using the structures of bone and shells as examples. We show how recent advances have aided our understanding of hierarchical structures and their functions, and how these could be exploited for future research directions. We also discuss current roadblocks including radiation damage, data quantity and sample preparation, as well as strategies to address them.

3D electron diffraction (3DED) is increasingly employed to determine molec­ular and crystal structures from micro-crystals. Indomethacin is a well known, marketed, small-molecule non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with eight known polymorphic forms, of which four structures have been elucidated to date. Using 3DED, we determined the structure of a new ninth polymorph, σ, found within an amorphous solid dispersion, a product formulation sometimes used for active pharmaceutical ingredients with poor aqueous solubility. Subsequently, we found that σ indomethacin can be produced from direct solvent evaporation using di­chloro­methane. These results demonstrate the relevance of 3DED within drug development to directly probe product formulations.

Conformational heterogeneity of biological macromolecules is a challenge in single-particle averaging (SPA). Current standard practice is to employ classification and filtering methods that may allow a discrete number of conformational states to be reconstructed. However, the conformation space accessible to these molecules is continuous and, therefore, explored incompletely by a small number of discrete classes. Recently developed heterogeneous reconstruction algorithms (HRAs) to analyse continuous heterogeneity rely on machine-learning methods that employ low-dimensional latent space representations. The non-linear nature of many of these methods poses a challenge to their validation and interpretation and to identifying functionally relevant conformational trajectories. These methods would benefit from in-depth benchmarking using high-quality synthetic data and concomitant ground truth information. We present a framework for the simulation and subsequent analysis with respect to the ground truth of cryo-EM micrographs containing particles whose conformational heterogeneity is sourced from molecular dynamics simulations. These synthetic data can be processed as if they were experimental data, allowing aspects of standard SPA workflows as well as heterogeneous reconstruction methods to be compared with known ground truth using available utilities. The simulation and analysis of several such datasets are demonstrated and an initial investigation into HRAs is presented.

OaPAC is a recently discovered blue-light-using flavin adenosine dinucleotide (BLUF) photoactivated adenylate cyclase from the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria acuminata that uses adenosine triphosphate and translates the light signal into the production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Here, we report crystal structures of the enzyme in the absence of its natural substrate determined from room-temperature serial crystallography data collected at both an X-ray free-electron laser and a synchrotron, and we compare these structures with cryo-macromolecular crystallography structures obtained at a synchrotron by us and others. These results reveal slight differences in the structure of the enzyme due to data collection at different temperatures and X-ray sources. We further investigate the effect of the Y6W mutation in the BLUF domain, a mutation which results in a rearrangement of the hydrogen-bond network around the flavin and a notable rotation of the side chain of the critical Gln48 residue. These studies pave the way for picosecond–millisecond time-resolved serial crystallography experiments at X-ray free-electron lasers and synchrotrons in order to determine the early structural intermediates and correlate them with the well studied pico­second–millisecond spectroscopic intermediates.

The interaction of intense synchrotron radiation with molecular crystals frequently modifies the crystal structure by breaking bonds, producing fragments and, hence, inducing disorder. Here, a second-rank tensor of radiation-induced lattice strain is proposed to characterize the structural susceptibility to radiation. Quantitative estimates are derived using a linear response approximation from experimental data collected on three materials Hg(NO3)2(PPh3)2, Hg(CN)2(PPh3)2 and BiPh3 [PPh3 = triphenylphosphine, P(C6H5)3; Ph = phenyl, C6H5], and are compared with the corresponding thermal expansivities. The associated eigenvalues and eigenvectors show that the two tensors are not the same and therefore probe truly different structural responses. The tensor of radiative expansion serves as a measure of the susceptibility of crystal structures to radiation damage.

The molecule of anti-epileptic drug lamotrigine [LAM; 3,5-diamino-6-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-1,2,4-triazine] is capable of the formation of multicomponent solids. Such an enhanced tendency is related to the diverse functionalities of the LAM chemical groups able to form hydrogen bonds. Two robust synthons are recognized in the supramolecular structure of LAM itself formed via N—H⋯N hydrogen bond: homosynthon, so-called aminopyridine dimer or synthon 1 [R22(8)] and larger homosynthon 2 [R32(8)]. The synthetic procedures for a new hydrate and 11 solvates of LAM (in the series: with acetone, ethanol: two polymorphs: form I and form II, 2-propanol, n-butanol, tert-butanol, n-pentanol, benzonitrile, acetonitrile, DMSO and dioxane) were performed. The comparative solid state structural analysis of a new hydrate and 11 solvates of LAM has been undertaken in order to establish robustness of the supramolecular synthons 1 and 2 found in the crystal structure of LAM itself as well as LAM susceptibility to build methodical solid state supramolecular architecture in the given competitive surrounding of potential hydrogen bonds. The aminopyridine dimer homosynthon 1 [R22(8)] has been switched from para-para (P-P) topology to ortho-ortho (O-O) topology in all crystal structures, except in LAM:n-pentanol:water solvate where it remains P-P. Homosynthon 2 [R32(8)] of the LAM crystal structure imitates in the LAM solvates as a heterosynthon by replacing the triazine nitrogen proton acceptor atoms of LAM with the proton acceptors of solvates molecules.

In the course of an investigation of the supramolecular behaviour of copper(II) complexes with the 5-phenyl­imidazole/perchlorate ligand system (`blend') remarkable solvatomorphism has been observed. By employing a variety of crystallization solvents (polar protic, polar/non-polar aprotic), a series of 12 crystalline solvatomorphs with the general formula [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4]·x(solvent) have been obtained [LH = 5-phenyl­imidazole, x(solvent) = 3.3(H2O) (1), 2(methanol) (2), 2(ethanol) (3), 2(1-propanol) (4), 2(2-propanol) (5), 2(2-butanol) (6), 2(di­methyl­formamide) (7), 2(acetone) (8), 2(tetra­hydro­furane) (9), 2(1,4-dioxane) (10), 2(ethyl acetate) (11) and 1(di­ethyl ether) (12)]. The structures have been solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and the complexes were characterized by thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The solvatomorphs are isostructural (triclinic, P1), with the exception of compound 9 (monoclinic, P21/n). The supramolecular structures and the role of the various solvents is discussed. All potential hydrogen-bond functionalities, both of the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] units and of the solvents, are utilized in the course of the crystallization process. The supramolecular assembly in all structures is directed by strong recurring Nimidazole–H⋯Operchlorate motifs leading to robust scaffolds composed of the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] host complexes. The solvents are located in channels and, with the exception of the disordered waters in 1 and the di­ethyl ether in 12, participate in hydrogen-bonding formation with the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] complexes, serving as both hydrogen-bond acceptors and donors (for the polar protic solvents in 2–6), or solely as hydrogen-bond acceptors (for the polar/non-polar aprotic solvents in 7–11), linking the complexes and contributing to the stability of the crystalline compounds.

A polycrystalline sample LuCrO3 has been characterized by neutron powder diffraction (NPD) and magnetization measurements. Its crystal structure has been Rietveld refined from NPD data in space group Pnma; this perovskite contains strongly tilted CrO6 octahedra with extremely bent Cr—O—Cr superexchange angles of ∼142°. The NPD data show that below Néel temperature (TN ≃ 131 K), the magnetic structure can be defined as an A-type antiferromagnetic arrangement of Cr3+ magnetic moments, aligned along the b axis, with a canting along the c axis. A noticeable magneto­strictive effect is observed in the unit-cell parameters and volume upon cooling down across TN. The AC magnetic susceptibility indicates the onset of magnetic ordering below 112.6 K; the magnetization isotherms below TN show a nonlinear behaviour that is associated with the described canting of the Cr3+ magnetic moments. From the Curie–Weiss law, the effective moment of the Cr3+ sublattice is found to be μeff = 3.55 μB (calculated 3.7 μB) while the ΘCW parameter yields a value of −155 K, indicating antiferromagnetic interactions. There is a conspicuous increase of TN upon the application of external pressure, which must be due to shortening of the Cr—O bond length under compression that increases the orbital overlap integral.

Synthesis experiments were conducted in the quaternary system K2O–Na2O–CaO–SiO2, resulting in the formation of a previously unknown compound with the composition K0.72Na1.71Ca5.79Si6O19. Single crystals of sufficient size and quality were recovered from a starting mixture with a K2O:Na2O:CaO:SiO2 molar ratio of 1.5:0.5:2:3. The mixture was confined in a closed platinum tube and slowly cooled from 1150°C at a rate of 0.1°C min−1 to 700°C before being finally quenched in air. The structure has tetragonal symmetry and belongs to space group P4122 (No. 91), with a = 7.3659 (2), c = 32.2318 (18) Å, V = 1748.78 (12) Å3, and Z = 4. The silicate anion consists of highly puckered, unbranched six-membered oligomers with the composition [Si6O19] and point group symmetry 2 (C2). Although several thousands of natural and synthetic oxosilicates have been structurally characterized, this compound is the first representative of a catena-hexasilicate anion, to the best of our knowledge. Structural investigations were completed using Raman spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data was interpreted and the bands were assigned to certain vibrational species with the support of density functional theory at the HSEsol level of theory. To determine the stability properties of the novel oligosilicate compared to those of the chemically and structurally similar cyclo­silicate combeite, we calculated the electronegativity of the respective structures using the electronegativity equalization method. The results showed that the molecular electronegativity of the cyclo­silicate was significantly higher than that of the oligostructure due to the different connectivities of the oxygen atoms within the molecular units.

The embedded call to a special version of the web-based Bilbao Crystallographic Server tool k-SUBGROUPSMAG from within GSAS-II to form a list of all possible commensurate magnetic subgroups of a parent magnetic grey group is described. It facilitates the selection and refinement of the best commensurate magnetic structure model by having all the analysis tools including Rietveld refinement in one place as part of GSAS-II. It also provides the chosen magnetic space group as one of the 1421 possible standard Belov–Neronova–Smirnova forms or equivalent non-standard versions.

Onchocerca volvulus causes blindness, onchocerciasis, skin infections and devastating neurological diseases such as nodding syndrome. New treatments are needed because the currently used drug, ivermectin, is contraindicated in pregnant women and those co-infected with Loa loa. The Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Disease (SSGCID) produced, crystallized and determined the apo structure of N-terminally hexahistidine-tagged O. volvulus macrophage migration inhibitory factor-1 (His-OvMIF-1). OvMIF-1 is a possible drug target. His-OvMIF-1 has a unique jellyfish-like structure with a prototypical macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) trimer as the `head' and a unique C-terminal `tail'. Deleting the N-terminal tag reveals an OvMIF-1 structure with a larger cavity than that observed in human MIF that can be targeted for drug repurposing and discovery. Removal of the tag will be necessary to determine the actual biological oligomer of OvMIF-1 because size-exclusion chomatographic analysis of His-OvMIF-1 suggests a monomer, while PISA analysis suggests a hexamer stabilized by the unique C-terminal tails.

We report the synthesis and structures of two transition-metal complexes involving 2-(2-hy­droxy­phen­yl)benzimidazole (2hpbi – a ligand of inter­est for its photoluminescent applications), with cobalt, namely, bis­[μ-2-(1H-1,3-benzo­diazol-2-yl)phenolato]bis­[ethanol(thio­cyanato)­cobalt(II)], [Co2(C13H9N2O)2(NCS)2(C2H6O)2], (1), and manganese, namely, bis­[μ-2-(1H-1,3-benzo­diazol-2-yl)phenolato]bis­{[2-(1H-1,3-benzo­diazol-2-yl)phenolato](thio­cyanato)­mang­an­ese(III)} dihydrate, [Mn2(C13H9N2O)4(NCS)2]·2H2O, (2). These structures are two recent examples of a fruitful collaboration between researchers at the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination Organique/Organic Coordination Chemistry Laboratory (LCCO), University of Dakar, Senegal and the National Crystallography Service (NCS), School of Chemistry, University Southampton, UK. This productive partnership was forged through meeting at Pan-African Conferences on Crystallography and quickly grew as the plans for the AfCA (African Crystallographic Association) developed. This article therefore also showcases this productive partnership, in celebration of the IUCr's 75 year anniversary and the recent inclusion of AfCA as a Regional Associate of the IUCr.

Reaction of FeCl2·4H2O with KSCN and 3-cyano­pyridine (pyridine-3-carbo­nitrile) in ethanol accidentally leads to the formation of single crystals of Fe(NCS)(Cl)(3-cyano­pyridine)4 or [FeCl(NCS)(C6H4N2)4]. The asymmetric unit of this compound consists of one FeII cation, one chloride and one thio­cyanate anion that are located on a fourfold rotation axis as well as of one 3-cyano­pyridine coligand in a general position. The FeII cations are sixfold coordinated by one chloride anion and one terminally N-bonding thio­cyanate anion in trans-positions and four 3-cyano­pyridine coligands that coordinate via the pyridine N atom to the FeII cations. The complexes are arranged in columns with the chloride anions, with the thio­cyanate anions always oriented in the same direction, which shows the non-centrosymmetry of this structure. No pronounced inter­molecular inter­actions are observed between the complexes. Initially, FeCl2 and KSCN were reacted in a 1:2 ratio, which lead to a sample that contains the title compound as the major phase together with a small amount of an unknown crystalline phase, as proven by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). If FeCl2 and KSCN is reacted in a 1:1 ratio, the title compound is obtained as a nearly pure phase. IR investigations reveal that the CN stretching vibration for the thio­cyanate anion is observed at 2074 cm−1, and that of the cyano group at 2238 cm−1, which also proves that the anionic ligands are only terminally bonded and that the cyano group is not involved in the metal coordination. Measurements with thermogravimetry and differential thermoanalysis reveal that the title compound decomposes at 169°C when heated at a rate of 4°C min−1 and that the 3-cyano­pyridine ligands are emitted in two separate poorly resolved steps. After the first step, an inter­mediate compound with the composition Fe(NCS)(Cl)(3-cyano­pyridine)2 of unknown structure is formed, for which the CN stretching vibration of the thio­cyanate anion is observed at 2025 cm−1, whereas the CN stretching vibration of the cyano group remain constant. This strongly indicates that the FeII cations are linked by μ-1,3-bridg­ing thio­cyanate anions into chains or layers.

The reaction between the (R,S)-fixolide 4-methyl­thio­semicarbazone and PdII chloride yielded the title compound, [Pd(C20H30N3S)2]·C2H6O {common name: trans-bis­[(R,S)-fixolide 4-methyl­thio­semicarbazonato-κ2N2S]palladium(II) ethanol monosolvate}. The asymmetric unit of the title compound consists of one bis-thio­semicarbazonato PdII complex and one ethanol solvent mol­ecule. The thio­semicarbazononato ligands act as metal chelators with a trans configuration in a distorted square-planar geometry. A C—H⋯S intra­molecular inter­action, with graph-set motif S(6), is observed and the coordination sphere resembles a hydrogen-bonded macrocyclic environment. Additionally, one C—H⋯Pd anagostic inter­action can be suggested. Each ligand is disordered over the aliphatic ring, which adopts a half-chair conformation, and two methyl groups [s.o.f. = 0.624 (2):0.376 (2)]. The disorder includes the chiral carbon atoms and, remarkably, one ligand has the (R)-isomer with the highest s.o.f. value atoms, while the other one shows the opposite, the atoms with the highest s.o.f. value are associated with the (S)-isomer. The N—N—C(=S)—N fragments of the ligands are approximately planar, with the maximum deviations from the mean plane through the selected atoms being 0.0567 (1) and −0.0307 (8) Å (r.m.s.d. = 0.0403 and 0.0269 Å) and the dihedral angle with the respective aromatic rings amount to 46.68 (5) and 50.66 (4)°. In the crystal, the complexes are linked via pairs of N—H⋯S inter­actions, with graph-set motif R22(8), into centrosymmetric dimers. The dimers are further connected by centrosymmetric pairs of ethanol mol­ecules, building mono-periodic hydrogen-bonded ribbons along [011]. The Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the major contributions for the crystal cohesion are [atoms with highest/lowest s.o.f.s considered separately]: H⋯H (81.6/82.0%), H⋯C/C⋯H (6.5/6.4%), H⋯N/N⋯H (5.2/5.0%) and H⋯S/S⋯H (5.0/4.9%).

The title complex, [ZnCl(C12H15N3O2)2][ZnCl3(CH3CN)], was synthesized and its structure was fully characterized through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The complex crystallizes in the ortho­rhom­bic system, space group Pbca (61), with a central zinc atom coordinating one chlorine atom and two pyrrolidinyl-4-meth­oxy­phenyl azoformamide ligands in a bidentate manner, utilizing both the nitro­gen and oxygen atoms in a 1,3-heterodiene (N=N—C=O) motif for coordinative bonding, yielding an overall positively (+1) charged complex. The complex is accompanied by a [(CH3CN)ZnCl3]− counter-ion. The crystal data show that the harder oxygen atoms in the heterodiene zinc chelate form bonding inter­actions with distances of 2.002 (3) and 2.012 (3) Å, while nitro­gen atoms are coordinated by the central zinc cation with bond lengths of 2.207 (3) and 2.211 (3) Å. To gain further insight into the inter­molecular inter­actions within the crystal, Hirshfeld surface analysis was performed, along with the calculation of two-dimensional fingerprint plots. This analysis revealed that H⋯H (39.9%), Cl⋯H/H⋯Cl (28.2%) and C⋯H/H⋯C (7.2%) inter­actions are dominant. This unique crystal structure sheds light on arrangement and bonding inter­actions with azo­formamide ligands, and their unique qualities over similar semicarbazone and azo­thio­formamide structures.

In the structure of the title compound, C19H19N3O5S·C4H8O2, the two independent dioxane mol­ecules each display inversion symmetry. The pyrazole ring is approximately parallel to the aromatic ring of the oxy-ethanone group and approximately perpendicular to the tolyl ring of the sulfonyl substituent. An extensive system of classical and `weak' hydrogen bonds connects the residues to form a layer structure parallel to (201), within which dimeric subunits are conspicuous; neighbouring layers are connected by classical hydrogen bonds to dioxanes and by `weak' hydrogen bonds from Htol­yl donors.

The title compound, [Cu(HL)2(H2O)2] or [Cu(C4H4N3O2)2(H2O)2], is a mononuclear octa­hedral CuII complex based on 5-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carb­oxy­lic acid (H2L). [Cu(HL)2(H2O)2] was synthesized by reaction of H2L with copper(II) nitrate hexa­hydrate (2:1 stoichiometric ratio) in water under ambient conditions to produce clear light-blue crystals. The central Cu atom exhibits an N2O4 coordination environment in an elongated octa­hedral geometry provided by two bidentate HL− anions in the equatorial plane and two water mol­ecules in the axial positions. Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed that the most important contributions to the surface contacts are from H⋯O/O⋯H (33.1%), H⋯H (29.5%) and H⋯N/N⋯H (19.3%) inter­actions.

The title compound, [Co(NCS)2(C6H7NO)]n or Co(NCS)2(2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide), was prepared by the reaction of Co(NCS)2 and 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide in methanol. All crystals obtained by this procedure show reticular pseudo-merohedric twinning, but after recrystallization, one crystal was found that had a minor component with only a very few overlapping reflections. The asymmetric unit consists of one CoII cation, two thio­cyanate anions and one 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligand in general positions. The CoII cations are octa­hedrally coordinated by two O-bonding 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide ligands, as well as two S- and two N-bonding thio­cyanate anions, and are connected via μ-1,3(N,S)-bridging thio­cyanate anions into chains that are linked by μ-1,1(O,O) bridging coligands into layers. No pronounced directional inter­molecular inter­actions are observed between the layers. The 2-methyl­pyridine coligand is disordered over two orientations and was refined using a split model with restraints. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) indicates that a pure sample was obtained and IR spectroscopy confirms that bridging thio­cyanate anions are present. Thermogravimetry and differential thermoanalysis (TG-DTA) shows one poorly resolved mass loss in the TG curve that is accompanied by an exothermic and an endothermic signal in the DTA curve, which indicate the decomposition of the 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands.

In the title compound, C25H25NO7S, the mol­ecular conformation is stabilized by intra­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, which form S(6) and S(8) ring motifs, respectively. The mol­ecules are bent at the S atom with a C—SO2—NH—C torsion angle of −70.86 (11)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming mol­ecular layers parallel to the (100) plane. C—H⋯π inter­actions are observed between these layers.

The reaction of the Schiff base 2-[1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl­idene­amino]­ethanol (HL), which is formed by reaction of 2-amino­ethanol and 2-acetyl­pyridine with CuBr2 in ethanol results in the isolation of the new polymeric complex poly[hexa-μ-bromido-bis­{2-[1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl­idene­amino]­ethano­lato}tetra­copper(II)], [Cu4Br6(C9H11N2O)2]n or [Cu4Br6L2]n. The asymmetric unit of the crystal structure of the polymeric [Cu4Br6L2]n complex is composed by four copper (II) cations, two monodeprotonated mol­ecules of the ligand, and six bromide anions, which act as bridges. The ligand mol­ecules act in a tridentate fashion through their azomethine nitro­gen atoms, their pyridine nitro­gen atoms, and their alcoholate O atoms. The crystal structure shows two types of geometries in the coordination polyhedrons around Cu2+ ions. Two copper cations are situated in a square-based pyramidal environment, while the two other copper cations adopt a tetra­hedral geometry. Bromides anions acting as bridges between two metal ions connect the units, resulting in a tetra­nuclear polymer compound.

The title compound, C10H11N5O2S2, consists of an unexpected tautomer with a protonated nitro­gen atom in the triazine ring and a formal exocyclic double bond C=N to the sulfonamide moiety. The ring angles at the unsubstituted nitro­gen atoms are narrow, at 115.57 (12) and 115.19 (12)°, respectively, whereas the angle at the carbon atom between these N atoms is very wide, 127.97 (13)°. The inter­planar angle between the two rings is 79.56 (5)°. The mol­ecules are linked by three classical hydrogen bonds, forming a ribbon structure. There are also unusual linkages involving three short contacts (< 3 Å) from a sulfonamide oxygen atom to the C—NH—C part of a triazine ring.

The title complex, [Au(NCO)(C27H36N2)], was synthesized by ligand metathesis from [1,3-bis­(2,6-diiso­propyl­phen­yl)imidazol-2-yl­idene]gold(I) chloride and sodium cyanate in anhydrous tetra­hydro­furan and crystallized from toluene at 233 K in the ortho­rhom­bic space group P212121, as a neutral complex with the central Au atom di-coordinated by an N-heterocyclic carbene [Au—C = 1.963 (2) Å] and an iso­cyanate [Au—N 1.999 (2) Å] ligands, with a linear CAuNCO moiety. The crystal packing is consolidated by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The reaction of Co(NCS)2 with 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide (C6H7NO) leads to the formation of two compounds, namely, tetra­kis­(4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide-κO)bis­(thio­cyanato-κN)cobalt(II), [Co(NCS)2(C6H7NO)4] (1), and tris­(4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide-κO)bis­(thio­cyanato-κN)cobalt(II), [Co(NCS)2(C6H7NO)3] (2). The asymmetric unit of 1 consists of one CoII cation located on a centre of inversion, as well as one thio­cyanate anion and two 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands in general positions. The CoII cations are octa­hedrally coordinated by two terminal N-bonding thio­cyanate anions in trans positions and four 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide ligands. In the extended structure, these complexes are linked by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯S inter­actions. In compound 2, two crystallographically independent complexes are present, which occupy general positions. In each of these complexes, the CoII cations are coordinated in a trigonal–bipyramidal manner by two terminal N-bonding thio­cyanate anions in axial positions and by three 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide ligands in equatorial positions. In the crystal, these complex mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯S inter­actions. For compound 2, a nonmerohedral twin refinement was performed. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) reveals that 2 was nearly obtained as a pure phase, which is not possible for compound 1. Differential thermoanalysis and thermogravimetry data (DTA–TG) show that compound 2 start to decompose at about 518 K.

In the title salt, poly[aqua­[μ4-bis­(malonato)borato]sodium], {[Na(C6H4BO8)]·H2O}n or Na+·[B(C3H2O4)2]−·H2O, the sodium cation exhibits fivefold coordination by four carbonyl O atoms of the bis­(malonato)borate anions and a water O atom. The tetra­hedral B atom at the centre of the anion leads to the formation of a polymeric three-dimensional framework, which is consolidated by C—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most significant contacts in the crystal packing are H⋯O/O⋯H (49.7%), Na⋯O/O⋯Na (16.1%), O⋯O (12.6%), H⋯H (10.7%) and C⋯O/O⋯C (7.3%).

The title compound, (C4H12N)[V(C12H8N4O2)O2]·H2O, was synthesized via aerial oxidation on refluxing picolinohydrazide with ethyl picolinate followed by addition of VIVO(acac)2 and di­ethyl­amine in methanol. It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system in space group Poverline{1}. In the complex anion, the dioxidovanadium(V) moiety exhibits a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. In the crystal, extensive hydrogen bonding links the water mol­ecule to two complex anions and one di­ethyl­ammonium ion. One of the CH2 groups in the di­ethyl­amine is disordered over two sets of sites in a 0.7:0.3 ratio.

The crystal structure of the tetra­ethyl­ammonium salt of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug nimesulide (polymorph II) (systematic name: tetra­ethyl­ammonium N-methane­sulfonyl-4-nitro-2-phen­oxy­anilinide), C8H20N+·C13H11N2O5S−, was determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with one tetra­ethyl­ammonium cation and one nimesulide anion in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal, the ions are linked by C—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯π inter­actions. There are differences in the geometry of both the nimesulide anion and the tetra­ethyl­ammonium cation in polymorphs I [Rybczyńska & Sikorski (2023). Sci. Rep. 13, 17268] and II of the title compound.

The crystal structure of the sodium salt of mesotrione, namely, catena-poly[[sodium-μ3-2-[(4-methane­sulfonyl-2-nitro­phen­yl)carbon­yl]-3-oxo­cyclo­hex-1-en-1-olato] ethanol monosolvate], {[Na(C14H12NO7S)]C2H5OH}n, is described. The X-ray structural analysis results reveal that the coordination sphere is established by two chelating O atoms, the O atom of the coordinated ethanol mol­ecule, and an O atom from the methyl­sulfonyl group of a neighboring mol­ecule. Simultaneously, an O atom of the cyclo­hexane fragment serves as a bridge to a neighboring sodium ion, forming a flat Na–O–Na–O quadrangle, thereby forming a mono-periodic polymer. The structure displays O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯O short contacts. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data indicate that the sodium salt of mesotrione decomposes in four stages.

The neutral organosilicon(IV) complex, (C6F5)2Si(OPO)2 (OPO = 1-oxopyridin-2-one, C5H4NO2), was synthesized from (C6F5)2Si(OCH3)2 and 2 equiv. of 1-hy­droxy­pyridin-2-one in tetra­hydro­furan (THF). Single crystals grown from the diffusion of n-pentane into a THF solution were identified as a THF hemisolvate and an n-pentane hemisolvate, (C6F5)2Si(OPO)2·0.5THF·0.5C5H12 (1). p-Tol­yl2Si(OPO)2 (2) and mesit­yl2Si(OPO)2 (3) crystallized directly from reaction mixtures of 2 equiv. of Me3Si(OPO) with p-tol­yl2SiCl2 and mesit­yl2SiCl2, respectively, in aceto­nitrile. The oxygen-bonded carbon and nitro­gen atoms of the OPO ligands in 1, 2, and 3 were modeled as disordered indicating co-crystallization of up to three possible diastereomers in each. Solution NMR studies support the presence of exclusively the all-cis isomer in 1 and multiple isomers in 2. Poor solubility of 3 limited its characterization in solution.

Metal complexes of 3,5-diiso­propyl­salicylate are reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-convulsant activities. The title binuclear copper complex, [Cu2(C13H17O3)4(C2H6OS)2] or [Cu(II)2(3,5-DIPS)4(DMSO)2], contains two five-coordinate copper atoms that are bridged by four 3,5-diiso­propyl­salicylate ligands and capped by two axial dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) moieties. Each copper atom is attached to four oxygen atoms in an almost square-planar fashion, with the addition of a DMSO ligand in an apical position leading to a square-pyramidal arrangement. The hy­droxy group of the diiso­propyl­salicylate ligands participates in intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions.

The complex, tri­chlorido­(1,4,11-tri­aza-8-azonia­tetra­cyclo­[6.6.2.04,16.011,15]hexa­decane 1-oxide-κO)zinc(II) monohydrate, [ZnCl3(C12H23N4O)]·H2O, (I), has monoclinic symmetry (space group P21/n) at 120 K. The zinc(II) center adopts a slightly distorted tetra­hedral coordination geometry and is coordinated by three chlorine atoms and the oxygen atom of the oxidized tertiary amine of the tetra­cycle. The amine nitro­gen atom, inside the ligand cleft, is protonated and forms a hydrogen bond to the oxygen of the amine oxide. Additional hydrogen-bonding inter­actions involve the protonated amine, the water solvate oxygen atom, and one of the chloro ligands.

A lutetium(III) complex based on the anion of the ligand dimethyl (2,2,2-tri­chloro­acet­yl)phospho­ramidate (HL) and tetra­phenylphosphonium, of composition PPh4[LuL4] (L = CAPh = carbacyl­amido­phosphate), or (C24H20)[Lu(C4H6Cl3NO4P)4], has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The X-ray diffraction study of the compound revealed that the lutetium ion is surrounded by four bis-chelating CAPh ligands, forming the complex anion [LuL4]− with a coordination number of 8[O] for LuIII, while PPh4+ serves as a counter-ion. The coordination geometry around the Lu3+ ion was determined to be a nearly perfect triangular dodeca­hedron. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, space group P21/c, with four mol­ecules in the unit cell. Weak hydrogen bonds O⋯HC(Ph), Cl⋯HC(Ph) and N⋯HC(Ph) are formed between the cations and anions. For a comparative study, HL-based structures were retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and their geometries and conformations are discussed. A Hirshfeld surface analysis was also performed.

The title compound, [Mo3(C9H18NS2)3(S2)3S]2S, crystallizes on a general position in the monoclinic space group P21/n (No. 14). The cationic [Mo3S7(S2CNiBu2)3]+ fragments are joined by a mono­sulfide dianion that forms close S⋯S contacts to each of the di­sulfide ligands on the side of the Mo3 plane opposite the μ32− ligand. The two Mo3 planes are inclined at an angle of 40.637 (15)°, which gives the assembly an open clamshell-like appearance. One μ6-S2−⋯S22− contact, at 2.4849 (14) Å, is appreciably shorter than the remaining five, which are in the range 2.7252 (13)–2.8077 (14) Å.

Reaction of Co(NCS)2 with 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide in a 1:3 ratio in n-butanol leads to the formation of crystals of tris­(2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide-κO)bis­(thio­cyanato-κN)cobalt(II), [Co(NCS)2(C6H7NO)3]. The asymmetric unit of the title compound consists of one CoII cation two thio­cyanate anions and three crystallographically independent 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands in general positions. The CoII cations are trigonal–bipyramidally coordinated by two terminal N-bonding thio­cyanate anions in the trans-positions and three 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands into discrete complexes. These complexes are linked by inter­molecular C–H⋯S inter­actions into double chains that elongate in the c-axis direction. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurements prove that all batches are always contaminated with an additional and unknown crystalline phase. Thermogravimetry and differential analysis of crystals selected by hand reveal that the title compound decomposes at about 229°C in an exothermic reaction. At about 113°C a small endothermic signal is observed that, according to differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements, is irreversible. PXRD measurements of the residue prove that a poorly crystalline and unknown phase has formed and thermomicroscopy indicates that some phase transition occurs that is accompanied with a color change of the title compound.

Reaction of Co(NCS)2 with 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide in methanol leads to the formation of crystals of the title compound, [Co2(NCS)4(C6H7NO)4(CH4O)2] or Co2(NCS)4(4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide)4(methanol)2. The asymmetric unit consist of one CoII cation, two thio­cyanate anions, two 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands and one methanol mol­ecule in general positions. The H atoms of one of the methyl groups are disordered and were refined using a split model. The CoII cations octa­hedrally coordinate two terminal N-bonded thio­cyanate anions, three 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands and one methanol mol­ecule. Each two CoII cations are linked by pairs of μ-1,1(O,O)-bridging 4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands into dinuclear units that are located on centers of inversion. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) investigations prove that the title compound is contaminated with a small amount of Co(NCS)2(4-meth­yl­pyridine N-oxide)3. Thermogravimetric investigations reveal that the methanol mol­ecules are removed in the beginning, leading to a compound with the composition Co(NCS)2(4-methyl­pyridine N-oxide), which has been reported in the literature and which is of poor crystallinity.

The complex [Pt(C9H6NO)Cl(C2H4)], (I), was synthesized and structurally characterized by ESI mass spectrometry, IR, NMR spectroscopy, DFT calculations and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the deprotonated 8-hy­droxy­quinoline (C9H6NO) coordinates with the PtII atom via the N and O atoms while the ethyl­ene coordinates in the η2 manner and in the trans position compared to the coordinating N atom. The crystal packing is characterized by C—H⋯O, C—H⋯π, Cl⋯π and Pt⋯π inter­actions. Complex (I) showed high selective activity against Lu-1 and Hep-G2 cell lines with IC50 values of 0.8 and 0.4 µM, respectively, 54 and 33-fold more active than cisplatin. In particular, complex (I) is about 10 times less toxic to normal cells (HEK-293) than cancer cells Lu-1 and Hep-G2. Furthermore, the reaction of complex (I) with guanine at the N7 position was proposed and investigated using the DFT method. The results indicated that replacement of the ethyl­ene ligand with guanine is thermodynamically more favorable than the Cl ligand and that the reaction occurs via two consecutive steps, namely the replacement of ethyl­ene with H2O and the water with the guanine mol­ecule.

Title compound 1Ni, [Ni(C46H32N4O2)], a secochlorin nickel complex, was prepared by diol cleavage of a precursor trans-di­hydroxy­dimethyl­chlorin. Two crystallographically independent mol­ecules in the structure are related by pseudo-A lattice centering, with mol­ecules differing mainly by a rotation of one of the acetyls and an adjacent phenyl groups. The two mol­ecules have virtually identical conformations characterized by noticeable in-plane deformation in the A1g mode and a prominent out-of-plane deformation in the B1u (ruffling) mode. Directional inter­actions between mol­ecules are scarce, limited to just a few C—H⋯O contacts, and inter­molecular inter­actions are mostly dispersive in nature.

The title compound, [Co(NCS)2(C6H7N)4] or Co(NCS)2(4-methyl­pyridine)4, was prepared by the reaction of Co(NCS)2 with 4-methyl­pyridine in water and is isotypic to one of the polymorphs of Ni(NCS)2(4-methyl­pyridine)4 [Kerr & Williams (1977). Acta Cryst. B33, 3589–3592 and Soldatov et al. (2004). Cryst. Growth Des. 4, 1185–1194]. Comparison of the experimental X-ray powder pattern with that calculated from the single-crystal data proves that a pure phase has been obtained. The asymmetric unit consists of one CoII cation, two crystallographically independent thio­cyanate anions and four independent 4-meth­yl­pyridine ligands, all located in general positions. The CoII cations are sixfold coordinated to two terminally N-bonded thio­cyanate anions and four 4-methyl­pyridine coligands within slightly distorted octa­hedra. Between the complexes, a number of weak C—H⋯N and C—H⋯S contacts are found. This structure represent a polymorphic modification of Co(NCS)2(4-methyl­pyridine)4 already reported in the CCD [Harris et al. (2003). NASA Technical Reports, 211890]. In contrast to this form, the crystal structure of the new polymorph shows a denser packing, indicating that it is thermodynamically stable at least at low temperatures. Thermogravimetric and differential thermoanalysis reveal that the title compound starts to decomposes at about 100°C and that the coligands are removed in separate steps without any sign of a polymorphic transition before decomposition.

The reaction of CoBr2, KNCSe and 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide (C6H7NO) in ethanol leads to the formation of crystals of [Co(NCSe)2(C6H7NO)3] (1) and [Co(NCSe)2(C6H7NO)4] (2) from the same reaction mixture. The asymmetric unit of 1 is built up of one CoII cation, two NCSe− iso­seleno­cyanate anions and three 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands, with all atoms located on general positions. The asymmetric unit of 2 consists of two cobalt cations, four iso­seleno­canate anions and eight 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands in general positions, because two crystallographically independent complexes are present. In compound 1, the CoII cations are fivefold coordinated to two terminally N-bonded anionic ligands and three 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands within a slightly distorted trigonal–bipyramidal coordination, forming discrete complexes with the O atoms occupying the equatorial sites. In compound 2, each of the two complexes is coordinated to two terminally N-bonded iso­seleno­cyanate anions and four 2-methyl­pyridine N-oxide coligands within a slightly distorted cis-CoN2O4 octa­hedral coordination geometry. In the crystal structures of 1 and 2, the complexes are linked by weak C—H⋯Se and C—H⋯O contacts. Powder X-ray diffraction reveals that neither of the two compounds were obtained as a pure crystalline phase.

The synthesis, crystal structure, and a Hirshfeld surface analysis of tris­{N,N-diethyl-N'-[(4-nitro­phen­yl)(oxo)meth­yl]carbamimido­thio­ato}cobalt(III) conducted at 180 K are presented. The complex consists of three N,N-diethyl-N'-[(4-nitro­benzene)(oxo)meth­yl]carbamimido­thio­ato ligands, threefold sym­metric­ally bonded about the CoIII ion, in approximately octa­hedral coordination, which generates a triple of individually near planar metallacyclic (Co—S—C—N—C—O) rings. The overall geometry of the complex is determined by the mutual orientation of each metallacycle about the crystallographically imposed threefold axis [dihedral angles = 81.70 (2)°] and by the dihedral angles between the various planar groups within each asymmetric unit [metallacycle to benzene ring = 13.83 (7)°; benzene ring to nitro group = 17.494 (8)°]. The complexes stack in anti-parallel columns about the overline{3} axis of the space group (Poverline{3}), generating solvent-accessible channels along [001]. These channels contain ill-defined, multiply disordered, partial-occupancy solvent. Atom–atom contacts in the crystal packing predominantly (∼96%) involve hydrogen, the most abundant types being H⋯H (36.6%), H⋯O (31.0%), H⋯C (19.2%), H⋯N (4.8%), and H⋯S (4.4%).

The title compound, [Re(C17H22N3O2S)(CO)3] is a net neutral fac-Re(I)(CO)3 complex of the 4-methyl­biphenyl sulfonamide derivatized di­ethyl­enetri­amine ligand. The NNN-donor monoanionic ligand coordinates with the Re core in tridentate fashion, establishing an inner coordination sphere resulting in a net neutral complex. The complex possesses pseudo-octa­hedral geometry where one face of the octa­hedron is occupied by three carbonyl ligands and the other faces are occupied by one sp2 nitro­gen atom of the sulfonamide group and two sp3 nitro­gen atoms of the dien backbone. The Re—Nsp2 bond distance, 2.173 (4) Å, is shorter than the Re—Nsp3 bond distances, 2.217 (5) and 2.228 (6) Å, and is similar to the range reported for typical Re—Nsp2 bond lengths (2.14 to 2.18 Å).

The title compound, [Ni(NCS)2(C6H7N)2]n, was prepared by the reaction of Ni(NCS)2 with 4-methyl­pyridine in water. Its asymmetric unit consists of two crystallographically independent NiII cations, of which one is located on a twofold rotational axis whereas the second occupies a center of inversion, two independent thio­cyanate anions and two independent 4-methyl­pyridine co­ligands in general positions. Each NiII cation is octa­hedrally coordinated by two 4-methyl­pyridine coligands as well as two N- and two S-bonded thio­cyanate anions. One of the cations shows an all-trans, the other a cis–cis–trans configuration. The metal centers are linked by pairs of μ-1,3-bridging thio­cyanate anions into [101] chains. X-ray powder diffraction shows that a pure crystalline phase has been obtained and thermogravimetry coupled to differential thermoanalysis reveals that the title compound loses half of the 4-methyl­pyridine coligands and transforms into Ni(NCS)2(C6H7N). Nearly pure samples of this compound can be obtained by thermal annealing and a Rietveld refinement demonstrated that it is isotypic to its recently reported Cd analog [Neumann et al., (2020). CrystEngComm. 22, 184–194] In its crystal structure, the metal cations are linked by one μ-1,3(N,S)- and one μ-1,3,3(N,S,S)-bridging thio­cyanate anion into single chains that condense via the μ-1,3,3(N,S,S)-bridging anionic ligands into double chains.

A new quinoline derivative, namely, 6-(di­ethyl­amino)-4-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)quinoline, C24H23N3 (QP), and its MnII complex aqua-1κO-di-μ-chlorido-1:2κ4Cl:Cl-di­chlorido-1κCl,2κCl-bis­[6-(di­ethyl­amino)-4-phenyl-2-(pyridin-2-yl)quinoline]-1κ2N1,N2;2κ2N1,N2-dimanganese(II), [Mn2Cl4(C24H23N3)2(H2O)] (MnQP), were synthesized. Their compositions have been determined with ESI-MS, IR, and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The crystal-structure determination of MnQP revealed a dinuclear complex with a central four-membered Mn2Cl2 ring. Both MnII atoms bind to an additional Cl atom and to two N atoms of the QP ligand. One MnII atom expands its coordination sphere with an extra water mol­ecule, resulting in a distorted octa­hedral shape. The second MnII atom shows a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal shape. The UV–vis absorption and emission spectra of the examined compounds were studied. Furthermore, when investigating the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties, it was found that the fluorescent color changes from blue to green and eventually becomes yellow as the fraction of water in the THF/water mixture increases from 0% to 99%. In particular, these color and intensity changes are most pronounced at a water fraction of 60%. The crystal structure contains disordered solvent mol­ecules, which could not be modeled. The SQUEEZE procedure [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9–18] was used to obtain information on the type and qu­antity of solvent mol­ecules, which resulted in 44 electrons in a void volume of 274 Å3, corresponding to approximately 1.7 mol­ecules of ethanol in the unit cell. These ethanol mol­ecules are not considered in the given chemical formula and other crystal data.

Reaction of thorium(IV) nitrate with 2-[(4-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)meth­yl]pyridine (L) yielded (LH)2[Th(NO3)6] or (C14H13N4)2[Th(NO3)6] (1), instead of the expected mixed-ligand complex [Th(NO3)4L2], which was detected in the mass spectrum of 1. In the structure, the [Th(NO3)6]2− anions display an icosa­hedral coordination geometry and are connected by LH+ cations through C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The LH+ cations inter­act via N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important inter­actions are O⋯H/H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions, which represent a 55.2% contribution.

The X-ray crystal structure data of 12-α-fluoro-3β-hy­droxy­olean-28,13β-olide methanol hemisolvate, 2C30H47FO3·CH3OH, (1), and 12-α-fluoro-3β-hy­droxy­taraxer-28,14β-olide methanol hemisolvate, 2C30H47FO3·CH3OH, (2), are described. The fluoro­lactonization of oleanolic acid using SelectfluorTM yielded a mixture of the six-membered δ-lactone (1) and the unusual seven-membered γ-lactone (2) following a 1,2-shift of methyl C-27 from C-14 to C-13.

In the title complex, [U(C10H7N3O3)O2(CH3OH)]n, the UVI cation has a typical penta­gonal–bipyramidal environment with the equatorial plane defined by one N and two O atoms of one doubly deprotonated 2-[5-(2-hy­droxy­phen­yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]acetic acid ligand, a carboxyl­ate O atom of the symmetry-related ligand and the O atom of the methanol mol­ecule [U—N/Oeq 2.256 (4)–2.504 (5) Å]. The axial positions are occupied by two oxide O atoms. The equatorial atoms are almost coplanar, with the largest deviation from the mean plane being 0.121 Å for one of the O atoms. The benzene and triazole rings of the tetra­dentate chelating–bridging ligand are twisted by approximately 21.6 (2)° with respect to each other. The carboxyl­ate group of the ligand bridges two uranyl cations, forming a neutral zigzag chain reinforced by a strong O—H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, adjacent chains are linked into two-dimensional sheets parallel to the ac plane by C/N—H⋯N/O hydrogen bonding and π–π inter­actions. Further weak C—H⋯O contacts consolidate the three-dimensional supra­molecular architecture. In the solid state, the compound shows a broad medium intensity LMCT transition centred around 463 nm, which is responsible for its red colour.