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In the mol­ecule of the title N,N'-disubstituted imidazol-2-yl­idene palladium(II) complex, [PdBr2(C21H24N4O)]·CH2Cl2, the palladium(II) atom adopts a slightly distorted square-planar coordination (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0145 Å), and the five-membered chelate ring is almost planar [maximum displacement = 0.015 (8) Å]. The mol­ecular conformation is enforced by intra­molecular C—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds. In the crystal, complex mol­ecules and di­chloro­methane mol­ecules are linked into a three-dimensional network by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds.

The title complex, [RuCl(C10H14)(C10H8N2)](C24H20B), has monoclinic (P21) symmetry at 100 K. It was prepared by the reaction of the di­chlor­ido[1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene]­ruthenium(II) dimer with 2,2'-bi­pyridine, followed by the addition of ammonium tetra­phenyl­borate. The 1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene group, the 2,2'-bi­pyridine unit and a chloride ion coordinate the ruthenium(II) atom, with the 1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)benzene ring and bi­pyridine moieties trans to each other. In the crystal, the complex cations are linked by C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds, forming chains parallel to [010]. These chains are linked by a number of C—H⋯π inter­actions, involving the phenyl rings of the tetra­phenyl­borate anion and a pyridine ring of the bpy ligand, resulting in the formation of layers parallel to (10overline{1}).

In the title compound, C16H19NSe, the dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 66.49 (12) and a weak intra­molecular N—H⋯Se hydrogen bond generates an S(6) ring. In the crystal, weak N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into [100] chains.

The asymmetric unit of the title inorganic–organic salt, poly[di(μ2-2-hy­droxy­propano­ato)cadmium], [Cd(C3H5O3)2]n or [Cd(Hlac)2]n (H2lac = 2-hy­droxy­propanoic acid), comprises of a cadmium cation and two 2-hy­droxy­propano­ate anions. The cadmium cation exhibits a distorted penta­gonal–bipyramidal coordination environment defined by the hy­droxy and carbonyl O atoms of the 2-hy­droxy­propano­ate anions. The coordination mode leads to the formation of layers extending parallel to (010). O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding between the hy­droxy and carbonyl groups stabilizes the structure packing.

The crystal of 6-(3-nitro­phen­yl)-7-phenyl-5-thia-7-aza­spiro­[2.6]nonan-8-one (1), C19H18N2O3S, has monoclinic (P21/n) symmetry while that of its isomer 6-(4-nitro­phen­yl)-7-phenyl-5-thia-7-aza­spiro­[2.6]nonan-8-one (2), has ortho­rhom­bic (Pca21) symmetry: compound 1 has two mol­ecules, A and B, in the asymmetric unit while 2 has one. In all three mol­ecules, the seven-membered thia­zepan ring exhibits a chair conformation with Q2 and Q3 values (Å) of 0.521 (3), 0.735 (3) and 0.485 (3), 0.749 (3) in 1 and 0.517 (5), 0.699 (5) in 2. In each structure, the phenyl rings attached to adjacent atoms of the thia­zepan ring have inter­planar angles ranging between 41 and 47°. Except for the nitro groups, the three mol­ecules have similar conformations when overlayed in pairs. Both crystal structures are consolidated by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The sterically hindered silicon compound 2-methyl-1,1,2,3,3-penta­phenyl-2-sila­propane, C33H30Si (I), was prepared via the reaction of two equivalents of di­phenyl­methyl­lithium (benzhydryllithium) and di­chloro­methyl­phenyl­silane. This bis­benzhydryl-substituted silicon compound was then reacted with tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonic acid, followed by hydrolysis with water to give the silanol 2-methyl-1,1,3,3-tetra­phenyl-2-silapropan-2-ol, C27H26OSi (II). Key geometric features for I are the Si—C bond lengths that range from 1.867 (2) to 1.914 (2) Å and a τ4 descriptor for fourfold coordination around the Si atom of 0.97 (indicating a nearly perfect tetra­hedron). Key geometric features for compound II include Si—C bond lengths that range from 1.835 (4) to 1.905 (3) Å, a Si—O bond length of 1.665 (3) Å, and a τ4 descriptor for fourfold coordination around the Si atom of 0.96. In compound II, there is an intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond present. In the crystal of I, mol­ecules are linked by two pairs of C—H⋯π inter­actions, forming dimers that are linked into ribbons propagating along the b-axis direction. In the crystal of II, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯π and O—H⋯π inter­actions that result in the formation of ribbons that run along the a-axis direction.

The title salt, C10H21N2O+·C7H12NO4S−, comprises a 3-methacryl­amido-N,N,N-tri­methyl­propan-1-aminium cation and a 2-acryl­amido-2-methyl­propane-1-sulfonate anion. The salt crystallizes with two unique cation–anion pairs in the asymmetric unit of the ortho­rhom­bic unit cell. The crystal studied was an inversion twin with a 0.52 (4):0.48 (4) domain ratio. In the crystal, the cations and anions stack along the b-axis direction and are linked by an extensive series of N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional network. Hirshfeld surface analysis was carried out on both the asymmetric unit and the two individual salts. The contribution of inter­atomic contacts to the surfaces of the individual cations and anions are also compared.

A 1:1 epimeric mixture of 3-[(4-nitro­benzyl­idene)amino]-2(R,S)-(4-nitro­phen­yl)-5(S)-(propan-2-yl)imidazolidin-4-one, C19H19N5O5, was isolated from a reaction mixture of 2(S)-amino-3-methyl-1-oxo­butane­hydrazine and 4-nitro­benz­alde­hyde in ethanol. The product was derived from an initial reaction of 2(S)-amino-3-methyl-1-oxo­butane­hydrazine at its hydrazine group to provide a 4-nitro­benzyl­idene derivative, followed by a cyclization reaction with another mol­ecule of 4-nitro­benzaldehyde to form the chiral five-membered imidazolidin-4-one ring. The formation of the five-membered imidazolidin-4-one ring occurred with retention of the configuration at the 5-position, but with racemization at the 2-position. In the crystal, N—H⋯O(nitro) hydrogen bonds, weak C—H⋯O(carbon­yl) and C—H⋯O(nitro) hydrogen bonds, as well as C—H⋯π, N—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions, are present. These combine to generate a three-dimensional array. Hirshfeld surface analysis and PIXEL calculations are also reported.

In the title mol­ecule, C13H16N4O3, the mean planes of the phenyl and triazole rings are nearly perpendicular to one another as a result of the intra­molecular C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(ring) inter­actions. In the crystal, layers parallel to (101) are generated by O—H⋯N, N—H⋯O and N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds. The layers are connected by inversion-related pairs of C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The experimental mol­ecular structure is close to the gas-phase geometry-optimized structure calculated by DFT methods. Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important inter­action involving hydrogen in the title compound is the H⋯H contact. The contribution of the H⋯O, H⋯N, and H⋯H contacts are 13.6, 16.1, and 54.6%, respectively.

The crystal structure of the title compound, [Ni(C13H11N2O2)(H2O)4]Br3·2H2O, contains an octa­hedral NiII atom coordinated to the enol form of 1,3-di­pyridyl­propane-1,3-dione (dppo) and four water mol­ecules. Both pyridyl rings on the ligand are protonated, forming pyridinium rings and creating an overall ligand charge of +1. The protonated nitro­gen-containing rings are involved in hydrogen-bonding inter­actions with neighoring bromide anions. There are many additional hydrogen-bonding inter­actions involving coordinated water mol­ecules on the NiII atom, bromide anions and hydration water mol­ecules.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C23H28O4, comprises two half-mol­ecules, with the other half of each mol­ecule being completed by the application of twofold rotation symmetry. The two completed mol­ecules both have a V-shaped appearance but differ in their conformations. In the crystal, each independent mol­ecule forms chains extending parallel to the b axis with its symmetry-related counterparts through C—H⋯π(ring) inter­actions. Hirshfeld surface analysis of the crystal structure indicates that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯H (65.4%), H⋯C/C⋯H (21.8%) and H⋯O/O⋯H (12.3%) inter­actions. Optimized structures using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6–311 G(d,p) level are compared with the experimentally determined mol­ecular structures in the solid state. The HOMO–LUMO behaviour was elucidated to determine the energy gap.

The crystal structures of tris­[9,9-dihexyl-2-(5-meth­oxy­pyridin-2-yl-κN)-9H-fluoren-3-yl-κC3]iridium pentane monosolvate, [Ir(C31H38NO)3]·C5H12, (I), di-μ2-chlorido-bis­{bis­[2-(5-fluoro­pyridin-2-yl)-9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluoren-3-yl]iridium} pentane 0.3-solvate, [Ir2(C30H35FN)4Cl2]·0.3C5H12, (II), di-μ2-cyanato-bis­{bis­[9,9-dihexyl-2-(5-meth­oxy­pyridin-2-yl)-9H-fluoren-1-yl]iridium} pentane monosolvate, [Ir2(C31H38NO)4(NCO)2(NCO)2]·C5H12, (III), and {μ-N,N'-bis­[3,5-bis­(tri­fluoro­meth­yl)phen­yl]oxamidato}bis(bis{2-[4-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)pyridin-2-yl]phenyl-κ2C1,N'}iridium)–chloro­benzene–pentane (1/2.3/0.4), [Ir2(C20H19N)4(C18H6F12N2O2)]·2.3C6H5Cl·0.4C5H12, (IV), synthesized in the quest for organic light-emitting devices, were determined. The bis-μ2-chloro and bis-μ2-cyanato complexes have ΔΔ and ΛΛ configurations of the distorted octa­hedral Ir centres in racemic crystals, whereas the oxamido complex has a centrosymmetric (meso) structure with the ΔΛ configuration. The bridging oxamido moiety has a nearly planar anti geometry. All structures show substantial disorder of both host mol­ecules and solvents of crystallization.

In the title compound, C22H27NO, the piperidine ring adopts a chair conformation. The dihedral angles between the mean plane of the piperidine ring and the phenyl rings are 89.78 (7) and 48.30 (8)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into chains along the b-axis direction by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The DFT/B3LYP/6–311 G(d,p) method was used to determine the HOMO–LUMO energy levels. The mol­ecular electrostatic potential surfaces were investigated by Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots were used to analyse the inter­molecular inter­actions in the mol­ecule.

The crystal structures of two salt crystals of 2,2-bis­(4-methyl­phen­yl)hexa­fluoro­propane (Bmphfp) with amines, namely, dipyridinium 4,4'-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexa­fluoro­propane-2,2-di­yl)dibenzoate 4,4'-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexa­fluoro­propane-2,2-di­yl)di­benzoic acid, 2C5H6N+·C17H8F6O42−·C17H10F6O4, (1), and a monohydrated ethyl­enedi­ammonium salt ethane-1,2-diaminium 4,4'-(1,1,1,3,3,3-hexa­fluoro­propane-2,2-di­yl)dibenzoate monohydrate, C2H10N22+·C17H8F6O42−·H2O, (2), are reported. Compounds 1 and 2 crystallize, respectively, in space group P21/c with Z' = 2 and in space group Pbca with Z' = 1. The crystals of compound 1 contain neutral and anionic Bmphfp mol­ecules, and form a one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded chain motif. The crystals of compound 2 contain anionic Bmphfp mol­ecules, which form a complex three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network with the ethyl­enedi­amine and water mol­ecules.

Although a plethora of metal complexes have been characterized, those having multifunctional properties are very rare. This article reports three isotypical complexes, namely [Cu(benzoate)L2], where L = 4-styryl­pyridine (4spy) (1), 2'-fluoro-4-styryl­pyridine (2F-4spy) (2) and 3'-fluoro-4-styryl­pyridine (3F-4spy) (3), which show photosalient behavior (photoinduced crystal mobility) while they undergo [2+2] cyclo­addition. These crystals also exhibit anisotropic thermal expansion when heated from room temperature to 200°C. The overall thermal expansion of the crystals is impressive, with the largest volumetric thermal expansion coefficients for 1, 2 and 3 of 241.8, 233.1 and 285.7 × 10−6 K−1, respectively, values that are comparable to only a handful of other reported materials known to undergo colossal thermal expansion. As a result of the expansion, their single crystals occasionally move by rolling. Altogether, these materials exhibit unusual and hitherto untapped solid-state properties.

Fragment-based molecular-replacement methods can solve a macromolecular structure quasi-ab initio. ARCIMBOLDO, using a common secondary-structure or tertiary-structure template or a library of folds, locates these with Phaser and reveals the rest of the structure by density modification and autotracing in SHELXE. The latter stage is challenging when dealing with diffraction data at lower resolution, low solvent content, high β-sheet composition or situations in which the initial fragments represent a low fraction of the total scattering or where their accuracy is low. SEQUENCE SLIDER aims to overcome these complications by extending the initial polyalanine fragment with side chains in a multisolution framework. Its use is illustrated on test cases and previously unknown structures. The selection and order of fragments to be extended follows the decrease in log-likelihood gain (LLG) calculated with Phaser upon the omission of each single fragment. When the starting substructure is derived from a remote homolog, sequence assignment to fragments is restricted by the original alignment. Otherwise, the secondary-structure prediction is matched to that found in fragments and traces. Sequence hypotheses are trialled in a brute-force approach through side-chain building and refinement. Scoring the refined models through their LLG in Phaser may allow discrimination of the correct sequence or filter the best partial structures for further density modification and autotracing. The default limits for the number of models to pursue are hardware dependent. In its most economic implementation, suitable for a single laptop, the main-chain trace is extended as polyserine rather than trialling models with different sequence assignments, which requires a grid or multicore machine. SEQUENCE SLIDER has been instrumental in solving two novel structures: that of MltC from 2.7 Å resolution data and that of a pneumococcal lipoprotein with 638 residues and 35% solvent content.

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The fossil teeth of a 15- to 18-million-year-old three-toed browsing horse, Anchitherium clarencei, were recently discovered by scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the […]

The post Fossil teeth of 15-million-year-old browsing horse found in Panama Canal excavations. appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new census of tropical sulfur butterflies (Aphrissa statira) migrating across the Panama Canal has revealed the central role that weather plays in determining why populations of these lemon-yellow insects vary from year to year.

The post A dry spring in Panama means more sulfur butterflies, study reveals appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Timing was critical because female giant pandas ovulate only once a year. A short period of two to three days around ovulation is the only time she is able to conceive. Gestation typically lasts from 90 to 185 days.

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The rescue pods will be part of the project’s Amphibian Rescue Center at Summit Municipal Park, which will also include a lab with a quarantine facility.

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Based on current hormone analyses, and not having seen a fetus during the ultrasound exams, Zoo researchers have determined that Mei Xiang experienced a pseudopregnancy.

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“We are working as hard as we can to find and identify frogs before the disease reaches them, and to learn more about a disease that has the power to ravage an entire group of organisms,” said Roberto Ibanez, research scientist at STRI and local director of the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project.

The post Two new frog species discovered in Panama’s fungal war zone appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo recently acquired Japanese giant salamanders given to the Zoo by the City of Hiroshima Asa Zoological Park. This donation will be the foundation of a new long-term breeding program in the United States and may play an important role in saving amphibians around the globe.

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Discoveries of three new from species in Panama lead to hope that project researchers can save these animals from a deadly fungus killing frogs worldwide and the fear that many species will go extinct before scientists even know they exist.

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Scientists and local dive operators first noticed coral bleaching in the waters surrounding Isla Colon, in Panama’s Bocas del Toro province in July. Smithsonian staff scientist Nancy Knowlton and colleagues documented an extensive bleaching event in late September.

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The new agreement, effective immediately through Dec. 5, 2015, stipulates that the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park will conduct research in the areas of giant panda breeding and cub behavior.

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Scientists at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo detected a secondary rise in urinary progesterone levels in the Zoo’s female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG). This hormone rise indicates that it should be 40 to 50 days before Mei Xiang either gives birth to a cub or comes to the end of a pseudopregnancy, or false pregnancy, which is common in giant pandas.

The post Hormone tests show Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s female giant panda, may be pregnant appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A scientist from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute uses a pick to dislodge the fossil skull of an extinct toothed whale from sediments on the […]

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Scientists and educators from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and George Mason University broke ground June 29 on a green-design conservation complex that embodies the concept of the living classroom.

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Thunder, lightning and strong winds greeted the National Zoo’s two female red panda cubs when they were born June 17, and that stormy night has […]

The post National Zoo’s red pandas named “Pili” and “Damini” for stormy night appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Our studies of the genetic relationships between these bees tells us that they originated in the Amazon about 22 million years ago and that they moved north into Central America before 3 million years ago.

The post Two closely related bee species discovered far apart in Panama and northern Colombia appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Suzan Murray, chief veterinary medical officer at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, recently returned from Hanoi, where she led a team of scientists training pathologists from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to better sample, recognize and detect wildlife diseases in hopes of preventing emerging pandemic disease.

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Smithsonian Secretary Wayne Clough, left, talks with Carlos Jaramillo, scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, at a research site near the Panama […]

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The discovery of two new extinct camel species by scientists from the University of Florida and the Smithsonian is casting new light on the history of the tropics, a region containing more than half the world's biodiversity and some of its most important ecosystems.

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16,000 square kilometers of giant panda habitat will likely be lost by the year 2080

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Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), the National Zoo’s female giant panda, gave birth to a cub Sunday, Sept. 16, at 10:46 p.m.

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The Smithsonian’s National Zoo community mourns the loss of the giant panda cub born Sunday, Sept. 16.

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Researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute are recommending that Panama adopt revised traffic patterns and slower speeds for vessels crossing the Gulf of Panama to reduce the risk of collisions between ships and whales.

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This past summer, Laura Walker became the first scientist to collect slime molds from soils at the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Panama, a reserve administered by the Smithsonain since 1946.

The post Panama’s slime molds get attention from Arkansas University grad student appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Archaeologists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama have discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete.

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This image of a wild giant panda was taken by a trail camera in a remote forest in central China. As few as 1,600 giant […]

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A team of researchers has for the first time mapped the above ground carbon density of an entire country in high fidelity. They integrated field […]

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The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation project recently announced that the golden frog, a national icon on the brink of extinction, has been successfully raised […]

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Scientists at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics have confirmed that the giant panda cub born at the National Zoo […]

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The giant panda cub born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Aug. 23 received her first veterinary exam late yesterday afternoon and was given a clean […]

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The Republic of Panama’s proposal to implement four Traffic Separation Schemes for commercial vessels entering and exiting the Panama Canal and ports was approved unanimously […]

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The name Panama is said to mean “abundance of fish.” Now a new study estimates that between 1950 and 2010, the amount of fish taken […]

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Human skin and gut microbes influence processes from digestion to disease resistance. Despite the fact that tropical forests are the most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems on […]

The post Smithsonian scientists discover tropical tree microbiome in Panama appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.