Cover Feature: Distance between Metal Centres Affects Catalytic Efficiency of Dinuclear CoIII Complexes in the Hydrolysis of a Phosphate Diester (Eur. J. Org. Chem. 39/2018)

The Cover Feature shows the DFT calculations‐optimized structure of one of the several dinuclear Co(III) complexes we have prepared as catalysts for the cleavage of a phosphate diester. Our aim was to understand how the distance between metal ions, that are not close enough to interact directly with the substrate or the nucleophilic species, modulates their catalytic activity. Our data indicate that, for these metal ions, the best distance (highlighted by the caliber in the background) is 7.7 Å for the cooperative mechanism shown on the bottom. More information can be found in the Full Paper by P. Scrimin et al.