Many programs for science communication are targeted towards secondary-school ages (11 +) and for good reason, as this is when students make choices on subjects to study further. It is vital that these students are supported in their continuing science education. But are we missing out on inspiring them in the first place? Can we help students to see the bigger picture of science, beyond grades and textbooks? What if we run programs that target younger students, as well as their families? For younger students, it is vital to have strong visual and hands-on components to science communication activities. Crystallography lends itself extremely well to visual science communication – we have a great history of leveraging that. But do we have enough hands-activities that are suitable for under 11s, can be undertaken cheaply, and are linked to big crystallographic science ideas? The Australian and New Zealand crystallographic community leveraged hosting the IUCr2023 meeting to launch a program of events and initiatives to communicate crystallography to those under 11 years old and their families. We undertook a range of events and activities, from pattern competitions, to a crystallographic science festival, [1] to even attempting to break a world record. For this we used existing ideas on 3D printing structures [2] (but upsized it), modified established hands-on activities [3] [4] [5], and developed more. In this contribution I’ll review what we carried out, what did (and didn't) work and how we are planning to continue the momentum into the future which could be applied at IUCr2026.

Due to the continuous growth rate of the electronic industry, hi-tech companies depend on mining and extracting precious metals to meet the public demand. The high turnover of modern devices generates an alarming amount of electronic waste (e-waste), which contains more precious metals than mined ores and therefore needs efficient recovery procedures. A highly stable homopiperazine-derived Cd-MOF, poly-[Cd(H2L)]9H(2)O, with a protonated amine ligand core, exists as a twofold interpenetrated 3D framework with 1D channels into which the N+-H bond is directed. The geometry of these channels appears to be suitable to host square planar metalate complexes. Under acidic conditions, [MCl4](x-) anions containing Au, Cu, Ni, and Pt, representing common components of e-waste under extraction conditions, were tested for capture and recovery. Cd-MOF exhibits remarkable selectivity and uptake performance toward Au with an adsorbent capacity of 25 mg g(ads)(-1) and shows a marked selectivity for Au over Cu in competitive experiments. The adsorption mechanism of Au appears to be predominantly physical adsorption at the surface of the material.

We have been investigating the use of alkylamine ligands in the synthesis of porous coordination polymers [1].The amine groups form part of the ligand backbones, and are designed to improve the selectivity of carbon dioxide capture over other gases, as well as provide sites for post synthetic modification.More than 50 new ligands have been made, and more than a dozen porous frameworks identified and tested.The ligands investigated fall into three different categories: (i) azamacrocycles, (ii) piperazines, and (iii) linear alkyl amines.Good carbon dioxide capacities and selectivities have been observed, as well as high stability to moisture, selective molecular absorption, unusual structural transformations and interesting structural features.A particular focus has been on the design and use of high connectivity ligands as a strategy for improving the practical stability of the resultant porous materials.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

The interpenetrating 2D-sheet framework of Co-TMBT-MOF cast onto nickel foam is used as a pre-catalyst to generate an efficient OER catalyst with low overpotential.

The transition metal-promoted in situ nucleophilic addition of triethanolamine (teaH3) and N-methyldiethanolamine (mdeaH2) to the dicyanonitrosomethanide (dcnm) anion results in the formation of [Cu(hbnm)]·MeOH (1) and [Cu(mbnm)]·2MeCN (2), (hbnm = hydroxyethylaminobis(ethoxy(imino)methyl(cyano)nitrosomethanide) and mbnm = methylaminobis(ethoxy(imino)methyl(cyano)nitrosomethanide). Complexes 1 and 2 are coordination polymers, each containing the addition products of two alcohol arms of teaH3 and mdeaH2 to dcnm anions.

The synthesis and structural characterization of a silver(I) coordination polymer is reported. The structure contains a silver(I) ion coordinated by three sulfur donor atoms from three bridging bis(thiosemicarbazone) ligands in a trigonal planar coordination environment, generating a 2-D coordination polymer. The structure involves hydrogen bonds between the tetrafluoroborate counterion and the ligands and close Ag center dot center dot center dot Ag contacts to create an overall 3-D network. [GRAPHICS]

High connectivity octacarboxylate ligands containing non-coordinating diamine cores lead to a wide variety of new MOFs, many containing cage-like pores.

The transition metal-promoted in situ nucleophilic addition of triethanolamine (teaH(3)) and N-methyldiethanolamine (mdeaH(2)) to the dicyanonitrosomethanide (dcnm) anion results in the formation of [Cu(hbnm)]center dot MeOH (I) and [Cu(mbnm)]center dot 2MeCN (2), (hbnm = hydroxyethylaminobis(ethoxy(imino)methyl(cyano)nitrosomethanide) and mbnm = methylaminobis(ethoxy (imino)methyl(cyano)nitrosomethanide). Complexes 1 and 2 are coordination polymers, each containing the addition products of two alcohol arms of teaH(3) and mdeaH(2) to dcnm anions.

Flexible amine-functionalised tetracarboxylate ligands with different length arms generate a large variety of coordination polymers which notably lack topological consistency.