Use of a Ferritin L134P Mutant for the Facile Conjugation of Prussian Blue in the Apoferritin Cavity.

Since the bullfrog H-ferritin L134P mutant in which leucine 134 is replaced with proline was found to exhibit a flexible conformation in the C3 axis channel, homologous ferritins with the corresponding mutation have often been studied in terms of a mechanism of iron release from the mineral core within the protein cavity. Meanwhile, a ferritin mutant with the flexible channel is an attractive material in developing a method to encapsulate functional molecules larger than mononuclear ions into the protein cavity. This study describes the clathrate with a horse spleen L-ferritin L134P mutant containing Prussian blue (PB) without a frequently used technique, disassembly and reassembly of the protein subunits. The spherical shell of ferritin was confirmed in a TEM image of the clathrate. The produced clathrate (PB@L134P) was soluble in water and reproduced the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of PB prepared using the conventional method. The catalytic activity for an oxidoreductive reaction with H2O2, one of the major applications of conventional PB, was also observed for the clathrate. The instability of PB in alkaline solutions, limiting its wide applications in aqueous media, was significantly improved in PB@L134P, showing the protective effect of the protein shell. The method developed here shows that horse spleen L-ferritin L134P is a useful scaffold to produce clathrates of three-dimensional complexes with ferritin.

Chelated bis-N-heterocyclic carbene platinum and palladium units as tunable components of multinuclear complexes.

Heterometallic trinuclear M2M' complexes (M = Rh, Ir; M' = Pt, Pd) containing a platinum or palladium moiety with chelated bis-N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, [(MCp*)2{M'(bisNHC-Cn-R)}(µ3-S)2](BPh4)2 (M = Rh, Ir; M' = Pt, Pd; bisNHC-Cn-R = methylene-, ethylene-, or propylene-bridged bis(N-alkyl-imidazolylidene)), were synthesized by reacting bis(hydrosulfido)platinum(II) or palladium(II) complexs with bisNHC-Cn-R and hydroxo-bridged dinuclear complexes [(MCp*)2(µ-OH)3](BPh4), whose dinuclear structures remained intact during the formation of the trinuclear complexes, which was confirmed by using electrospray mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The heterometallic trinuclear M2M' complexes with a variety of alkylene bridges in bisNHC-Cn-R showed two reversible reduction waves in the cyclic voltammogram, and the second reduction potentials were affected by the alkylene chain lengths, which caused different dihedral angles between the imidazolylidene rings and the coordination plane of the platinum or palladium center. The M2M' complexes, except for those containing the platinum unit with the ethylene-bridged bisNHC ligands, showed dynamic behavior in solution due to the flapping wing motion of the NHC ligand moieties. Although activation parameters obtained from line-shape analyses on variable-temperature NMR spectra of the complexes suggested that the flapping wing motion occurred without bond cleavage, large negative ΔS(‡) values were obtained for the complexes with the palladium unit with the ethylene-bridged ligand, suggesting that the Pd-Ccarbene bond cleavage, accompanied by coordination of solvent molecules, occurred.

π-back-bonding interaction depending on the bridging chain lengths of chelated N-heterocyclic carbene platinum units in heterometallic trinuclear complexes affecting their electrochemical property.

Newly synthesized heterometallic trinuclear M2Pt complexes (M = Rh, Ir) containing a platinum moiety having a chelated bis-N-heterocyclic carbene (bisNHC) ligand with a variety of alkylene chain lengths of the bridging part showed two reversible reduction waves in cyclic voltammetry. Only the second reduction potentials were affected by the alkyl chain lengths, which afforded different dihedral angles between the imidazolylidene rings and the platinum coordination plane resulting in the variation of π-back-donation from the platinum center to the carbene carbon atoms.

Syntheses, characterization, and antitumor activities of platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with sugar-conjugated triazole ligands.

Four platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with sugar-conjugated bipyridine-type triazole ligands, [Pt(II)Cl(2)(AcGlc-pyta)] (3), [Pd(II)Cl(2)(AcGlc-pyta)] (4), [Pt(II)Cl(2)(Glc-pyta)] (5), and [Pd(II)Cl(2)(Glc-pyta)] (6), were prepared and characterized by mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, (1)H- and (13)C-NMR, IR as well as UV/VIS spectroscopy, where AcGlc-pyta and Glc-pyta denote 2-[4-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]ethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 2-[4-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]ethyl ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), respectively. The solid-state structure of complex 6 was determined by single-crystal X-ray-diffraction analysis. These complexes exhibited in vitro cytotoxicity against human cervix tumor cells (HeLa) though weaker than that of cisplatin.

Redox-controlled, reversible rearrangement of a tris(2-pyridylthio)methyl ligand on nickel to an isomer with an "N,S-confused" 2-pyridylthiolate arm.

Interchange between the nickel +2 and +3 oxidation states precisely controls the reversible rearrangement of the tris(2-pyridylthio)methanide (tptm) ligand in the organometallic nickel(II) complex [{Ni(µ-Br)-(tptm)}(2)] (2). Oxidation of 2 first gives the corresponding Ni(III) complex [{Ni(µ-Br)(tptm)}(2)][PF(6)](2) (4). However, in solution the tptm ligand in 4 slowly undergoes a rearrangement, in which the N and S atoms of one of the pyridylthiolate arms exchange Ni and C bonding partners, thereby resulting in an "N,S-confused" isomer of tptm in the product, [NiBr(bpttpm)]PF(6) (5; bpttpm= bis(2-pyridylthio)(2-thiopyridinium)-methyl). Reduction of 5 reverses this ligand rearrangement and 2 is reformed quantitatively. The individual steps involved in these unusual ligand rearrangements were investigated by a number of methods, including voltammetric analysis, and a mechanism for this process is proposed. X-ray crystal structure determinations of the key compounds 2, 4 and 5 have been obtained.

Electronic and steric impact of bis-NHC ligands on reactions of Pt3S2 cores in trinuclear complexes bearing bis-NHC ligands with various lengths of alkylene bridges.

Alkylene-bridged bis-N-heterocyclic carbene ligands working as strong σ-donors enhance the reactivity of the Pt3S2 core in a triplatinum complex. Although an Ag(I) ion possibly reacts with the Pt-Pt bond, one of the sulfide ligands coordinates to an Ag(I) ion due to the steric hindrance of the ligands.

Metal-metal bond formation of triplatinum cores with a silver(i) ion affording a heptanuclear cluster bearing four Pt-Ag bonds.

An N-heterocyclic carbene triplatinum complex with two triply bridging sulfide ligands reacts with a silver(i) salt and affords a heptanuclear complex. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that a silver(i) ion connects two triplatinum complexes with one of the three Pt-Pt bonds of each triplatinum unit.

Dibenzoate esters of cis-tetralin-2,3-diol as analogs of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate: synthesis and crystal structure of anticancer drug candidates.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main component of green tea extract, displays multiple biological activities. However, it cannot be used as a drug due to its low cellular absorption, instability and metabolic degradation. Therefore, there is a need to provide analogs that can overcome the limitations of EGCG. In this work, six synthetic analogs of EGCG sharing a common tetralindiol dibenzoate core were synthesized and fully characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS and IR spectroscopies, and X-ray crystallography. These are (2R,3S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2,3-diyl bis[3,4,5-tris(benzyloxy)benzoate], C66H56O10, and the analogous esters bis(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate), C30H32O10, bis(3,4,5-trifluorobenzoate), C24H14F6O4, bis[4-(benzyloxy)benzoate], C38H32O6, bis(4-methoxybenzoate), C26H24O6, and bis(2,4,6-trifluorobenzoate), C24H14F6O4. Structural analysis revealed that the molecular shapes of these dibenzoate esters of tetralindiol are significantly different from that of previously reported dimandelate esters or monobenzoate esters, as the acid moieties extend far from the bicyclic system without folding back over the tetralin fragment. Compounds with small fluorine substituents take a V-shape, whereas larger methoxy and benzyloxy groups determine the formation of an L-shape or a cavity. Intermolecular interactions are dominated by π-π stacking and C-H...π interactions involving the arene rings in the benzoate fragment and the arene ring in the tetrahydronaphthalene moiety. All six crystal structures are determined in centrosymmetric space groups (either P-1, P21/n, C2/c or I2/a).

Photochromism of an organorhodium dithionite complex in the crystalline-state: molecular motion of pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligands coupled to atom rearrangement in a dithionite ligand.

In the crystalline state, the rhodium dinuclear complex [(RhCp*)(2)(mu-CH(2))(2)(mu-O(2)SSO(2))] (1) with a photoresponsive dithionite group (mu-O(2)SSO(2)) and two pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligands (Cp* = eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)) undergoes a 100% reversible unimolecular type T inverse photochromism upon interconversion to [(RhCp*)(2)(mu-CH(2))(2)(mu-O(2)SOSO)] (2). The photochromism can be followed directly by using stepwise crystal structure analysis (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 6473). In this study, we found that the photoreaction of 1 was triggered by absorption of the 510 nm light (charge transfer band from sigma(S-S) to sigma*(S-S) and sigma*(Rh-Rh) orbitals assigned by DFT calculation) and included two important processes: kinetically controlled oxygen-atom transfer to produce four stereoisomers of 2 and thermodynamically controlled isomerization between the four stereoisomers of 2 to afford the most stable isomer. Although the formation rate of the four stereoisomer products was kinetically controlled and the population of the four stereoisomers produced in the system was thermodynamically controlled, both processes were regulated by the steric hindrance between the mu-O(2)SSO(2) or mu-O(2)SOSO ligand and the reaction cavity formed by the Cp* ligands. The cooperation of both processes achieved an intriguing stereospecific oxygen-atom rearrangement to produce only one stereoisomer of 2 at the final stage of the photoreaction at room temperature. We also determined the effect of the oxygen-atom rearrangement on the rotational motion of the two crystallographically independent Cp* ligands (parallel and perpendicular arrangement). Using variable-temperature (13)C CP/MAS NMR and quadrupolar echo solid-state (2)H NMR spectroscopies, before photoirradiation, the activation energies for the rotation of the parallel and perpendicular Cp* ligands in 1 were determined to be 33 +/- 3 and 7.8 +/- 1 kJ/mol, respectively, and after photoirradiation, in 2, they were much lower than those in 1 (21 +/- 2 and 4.7 +/- 0.5 kJ/mol, respectively). The large decrease in the activation energy for the parallel Cp* in 2 is attributed to the relaxation of molecular stress via a stereospecific oxygen-atom rearrangement, which suggests that the rotational motion of the Cp* ligands is coupled to the photochromism.

Synthesis and characterization of tris(2-pyridylthio)methanido Zn complex with a Zn-C bond and DFT calculation of its one-electron oxidized species.

Tris(2-pyridylthio)methane (tptmH) reacts with ZnCl(2) producing the Zn-C containing complex of [ZnCl(tptm)], whose cyclic voltammogram shows an irreversible oxidation peak at 0.2 V vs. E(0')(Fc(+/0)). DFT calculations suggested that 1e(-) oxidation should occur at the tptm ligand resulting in the cleavage of the Zn-C bond, leading to decomposition of the complex.

Structure study and luminescence thermochromism in hexanuclear 6-methyl-2-pyridinethiolato copper(I) crystals.

The structure of hexanuclear 6-methyl-2-pyridinethiolato copper(I) [Cu6(6-mpyt)(6)] crystals has been studied by the X-ray diffraction analysis. These crystals show highly efficient luminescence whose color changes drastically from red to green-blue with lowering temperature from room temperature (RT) to liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT). This is a new example of luminescence thermochromism for hexanuclear copper(I) cluster compounds. Two relaxed luminescence bands appear predominantly: one (CC-band), red luminescence appearing in the lower-energy region around 1.8 eV at higher temperature, is assigned to the transition between intramolecular orbitals (MO) of a Cu cluster center (CC), and the other (CT-band), green-blue luminescence appearing at the higher energy side of 2.6 eV than the CC-band at lower temperature, is assigned to a charge transfer (CT) transition from the CC-MO to a ligand MO. Additionally, the CT band can be deconvoluted to two subbands CT(L) and CT(H). The intensities of the CC- and the CT-bands change complementarily with temperature via a thermal activation process, giving the thermochromism. All of these band shapes can be fitted by a Gaussian function, and their widths are fairly large obeying the hyperbolic cotangent law. These features reflect our system to be a strong electron-lattice coupling one. The relaxation process of the photoexcited states is discussed in terms of a configuration coordinate model.

A two-dimensional clathrate hydrate sandwiched by planar arrays of a copper complex.

The first structurally characterised example of a 2-D clathrate hydrate spontaneously assembles when [CuF(tptm)] (tptm = tris(2-pyridylthio)methyl) crystallises from toluene/water solutions to produce a material in which planar arrays of [CuF(tptm)] sandwich and hydrogen bond to continuous 2-D sheets of water that incorporate toluene molecules at regular intervals.

Structure and reactivity of a novel parallel thiosulfito (SSO2-S:S') rhodium dinuclear complex.

The parallel thiosulfite ligand (SSO2) in a rhodium complex, which is formed by oxygenation of a bridging disulfide, is converted to a bridging hydrocarbyl thiolate ligand and sulfur dioxide gas by the reaction with hydrocarbyl halides.

Thia-calix[n]pyridines, synthesis and coordination to Cu(I,II) ions with both N and S donor atoms.

The novel thia-calix[n]pyridines (n = 3, 4, 6) coordinated to copper ions through nitrogen and sulfur atoms to give multinuclear complexes whose structures have been determined by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectra.

Catalytic Generation of Oxalate through a Coupling Reaction of Two CO(2) Molecules Activated on [(Ir(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)))(2)(Ir(eta(4)-C(5)Me(5))CH(2)CN)(&mgr;(3)-S)(2)].

Electrochemical reduction of [(Ir(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)))(3)(&mgr;(3)-S)(2)](BPh(4))(2) ([Ir(3)S(2)](BPh(4))(2)) in CO(2)-saturated CH(3)CN at -1.30 V (vs Ag/AgCl) produced C(2)O(4)(2)(-) and [(Ir(eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)))(2)(Ir(eta(4)-C(5)Me(5))CH(2)CN)(&mgr;(3)-S)(2)](+) ([Ir(3)S(2)CH(2)CN](+)). The crystal structure of [Ir(3)S(2)CH(2)CN](BPh(4)) by X-ray analysis revealed that a linear CH(2)CN group is linked at the exo-position of a C(5)Me(5) ligand, and the C(5)Me(5)CH(2)CN ligand coordinates to an Ir atom with an eta(4)-mode. The cyclic voltammogram of [Ir(3)S(2)CH(2)CN](+) in CH(3)CN under CO(2) exhibited a strong catalytic current due to the reduction of CO(2), while that of [Ir(3)S(2)](2+) did not show an interaction with CO(2) in the same solvent. The reduced form of [Ir(3)S(2)CH(2)CN](+) works as the active species in the reduction of CO(2). The IR spectra of [Ir(3)S(2)CH(2)CN](+) in CD(3)CN showed a reversible adduct formation with CO(2) and also evidenced the oxalate generation through the reduced form of the CO(2) adduct under the controlled potential electrolysis of the solution at -1.55 V. A coupling reaction of two CO(2) molecules bonded on adjacent &mgr;(3)-S and Ir in [Ir(3)S(2)CH(2)CN](0) is proposed for the first catalytic generation of C(2)O(4)(2)(-) without accompanying CO evolution.

Sulfur containing platinum(II) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands obtained by reactions of a hydrosulfido complex.

A hydrosulfido platinum(ii) complex with a chelated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand was oxidised with O(2) in the presence of excess hydrogen sulfide, to give a linear tetrasulfido complex, and without hydrogen sulfide, to give a thiosulfato-bridged dinuclear complex. The hydrosulfido complex also reacted with an acetato complex containing the chelating NHC platinum unit to afford a trinuclear platinum complex with two triply bridging sulfido ligands showing an equilibrium in solution between two isomers based on the arrangement of the chelating NHC ligands.

Carbon-sulfur bond cleavage reactions of dibenzothiophene derivatives mediated by iron and ruthenium carbonyls.

A thermal reaction of 6-(4''-dibenzothienyl)-2,2'-bipyridine (bpyDBT) with [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] produced a sulfur-bridged triruthenium complex via double carbon-sulfur bond cleavage and CO insertion, while a diiron(I,I) complex containing a thiametallacycle was obtained by a photochemical reaction of bpyDBT with [Fe(CO)(5)].

Unprecedented diastereoselective generation of chiral-at-metal, half sandwich Ir(III) and Rh(III) complexes via anomeric isomerism on "sugar-coated" N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.

The first example of the diastereoselective synthesis induced by anomeric isomerism of sugar units in ligands of metal complexes was demonstrated. S and R configurations of chiral-at-metal Ir(III) and Rh(III) complexes were selectively obtained by using chelate-type NHC ligands with α- and ß-glucopyranosyl units, respectively.