Introducing Novel Redox-Active Bis(phenolate) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Proligands: Investigation of Their Coordination to Fe(II)/Fe(III) and Their Catalytic Activity in Transfer Hydrogenation of Carbonyl Compounds.

A simple and efficient procedure for synthesizing novel pincer-type tridentate N-heterocyclic carbene bisphenolate ligands is reported. The synthesis of pincer proligands with N,N'-disubstituted imidazoline core, 5 and 6, was carried out via triethylorthoformate-promoted cyclization of either N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl)cyclohexanediamine, 3, or N,N'-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexanediamine, 4, in the presence of concentrated hydrochloric acid. Cyclic voltammograms of the ligands revealed ligand-centered redox activity, indicating the noninnocent nature of the ligands. The voltammograms of the ligands exhibit two successive one-electron oxidations and two consecutive one-electron reductions. In contrast to previous reports, the redox-active ligands in this study exhibit one-electron oxidation and reduction processes. All products were thoroughly characterized by using 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The base-promoted deprotonation of the proligands and subsequent reaction with iron(II) and iron(III) chlorides yielded compounds 7 and 8. These compounds are binuclear and tetranuclear iron(III) complexes that do not contain carbene functional groups. Complexes 7 and 8 were characterized by using elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. At low catalyst loadings, both 7 and 8 exhibited high catalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation of selected aldehydes and ketones.

Correction: Synthetic routes to carbon substituted cobalt bis(dicarbollide) alkyl halides and aromatic amines along with closely related irregular pathways.

Correction for 'Synthetic routes to carbon substituted cobalt bis(dicarbollide) alkyl halides and aromatic amines along with closely related irregular pathways' by Jan Nekvinda et al., Dalton Trans., 2024, 53, 5816-5826, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4DT00072B.

Synthetic routes to carbon substituted cobalt bis(dicarbollide) alkyl halides and aromatic amines along with closely related irregular pathways.

Carbon substituted cobalt bis(dicarbollide) alkyl halides [(1-X-(CH2)n-1,2-C2B9H10)(1,2-C2B9H11)-3,3'-Co]Me4N (X = Br, I; n = 1-3) are prepared in high yields (>90%) from their corresponding alcohols without side skeletal substitutions. These species offer access to the synthesis of aromatic cobalt bis(dicarbollide) amines, however only for particular terminal halogen substitution, the propylene pendant arm, and under appropriately controlled reaction conditions. Thus, the compounds substituted at cage carbon atoms with a propylene linker and terminal aromatic amine groups could be prepared. In other cases, numerous irregular reaction pathways occur, undoubtedly as a consequence of the bulky anionic boron cage in close proximity to the reaction site. Among them, an unusual intramolecular hydroboration forming rigidified carbon-to-boron bridged isomeric anions with an asymmetric structure that correspond to formulae [(1,8'-µ-C2H4)-(1,2-C2B9H10)(1',2'-C2B9H10)-3,3'-Co]- and [(1,7'-µ-C2H4)-(1,2-C2B9H10)(1',2'-C2B9H10)-3,3'-Co]- is described herein and the former isomer is structurally characterized. This product with a restrained geometry is widely accessible through nucleophile and/or thermally induced decomposition of (pseudo)halides attached to the cage via an ethylene linker. Surprisingly enough, also doubly bridged isomeric species [(1,8-µ-C2H4-1,2-C2B9H9)2-3,3'-Co]- and [(1,7-µ-C2H4-1,2-C2B9H9)2-3,3'-Co]- are available in good yield using these methods. Furthermore, other more typical side reactions are discussed, i.e. nucleophilic reactions of propyl halides with Me3N formed apparently by disproportionation of Me4N+ at higher temperatures or with pyridine used as a base.

Novel rod-like [Cu(phen)2(OAc)]·PF6 complex for high-performance visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of hazardous organic dyes: DFT approach, Hirshfeld and fingerprint plot analysis.

A novel octahedral distorted coordination complex was formed from a copper transition metal with a bidentate ligand (1,10-Phenanthroline) and characterized by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The Hirshfeld surface and fingerprint plot analyses were conducted to determine the interactions between atoms in the Cu(II) complex. DFT calculations showed that the central copper ion and its coordinated atoms have an octahedral geometry. The Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) map indicated that the copper (II) complex is an electrophilic compound that can interact with negatively charged macromolecules. The HOMO-LUMO analysis demonstrated the π nature charge transfer from acetate to phenanthroline. The band gap of [Cu(phen)2(OAc)]·PF6 photocatalyst was estimated to be 2.88 eV, confirming that this complex is suitable for environmental remediation. The photocatalytic degradation of erythrosine, malachite green, methylene blue, and Eriochrome Black T as model organic pollutants using the prepared complex was investigated under visible light. The [Cu(phen)2(OAc)]·PF6 photocatalyst exhibited degradation 94.7, 90.1, 82.7, and 74.3 % of malachite green, methylene blue, erythrosine, and Eriochrome Black T, respectively, under visible illumination within 70 min. The results from the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic analysis demonstrated that the Cu(II) complex has a higher efficiency for the degradation of cationic pollutants than the anionic ones. This was attributed to surface charge attraction between photocatalyst and cationic dyes promoting removal efficiency. The reusability test indicated that the photocatalyst could be utilized in seven consecutive photocatalytic degradation cycles with an insignificant decrease in efficiency.

Heteroleptic Silver(I) and Gold(I) N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: Structural Characterization, Computational Analysis, Tyrosinase Inhibitory, and Biological Effects.

Derivatization of (NHC)M-Cl (M = Ag, Au) with selected sulfur donors from the family of dialkyldithiophosphates and bis(2-mercapto-1-methylimidazolyl)borate ligands gave a series of heteroleptic mononuclear complexes. In single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, Ag(I) complexes adopted a trigonal planar geometry, while Au(I) complexes are near-linear. TD-DFT and hole-electron analyses of the selected complexes gave insight into the electronic features of the metal complexes. In vitro cellular tests were conducted on the human cancerous breast cell line MCF-7 using 2 and 8. The antibacterial activities of complexes 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, and IPr-Ag-Cl were also screened against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus PTCC 1112) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli PTCC 1330) bacteria. Antityrosinase and hemolytic effects of the selected compounds were also determined.

Diastereotopic groups in two new single-enanti-omer structures (R2)P(O)[NH-(+)CH(C2H5)(C6H5)] (R = OC6H5 and C6H5).

The crystal structures of two single-enanti-omer compounds, i.e. diphenyl [(R)-(+)-α-ethyl-benzyl-amido]-phosphate, C21H22NO3P or (C6H5O)2P(O)[NH-(R)-(+)CH(C2H5)(C6H5)] (I), and N-[(R)-(+)-α-ethyl-benz-yl]-P,P-di-phenyl-phosphinic amide, C21H22NOP or (C6H5)2P(O)[NH-R-(+)CH(C2H5)(C6H5)] (II), were studied. The different environments at the phospho-rus atoms, (O)2P(O)(N) and (C)2P(O)(N), allow the P=O/P-N bond strengths to be compared, as well as the N-H⋯O=P hydrogen-bond strengths, and P=O/N-H vibrations. The following characteristics related to diastereotopic C6H5O/C6H5 groups in I/II were considered: geometry parameters, contributions to the crystal packing, solution 13C/1H NMR chemical shifts, conformations, and NMR coupling constants. The phospho-rus-carbon coupling constants nJ PC (n = 2 and 3) in I and mJ PC (m = 1, 2, 3 and 4) in II were evaluated. For a comparative study, chiral analogous structures were retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) and their geometries and conformations are discussed.

Macropolyhedral syn-B18H22, the "Forgotten" Isomer.

The chemistry and physics of macropolyhedral B18H22 clusters have attracted significant attention due to the interesting photophysical properties of anti-B18H22 (blue emission, laser properties) and related potential applications. We have focused our attention on the "forgotten" syn-B18H22 isomer, which has received very little attention since its discovery compared to its anti-B18H22 isomer, presumably because numerous studies have reported this isomer as nonluminescent. In our study, we show that in crystalline form, syn-B18H22 exhibits blue fluorescence and becomes phosphorescent when substituted at various positions on the cluster, associated with peculiar microstructural-dependent effects. This work is a combined theoretical and experimental investigation that includes the synthesis, separation, structural characterization, and first elucidation of the photophysical properties of three different monothiol-substituted cluster isomers, [1-HS-syn-B18H21] 1, [3-HS-syn-B18H21] 3, and [4-HS-syn-B18H21] 4, of which isomers 1 and 4 have been proved to exist in two different polymorphic forms. All of these newly substituted macropolyhedral cluster derivatives (1, 3, and 4) have been fully characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, and luminescence spectroscopy. This study also presents the first report on the mechanochromic shift in the luminescence of a borane cluster and generally enriches the area of rather rare boron-based luminescent materials. In addition, we present the first results proving that they are useful constituents of carbon-free self-assembled monolayers.

Synthesis, crystal structure, cytotoxicity, in-detail experimental and computational CT-DNA interaction studies of 2-picolinate Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes.

A new Pd(II) complex of formula [Pd(en)(2-pyc)]+ (where, en is ethylenediamine and 2-pyc is 2-pyridinecarboxylate anion) and its reported Pt(II) analogue, i.e. [Pt(en)(2-pyc)]+ have been made by an improved synthetic procedure, yielding above 80%. They have been characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, conductivity and elemental analysis. Single crystal structural determination of [Pt(en)(2-pyc)]+ displayed that the Pt(II) cation in this complex coordinated by 2-pyc and en each as five member chelate resulting in slightly distorted square-planar array. The time-dependent spectroscopic analysis of these compounds in aqueous medium demonstrated their structural stabilities. The cytotoxic activities of Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes, free 2-pyc and carboplatin (as standard drug) were assayed in-vitro against the HCT-116 and MCF-7 as cancerous and MCF 10 A and CCD-841 as normal cell lines. They showed the IC50 order of: carboplatin > 2-pyc > Pt(II) > Pd(II) and lower activities against non-cancerous cells. CT-DNA binding of the Pd(II), Pt(II) and 2-pyc free ligand were explored individually. In this relation, UV-Vis and fluorescence titrations disclosed quenching of CT-DNA absorption and emissions by the compounds via dynamic mechanism and formation of H-bonds and van der Waals forces between them. The interaction was further validated and verified by viscosity measurements and gel electrophoresis. Partition coefficient determination showed that all three compounds have more lipophilicity than cisplatin. Furthermore, docking analysis and molecular dynamics simulation were done to evaluate the nature of interaction between aforementioned compounds and CT-DNA. The finding results demonstrated that these agents interact with CT-DNA via groove binding and were in agreement with experimental results.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Correction to "Homobimetallic Au(I)-Au(I) and Heterotrimetallic Au(I)-Fe(II)-Au(I) Complexes with Dialkyldithiophosphates and Phosphine Ligands: Structural Characterization, DFT Analysis, and Tyrosinase Inhibitory and Biological Effects".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00645.].

POCl3 mediated one-pot deoxygenative aromatization and electrophilic chlorination of dihydroxy-2-methyl-4-oxo-indeno[1,2-b]pyrroles.

A class of indenopyrroles is presented by the treatment of known dihydroxy-2-methyl-4-oxoindeno[1,2-b]pyrroles with phosphorus oxychloride (POCl3). The elimination of vicinal hydroxyl groups at the 3a and 8b positions, formation of a π bond, and electrophilic chlorination of the methyl group attached to C2 resulted in the fused aromatic pyrrole structures. Benzylic substitution of various nucleophiles such as H2O, EtOH, and NaN3 with a chlorine atom gave diverse 4-oxoindeno[1,2-b]pyrrole derivatives in 58 to 93% yields. The reaction was investigated in different aprotic solvents, and the highest reaction yield was obtained in DMF. The structures of the products were confirmed by spectroscopic methods, elemental analysis, and X-ray crystallography.

Homobimetallic Au(I)-Au(I) and Heterotrimetallic Au(I)-Fe(II)-Au(I) Complexes with Dialkyldithiophosphates and Phosphine Ligands: Structural Characterization, DFT Analysis, and Tyrosinase Inhibitory and Biological Effects.

The role of bridging and terminal ligand electronic and steric properties on the structure and antiproliferative activity of two-coordinated gold(I) complexes was investigated on seven novel binuclear and trinuclear gold(I) complexes synthesized by the reaction of either Au2(dppm)Cl2, Au2(dppe)Cl2, or Au2(dppf)Cl2 with potassium diisopropyldithiophosphate, K[(S-OiPr)2], potassium dicyclohexyldithiophosphate, K[(S-OCy)2], or sodium bis(methimazolyl)borate, Na(S-Mt)2, which afforded air-stable gold(I) complexes. In 1-7, the gold(I) centers adopt a two-coordinated linear geometry and are structurally similar. However, their structural features and antiproliferative properties highly depend upon subtle ligand substituent changes. All complexes were validated by 1H, 13C{1H}, 31P NMR, and IR spectroscopy. The solid-state structures of 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 were confirmed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. A density functional theory geometry optimization calculation was used to extract further structural and electronic information. To investigate the possible cytotoxicities of 2, 3, and 7, in vitro cellular tests were carried out on the human cancerous breast cell line MCF-7. 2 and 7 show promising cytotoxicity.

Syntheses, crystal structures, Hirshfeld surface analyses and energy frameworks of two 4-amino-anti-pyrine Schiff base compounds: (E)-4-{[4-(di-ethyl-amino)-benzyl-idene]amino}-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one and (E)-4-[(4-fluoro-benzyl-idene)amino]-1,5-dimethyl-2-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3(2H)-one.

The title Schiff base compounds, C22H26N4O (I) and C18H16FN3O (II), were each synthesized by a single-step condensation reaction. The substituted benzyl-idene ring is inclined to the pyrazole ring mean planes by 22.92 (7)° in I and 12.70 (9)° in II. The phenyl ring of the 4-amino-anti-pyrine unit is inclined to the pyrazole ring mean plane by 54.87 (7)° in I and by 60.44 (8)° in II. In the crystal of I, the mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions to form layers lying parallel to (001). In the crystal of II, the mol-ecules are linked by C-H⋯O and C-H⋯F hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions, thereby forming layers lying parallel to (010). Hirshfeld surface analysis was employed to further qu-antify the inter-atomic inter-actions in the crystals of both compounds.

A novel water-soluble thiosemicarbazone Schiff base ligand and its complexes as potential anticancer agents and cellular fluorescence imaging.

A novel fluorescent ligand (H2LCl⋅1.5CH3OH, 1) was synthesized and metal complexes of 1 with Mn(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) were obtained as Mn(HL)2Cl2 (2), Fe(HL)2Cl3⋅3H2O (3), Ni(L)(HL)Cl⋅8H2O (4), Cu(HL)Cl2⋅4H2O (5), Zn(H2L)Cl3 (6), respectively. These compounds were identified by spectroscopic methods, elemental analysis, molar conductivity, and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. According to the crystal structure of 4 nickel (II), center is surrounded by two ligands in a distorted octahedral geometry. The ligand and its complexes are soluble in water and have excellent stability. In vitro anti-proliferative activity of these compounds was evaluated against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and human lipo-sarcoma (SW-872) as cancer cells and human fibroblasts (HFF-2) as normal cells by MTT assay. Interestingly, complex 5 exhibited excellent activity against both cancer cells with low IC50 value 22.18 ± 0.35 µg/mL (35.66 ± 0.56 µM) for SW-872 and 79.41 ± 3.54 µg/mL (127.6 ± 5.69 µM) for MCF-7 among the compounds and in comparison with paclitaxel (PTX) which acts finely. Morphological changes were evaluated by flow cytometry that revealed apoptosis is the main cause of cell death. Likewise, cell cycle studies indicated the cell cycle arrest in the G1 and S phases for complex 5 against MCF-7 and SW-872 cancer cells, while complex 6 could arrest the MCF-7 and SW-872 cells in G2 and G1 phases, respectively. All of the compounds are fluorescent which enabled us to monitor the uptake and intracellular distribution in living human cancer cells by fluorescence microscopy.

Dipole-Moment Modulation in New Incommensurate Ferrocene.

Despite 70 years of research on metallocenes and their applications, there are still unresolved regions in its phase diagram of the prototypic sandwich compound, ferrocene Fe2+[C5H5]-2 (FeCp2), and its molecular 5-fold symmetry cannot be reconciled with the dielectric response of this crystal. We found a new phase I″ of ferrocene, which reveals the relationships between the molecular conformation, intermolecular interactions, and electric permittivity of this compound. Between 172.8 and 163.5 K, the conformational disorder of ferrocene molecules transforms into the incommensurate modulation. The structure of phase I″ is described in the (3+2)-dimensional superspace, where the molecular conformations, rotations and inclinations of the Cp rings, molecular tilts, and displacements of the Fe2+ cations, as well as the CH···π bonds in the crystal environment, are modulated. These geometric changes combine into the FeCp2 bending distortion, breaking the 5-fold symmetry and generating waves of molecular dipole moments with their amplitudes approaching 4 × 10-30 C·m.

A novel Cu(II)-based DNA-intercalating agent: Structural and biological insights using biophysical and in silico techniques.

A new mixed-ligand Cu(II) complex formulated as [Cu(dipic)(amp)(H2O)].H2O (dipic: pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid, amp: 2-amino-4-methylpyridine), was synthesized and structurally characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, CHN analysis, and the single-crystal X-ray crystallographic method. The complex crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group Pna21, and the coordination environment around the metal center was found to be a pentacoordinate CuN2O2OW distorted square-pyramidal geometry. In order to systematically explore a detailed in vitro and in silico study of the DNA binding of the title complex, various biophysical (UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence, competitive binding with ethidium bromide) and theoretical (DFT, molecular docking simulation, and QM/MM) methods were applied which revealed that the complex could intercalate with the insertion of the amp ligand between the DNA base pairs. The experimental thermodynamic parameters of the interaction revealed the spontaneity of the process and the domination of the hydrophobic interactions in the association and stabilization of the DNA-Cu(II) complex adduct, which was in line with the docking and QM/MM data. In vitro cytotoxic potential of the complex against the human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cells was examined using MTT assay, which indicated that cancerous cells showed inhibition in presence of the complex.

Formation of ibrutinib solvates: so similar, yet so different.

The transformation processes of non-solvated ibrutinib into a series of halogenated benzene solvates are explored in detail here. The transformation was studied in real time by X-ray powder diffraction in a glass capillary. Crystal structures of chlorobenzene, bromobenzene and iodobenzene solvates are isostructural, whereas the structure of fluorobenzene solvate is different. Four different mechanisms for transformation were discovered despite the similarity in the chemical nature of the solvents and crystal structures of the solvates formed. These mechanisms include direct transformations and transformations with either a crystalline or an amorphous intermediate phase. The binding preference of each solvate in the crystal structure of the solvates was examined in competitive slurry experiments and further confirmed by interaction strength calculations. Overall, the presented system and online X-ray powder diffraction measurement provide unique insights into the formation of solvates.

Modulating the Inclusive and Coordinating Ability of Thiacalix[4]arene and Its Antenna Effect on Yb3-Luminescence via Upper-Rim Substitution.

The present work introduces the series of thiacalix[4]arenes (H4L) bearing different upper-rim substituents (R = H, Br, NO2) for rational design of ligands providing an antenna-effect on the NIR Yb3+-centered luminescence of their Yb3+ complexes. The unusual inclusive self-assembly of H3L- (Br) through Brπ interactions is revealed through single-crystal XRD analysis. Thermodynamically favorable formation of dimeric complexes [2Yb3+:2HL3-] leads to efficient sensitizing of the Yb3+ luminescence for H4L (Br, NO2), while poor sensitizing is observed for ligand H4L (H). X-ray analysis of the single crystal separated from the basified DMF solutions of YbCl3 and H4L(NO2) has revealed the transformation of the dimeric complexes into [4Yb3+:2L4-] ones with a cubane-like cluster structure. The luminescence characteristics of the complexes in the solutions reveal the peculiar antenna effect of H4L(R = NO2), where the triplet level at 567 nm (17,637 cm-1) arisen from ILCT provides efficient sensitizing of the Yb3+ luminescence.

Therapeutic potential of phospho-thiadiazole derivatives as anti-glioblastoma agents: synthesis, biological assessment and computational study.

In this study, three new phospho thiadiazole compounds (A, F and W) were investigated as possible cytotoxic agents. The compounds were synthesised and characterised by using spectroscopy methods. The crystal structure of compound A was investigated using X-ray crystallography, since the title compounds can exist as different tautomeric forms, their conformational and geometrical aspects were investigated computationally by the DFT method. NBO analysis suggested that these compounds can function as appropriate ligands for the reaction with the nitrogen bases of DNA. All the synthesised compounds were evaluated in vitro for their cytotoxic activities against cancer in the human glioblastoma cell lines (U-251) using the MTT assay. According to the annexin V-FITC/PI results, a combination of synthesised compounds with ReoT3D showed a synergistic effect to increase the percentage of apoptotic cells. Molecular docking study for A (the most toxic compound) showed how it interacts with DNA. Both in vitro and in silico results showed that A has promising inhibitory potential (IC50: 48.1 ± 0.3 µM) and binding energy (-6.67 kcal/mol).

Structure-property relations of a unique and systematic dataset of 19 isostructural multicomponent apremilast forms.

The structure-property relations are examined for apremilast cocrystals and solvates in this work. A unique and large dataset of multicomponent crystal forms is presented including 7 cocrystals and 12 solvates. In total, 15 of the presented multicomponent forms and their crystal structures are published here for the first time. This dataset is unique owing to the extreme crystal packing similarity of all 19 crystal forms. This fact makes the evaluation of structure-property relations significantly easier and more precise since the differences in the crystal lattice arrangement are close to negligible. Properties of the guest molecules used here can be directly correlated with the macroscopic properties of the corresponding multicomponent forms. Interestingly, a considerable correlation was found between the intrinsic dissolution rate of the multicomponent forms and their solubility, as well as the solubility of their guest molecules in the dissolution medium. The latter is of particular interest as it can aid in the design of multicomponent forms with tuned properties.