Metal-Ligand Role Reversal: Hydride-Transfer Catalysis by a Functional Phosphorus Ligand with a Spectator Metal.

Hydride transfer catalysis is shown to be enabled by the nonspectator reactivity of a transition metal-bound low-symmetry tricoordinate phosphorus ligand. Complex 1·[Ru]+, comprising a nontrigonal phosphorus chelate (1, P(N(o-N(2-pyridyl)C6H4)2) and an inert metal fragment ([Ru] = (Me5C5)Ru), reacts with NaBH4 to give a metallohydridophosphorane (1H·[Ru]) by P-H bond formation. Complex 1H·[Ru] is revealed to be a potent hydride donor (ΔG°H-,exp < 41 kcal/mol, ΔG°H-,calc = 38 ± 2 kcal/mol in MeCN). Taken together, the reactivity of the 1·[Ru]+/1H·[Ru] pair comprises a catalytic couple, enabling catalytic hydrodechlorination in which phosphorus is the sole reactive site of hydride transfer.

Two-Site O-H Addition to an Iridium Complex Featuring a Nonspectator Tricoordinate Phosphorus Ligand.

The synthesis and reactivity of an ambiphilic iridium complex IrCl(PPh3)(L1) (1; L1 = P(N(o-N(2-pyridyl)C6H4)2)) featuring a chelating nontrigonal phosphorus triamide ligand is reported. The tandem Lewis basic Ir and Lewis acidic P of 1 achieve a two-site oxidative addition of phenol giving the iridaphenoxyphosphorane species IrHCl(PPh3)(L1OPh) (3'). In contrast, reactions of 1 with benzenethiol and benzeneselenol do not engage L1 and instead proceed via metal-centered oxidative addition of the chalcogen-hydrogen bond. These findings establish metal-ligand cooperation involving nonspectator reactivity of tricoordinate phosphorus ligands.

Enthalpy-Controlled Insertion of a "Nonspectator" Tricoordinate Phosphorus Ligand into Group 10 Transition Metal-Carbon Bonds.

Insertion of a tricoordinate phosphorus ligand into late metal-carbon bonds is reported. Metalation of a P^P-chelating ligand (L1), composed of a nontrigonal phosphorous (i.e., P(III)) triamide moiety, P(N(o-N(Ar)C6H4)2, tethered by a phenylene linker to a -PiPr2 anchor, with group 10 complexes L2M(Me)Cl (M = Ni, Pd) results in insertion of the nontrigonal phosphorus site into the metal-methyl bond. The stable methylmetallophosphorane compounds thus formed are characterized spectroscopically and crystallographically. Metalation of L1 with (cod)PtII(Me)(Cl) does not lead to a metallophosphorane but rather to the standard bisphosphine chelate (κ2-L1)Pt(Me)(Cl). These divergent reactivities within group 10 are rationalized by reference to periodic variation in M-C bond enthalpies.

High-throughput single-cell live imaging of photobiomodulation with multispectral near-infrared lasers in cultured T cells.

SIGNIFICANCE: Photobiomodulation is a well-established therapeutic modality. However, the mechanism of action is poorly understood, due to lack of research in the causal relationship between the near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation and its specific biological effects, hindering broader applications of this technology. AIM: Since biological chromophores typically show several absorption peaks, we determined whether specific effects of photobiomodulation are induced with a combination of two wavelengths at a certain range of irradiance only, rather than a single wavelength of NIR light. APPROACH: In order to analyze a wide array of combinations of multispectral NIR light at various irradiances efficiently, we developed a new optical platform equipped with two distinct wavelengths of NIR lasers by high-throughput multiple dosing for single-cell live imaging. Two wavelengths of 1064 and 1270 nm were selected based on their photobiomodulatory effects reported in the literature. RESULTS: A specific combination of wavelengths at low irradiances (250 to 400 mW / cm2 for 1064 nm and 55 to 65 mW / cm2 for 1270 nm) modulates mitochondrial retrograde signaling, including intracellular calcium and reactive oxygen species in T cells. The time-dependent density functional theory computation of binding of nitric oxide (NO) to cytochrome c oxidase indicates that the illumination with NIR light could result in the NO release, which might be involved in these changes. CONCLUSIONS: This optical platform is a powerful tool to study causal relationship between a specific parameter of NIR light and its biological effects. Such a platform is useful for a further mechanistic study on not only photobiomodulation but also other modalities in photomedicine.

Validating the Biphilic Hypothesis of Nontrigonal Phosphorus(III) Compounds.

Constraining σ3 -P compounds in nontrigonal, entatic geometries has proven to be an effective strategy for promoting biphilic oxidative addition reactions more typical of transition metals. Although qualitative descriptions of the impact of structure and symmetry on σ3 -P complexes have been proposed, electronic structure variations responsible for biphilic reactivity have yet to be elucidated experimentally. Reported here are P K-edge XANES data and complementary TDDFT calculations for a series of structurally modified P(N)3 complexes that both validate and quantify electronic structure variations proposed to give rise to biphilic reactions at phosphorus. These data are presented alongside experimentally referenced electronic structure calculations that reveal nontrigonal structures predicted to further enhance biphilic reactivity in σ3 -P ligands and catalysts.

Insertion of a Nontrigonal Phosphorus Ligand into a Transition Metal-Hydride: Direct Access to a Metallohydrophosphorane.

The synthesis and reactivity of an NPN-chelating ligand containing a nontrigonal phosphorous triamide center (L1 = P(N( o-N(2-pyridyl)C6H4)2) is reported. Metalation of L1 with RuCl2(PPh3)3 gives RuCl2(PPh3)(L1) (2). By contrast, metalation of L1 with RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)3 yields RuCl(CO)(PPh3)(L1H) (3), a chelated 10-P-5 ruthenahydridophosphorane, via net insertion into the Ru-H bond. Hydride abstraction from 3 with Ph3CPF6 gives [RuCl(CO)(PPh3)(L1)]PF6 (4); reaction of 4 with NaBH4 returns 3.

A luminescent organic radical with two pyridyl groups: high photostability and dual stimuli-responsive properties, with theoretical analyses of photophysical processes.

Luminescent monoradicals are expected to show unique properties based on their doublet state, where establishing a method to improve their photostability is an important issue for expanding their photofunctionality. We synthesized a highly photostable luminescent organic radical, the bis(3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical (bisPyTM), containing two pyridyl groups on a tris(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical (TTM) skeleton. bisPyTM in dichloromethane exhibited fluorescence with an emission peak wavelength, λem, of 650 nm. We visually detected an emission (λem = 712 nm) from crystalline bisPyTM at 77 K, which is the first example of definite solid-state emission in a radical. Introducing the two nitrogen atoms into the TTM skeleton was shown to lower the energies of the frontier orbitals. The oscillator strength, f, of the electronic transition between the lowest excited state and the ground state, and the off-diagonal vibronic coupling constants (VCCs) were calculated theoretically for bisPyTM and the (3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical (PyBTM). The calculated PyBTM to bisPyTM ratios for f or VCC agreed well with experimental radiative and non-radiative rate constants (kr and knr) ratios, respectively. This study shows that scaled kr and knr can be estimated and compared in this class of radicals using theoretical calculations, greatly advancing the prediction and design of their photofunctionality. The half-life of bisPyTM upon continuous UV light irradiation in dichloromethane was 47 or 3000 times longer those that of PyBTM (which contains one pyridyl group) and TTM (which has no pyridyl rings), respectively. The electrochemical and luminescent properties of bisPyTM were modulated in two stages using protons or B(C6F5)3.

Spin-reconstructed proton-coupled electron transfer in a ferrocene-nickeladithiolene hybrid.

A proton-electron dual-responsive system based on a hybrid of ferrocene and metalladithiolene (1) was developed. The formation of the dithiafulvenium moiety was driven by protonation of the metalladithiolene unit of 1 and by oxidation. The change in the electronic structure caused by the protonation was combined with the redox properties of the two components of 1, generating two radical species with different spin density distributions (3d spin and π spin). Furthermore, a spin-reconstructed proton-coupled electron transfer, i.e., the transformation from 3d spin to π spin accompanied by deprotonation, was achieved by a temperature change, the third external stimulus.

Intramolecular Ferromagnetic Radical-Cu(II) Coupling in a Cu(II) Complex Ligated with Pyridyl-Substituted Triarylmethyl Radicals.

Novel metal complexes M(hfac)2(PyBTM)2 [M = Cu(II), Zn(II); hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonato; PyBTM = (3,5-dichloro-4-pyridyl)bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)methyl radical] were prepared. Both hexacoordinated complexes had elongated octahedral geometry, in which two PyBTM molecules coordinated at the equatorial positions in Cu(II)(hfac)2(PyBTM)2 but at the axial positions in Zn(II)(hfac)2(PyBTM)2. Magnetic studies revealed an intramolecular ferromagnetic exchange interaction between the spins on PyBTM and Cu(II) (JCu-R/kB = 47 K) based on the orthogonality of the two spin orbitals.