Cadmium ion-chlorophyll interaction - Examination of spectral properties and structure of the cadmium-chlorophyll complex and their relevance to photosynthesis inhibition.

Chlorophyll was shown to spontaneously form a complex with cadmium, which is incorporated at the central position of the chlorophyll molecule porphyrin ring, where it replaces magnesium. The rate of complex formation depended on the ratio of Cd2+ ions to chlorophyll concentration in the solution. In solutions with chlorophyll concentration of C = 1 × 10-5 M and Cd2+ concentrations of C = 1 × 10-5 M, C = 1 × 10-3 M and C = 9 × 10-3 M, Cd-Chl complex formation was completed after 200 h, 50 h and 33 h, respectively. The formation of Cd-Chl complex followed the second order over all substrates reaction order, first order over Cd2+ concentration and first over Chl concentration. The pseudo second order reaction rate constant k, when Cd2+ concentration was equal Chl concentration have been obtained as k = 1.510 ± 0.023 × 10-4 M-1min-1. Quantum chemistry computations showed that Cd-chlorophyll complex existed in two conformations in the methanol solution with cadmium ion placed either below or above the coordination plane. Two times smaller overlap integral of the Chl fluorescence spectrum with the Cd-Chl absorption spectrum IChl,Cd-Chl= 2.4223 × 10-13 cm3/M in comparison with the overlap integral of the Chl fluorescence spectrum with the Chl absorption spectrum IChl,Chl= 4.6210 × 10-13 cm3/M (twice lower probability of energy transfer Chl∗ → Cd-Chl than Chl∗ → Chl) and lower Förster critical distance for resonance energy transfer: RoChl→Cd-Chl= 46.773 Å, RoChl→Chl= 52.086 Å, indicated that in plants intoxicated with cadmium, taken up from the contaminated soil, the energy transfer between Chl and Cd-Chl in antennas will be disturbed, which may be one of the reasons for the inhibition of photosynthesis.

Synthesis and characterization of mononuclear Zn(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes containing a sterically demanding silanethiolate ligand derived from tris(2,6-diisopropylphenoxy)silanethiol.

Four heteroleptic complexes of nickel(ii), cobalt(ii) and zinc(ii), containing a monodentate silanethiolate ligand derived from tris(2,6-diisopropylphenoxy)silanethiol (TDST), were prepared and characterized. Nickel(ii) and cobalt(ii) complexes of the formula M(NH3)2(TDST)2 (M = Ni(ii) complex , M = Co(ii) complex ) were obtained from the respective chlorides. Zinc complexes of the general formula Zn(acac)(TDST)(L), where L = EtOH (complex ) or H2O (complex ), were obtained from zinc acetylacetonate. A single-crystal X-ray structural analysis revealed that all crystalline products are solvent adducts. The geometries of ligands in the complexes are typical: distorted tetrahedral in zinc and cobalt(ii) complexes and square planar in nickel(ii) compounds. Magnetic studies performed for Ni(ii) and Co(ii) compounds confirmed the diamagnetic character of the first complex and high-spin paramagnetic configuration of the latter. Nickel(ii) and cobalt(ii) complexes were additionally characterized by UV-Vis and IR spectroscopy. IR bands for ligands in the complexes were assigned with the help of the DFT vibrational frequency calculations.

Helicity discrimination in N,N'-dibenzoyl-1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10-octahydro-1,10-phenanthrolines and their thiono- and selenocarbonyl analogues by inclusion complexation with chiral diols.

X-ray crystallographic analysis of the title compounds revealed that they assume a folded helical conformation of an approximate C2 symmetry in the solid state. Dithioamide 5b, diselenoamide 5c and monoselenoamide 5d were resolved to enantiomers by inclusion crystallization with optically active diols (TADDOLs). The absolute configuration of the guest molecules in the complexes 5b·6a, 5c·6a and 5d·6a was assigned as P. The optical activity of the resolved compounds is manifested by their CD spectra showing relatively strong Cotton effects in the region of thionoamide and selenoamide n­π* transition. The optically active thiono- and selenoamides are configurationally labile compounds and gradually racemize in solution but they are stable in the form of the inclusion complexes. The first-order kinetics of the racemization in solution allowed us to assign the racemization barriers by the spectropolarimetric measurements.

Conformational properties, chiroptical spectra, and molecular self-assembly of 2,3-piperazinodiones and their dithiono analogues.

A family of chiral cyclic oxamides was prepared by the condensation of optically active 1,2-diamines with diethyl oxalate. Thionation of the products with Lawesson's reagent afforded a series of chiral 2,3-piperazinedithiones. Molecular geometries of the title compounds were studied with the use of quantum mechanical DFT calculations and were compared to the X-ray crystallographic results. The heterocyclic six-membered ring adopted a half-chair conformation with the C-5 substituent preferably at the equatorial position, whereas a substitution at the nitrogen atoms resulted in domination of the axial form in the conformational equilibrium. The opposite helicity of the twisted oxamide chromophore in the axial and equatorial conformers led to the opposite signs of the Cotton effects corresponding to two pi-pi* electronic transitions. The CD signs can be predicted by a simple helicity rule. The same rule is valid for 2,3-piperazinodithiones, where a substitution of sulfur for oxygen in the carbonyl groups results in bathochromic shifts of the absorption and CD bands. The crystal packing analysis of several 2,3-piperazinodiones revealed that strong NH...O=C intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions generating the chain motif resulted in the formation of 3-D networks as well as with the use of the cyclic hydrogen-bond motif tape structures.