Chirality Sensing of Cryptochiral Guests with Prism[n]arenes.

Optical chirality sensing has gained significant attention in recent years. Within this field, the quest for stereodynamic chiroptical probes capable of detecting cryptochiral guests presents a formidable challenge. Macrocycles exhibiting planar chirality have emerged as promising candidates for amplifying the chirality of cryptochiral guests. In this study, we demonstrate that the formation of host-guest complexes between cryptochiral molecules and planar chiral prismarenes triggers electronic circular dichroism (ECD) signals via host-guest complexation-induced chirality amplification. The absolute configuration of the most stable chiral macrocyclic host-guest complex has been established by resorting to both exciton model and DFT computations. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this supramolecular chirality sensing system can be employed to determine the enantiomeric composition of scalemic mixtures by measuring the ECD bands intensity. The information described here opens the way for the use of prismarenes as stereodynamic probes for sensing of cryptochiral guests.

Palladium Complexes of N-Methylcorroles.

Alkylation of one of the inner-core nitrogen atoms is one possible approach to obtain dianionic corrole ligands, suitable for the coordination of divalent metal ions, such as PdII . Inner-core N-methylation can be obtained by treating the corrole with CH3 I, but the reaction conditions should be optimized to limit the formation of the dimethylated derivative. Two regioisomers, the N-21 and the N-22 methyl derivatives are obtained from the reaction, with the first product achieved in a higher amount. Structural characterization of the reaction products evidenced the distortion induced by the introduction of the methyl groups; the N-methylcorroles are chiral compounds, and the enantiomers were separated by chromatography, with their absolute configuration assigned by ECD computation. Palladium insertion was achieved in the case of monosubstituted corroles, but not with the dimethylated macrocycle; X-ray characterization of the complexes showed the distortion of the macrocycles. The Pd complexes do not show luminescence emission, but are able to produce singlet oxygen upon irradiation. The PdII complexes were also inserted in human serum albumin (HSA) and dispersed in water; in this case, the protein protects the corroles from photobleaching, and a switch from the type II to the type I mechanism in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is observed.

Synthesis and Stereochemical Characterization of a Novel Chiral α-Tetrazole Binaphthylazepine Organocatalyst.

A novel α-tetrazole-substituted 1,1'-binaphthylazepine chiral catalyst has been synthesized and its absolute configuration has been determined by DFT computational analysis of the vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectrum of its precursor. The VCD analysis, carried out through the model averaging method, allowed to assign the absolute configuration of a benzylic stereocenter in the presence of a chiral binaphthyl moiety. The 1,1'-binaphthylazepine tetrazole and the nitrile its immediate synthetic precursor, have been preliminarily tested as chiral organocatalysts in the asymmetric intramolecular oxa-Michael cyclization of 2-hydroxy chalcones for the synthesis of chiral flavanones obtaining low enantioselectivity.

Amplification of the chiroptical response of UV-transparent amines and alcohols by N-phthalimide derivatization enabling absolute configuration determination through ECD computational analysis.

The stereoselective transformation of chiral UV-transparent amines and alcohols to phthalimides has proved to be a simple and efficient method to enhance the chiroptical response of these substrates allowing their reliable absolute configuration determination by computational analysis of ECD spectra. Such a transformation also leads to a significant reduction in the molecular conformational flexibility thus simplifying the conformational analysis required by the computational treatment. The method described herein thus allows the absolute configuration assignment to these challenging substrates to be much easier and reliable.

Absolute Configuration Assignment to Chiral Natural Products by Biphenyl Chiroptical Probes: The Case of the Phytotoxins Colletochlorin A and Agropyrenol.

The application of flexible biphenyls as chiroptical probes for the absolute configuration assignment to chiral natural products is described. The method is straightforward and reliable and can be applied to conformationally mobile and ECD silent compounds, not treatable by computational analysis of chiroptical data. By this approach, the (6'R) absolute configuration of the phytotoxin colletochlorin A (1) was confirmed, while the absolute configuration of the phytotoxin agropyrenol (2), previously assigned by the NMR Mosher method, was revised and assigned as (3'S,4'S). Moreover, with the biphenyl method the configurational assignment can be obtained simply by the sign of a diagnostic Cotton effect at 250 nm in the ECD spectrum, thus allowing application without the need of advanced knowledge of chiroptical spectroscopy and computational protocols.

Absolute Configuration Assignment from Optical Rotation Data by Means of Biphenyl Chiroptical Probes.

A non-empirical approach for the assignment of the absolute configuration of chiral 2-alkyl-substituted carboxylic acids and primary amines by [α]D measurements has been developed. The method requires the conversion of the chiral acids or amines into the corresponding 4,4'-disubstituted biphenylamides or biphenylazepines, respectively. In these derivatives a central-to-axial chirality transfer induces a preferred torsion in the biphenyl moiety revealed by the sign of the biphenyl A band in the ECD spectrum. By 4,4'-substitution on the biphenyl moiety a redshift of the A band is obtained, leading to an increase of its relative contribution to optical rotation. This allows to reliably establish a direct correlation between the [α]D sign, the biphenyl twist and, then, the substrate absolute configuration. This approach thus constitutes a really practical and reliable method to assign the absolute configuration of chiral carboxylic acids and primary amines by simple and straightforward [α]D measurement, readily obtainable by a routine instrumentation like the polarimeter.

Inherently chiral helicene-substituted thioalkyl porphyrazine complexes: synthesis and electronic and chiroptical properties.

The chiral Ni(II) and Pd(II) complexes of [6]helicene thioethyl porphyrazine have been synthesized and their spectroscopic, electrochemical, and chiroptical properties have been investigated by experimental and computational analyses. In these compounds, the tetrapyrrole macrocycle is ß-substituted with an inherently chiral extended aromatic moiety potentially suitable to establish attractive π-π interactions with nanocarbons and endowed with helical chirality, both features providing interesting properties for optoelectronic applications. Experimental and density functional theory computational analyses highlight the presence of HOMO-LUMO charge-transfer transitions between the helicene moiety and the porphyrazine macrocycle. These compounds behave as mono-substituted push-pull systems without any typical electron-withdrawing or electron-donating groups and thus appear promising for optoelectronics. The enantiomers of the Ni(II) complex have been separated by chiral HPLC and their absolute configuration has been established by density functional theory computational analysis of electronic circular dichroism spectra. The magnetic circular dichroism spectrum of this complex has also been recorded providing better insight into its electronic structure.

Computational Approaches and Use of Chiroptical Probes in the Absolute Configuration Assignment to Natural Products by ECD Spectroscopy: A 1,2,3-Trihydroxy-p-menthane as a Case Study.

In this study, the computational analysis of electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra and the employment of biphenyl chiroptical probes were compared in the absolute configuration assignment of (-)-1α,2α,3ß-trihydroxy-p-menthane (1), taken as a representative example of a UV-transparent chiral natural product. The usefulness of chiroptical probes in the configurational assignments of natural products and their complementarity to the computational protocols is herein highlighted. The biphenyl probe approach proves to be straightforward, reliable, and suitable for conformationally mobile and ECD silent compounds, not treatable by computational analysis of chiroptical data.

Characterization of "Free Base" and Metal Complex Thioalkyl Porphyrazines by Magnetic Circular Dichroism and TDDFT Calculations.

UV-vis absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of octakis thioethyl "free base" porphyrazine H2OESPz and its metal complexes MOESPz (M = Mg, Zn, Ni, Pd, Cu), as well as of [MnOESPz(SH)] were recorded. In the last case, MCD proved to have quite good sensitivity to the coordination of this complex with 1-methylimidazole (1-mim) in benzene. Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were carried out for the considered porphyrazine complexes and showed good performance on comparing with MCD and UV-vis experimental spectra, even in the open-shell Cu and Mn cases. Calculations accounted for the red shift observed in the thioalkyl compounds and allowed us to reveal the role of sulfur atoms in spectroscopically relevant molecular orbitals and to highlight the importance of the conformations of the thioethyl external groups. Calculated MCD spectra of [MnOESPz(SH)] confirm the Mn(III) → Mn(II) redox process, which leads to the [Mn(OESPz)(1-mim)2] species, and the relevance of the spin state for MCD is revealed.

Porphyrins Through the Looking Glass: Spectroscopic and Mechanistic Insights in Supramolecular Chirogenesis of New Self-Assembled Porphyrin Derivatives.

The solvent driven aggregation of porphyrin derivatives, covalently linked to a L- or D-prolinate enantiomer, results in the stereospecific formation of species featuring remarkable supramolecular chirality, as a consequence of reading and amplification of the stereochemical information stored in the proline-appended group. Spectroscopic, kinetic, and topographic SEM studies gave important information on the aggregation processes, and on the structures of the final chiral architectures. The results obtained may be the seeds for the construction of stereoselective sensors aiming at the detection, for example, of novel emergent pollutants from agrochemical, food, and pharmaceutical industry.

Antimicrobial Activity and Chemical Composition of Three Essential Oils Extracted from Mediterranean Aromatic Plants.

There is a growing interest in essential oils (EOs) as possible alternatives for traditional chemical pesticides. This study was carried out to characterize the chemical composition of the three EOs extracted from Verbena officinalis, Majorana hortensis, and Salvia officinalis using gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and to evaluate in vitro their efficacy against some phyto or human pathogens. The antifungal activity was investigated against Colletotrichum acutatum and Botrytis cinerea in comparison with Azoxystrobin as a large spectrum fungicide. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus mojavensis, and Clavibacter michiganensis (G+ve) and Escherichia coli, Xanthomonas campestris, Pseudomonas savastanoi, and P. syringae pv. phaseolicola (G-ve) compared to a synthetic antibiotic tetracycline. Minimum inhibitory concentration was evaluated against the above tested fungi using 96-well microplate method. Results showed that the chemical structure of the three studied EOs was mainly composed of monoterpene compounds and all oils belong to the chemotype carvacrol/thymol. Results of GC analysis identified 64 compounds, which were identified based on their mass to charge ratio. Furthermore, the different concentrations of studied EOs inhibited the growth of tested microorganism in a dose-dependent manner.

Non-symmetrical aryl- and arylethynyl-substituted thioalkyl-porphyrazines for optoelectronic materials: synthesis, properties, and computational studies.

A series of novel non-symmetrically substituted mono ß-aryl and ß-arylethynyl (alkylsulfanyl)porphyrazines and the corresponding Ni(ii) complexes have been prepared by the Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions with the aim to investigate substituent effects on their electronic and aggregation properties. Spectroscopic, electrochemical and computational investigations show that in both aryl and arylethynyl compounds efficient electron transfer between the aryl and macrocycle moieties occurs. The highest perturbation of the porphyrazine π-electron core is provided by strong electron-donating (NMe2) and electron withdrawing (NO2) aryl substituents, which increase and decrease the macrocycle electron density, respectively. Moreover, while in most of the compounds the LUMOs and HOMOs are mainly localized on the porphyrazine ring, in the amino-substituted derivatives the HOMO is localized on the peripheral aryl moieties and the LUMO is localized on the macrocycle. Charge-transfer electronic excitations give rise to absorptions in UV-Vis spectra of both amino- and nitro-substituted compounds. In the former such excitations occur from aryl-localized to macrocycle-localized orbitals, while backward excitations occur in the latter. Therefore, the porphyrazine ring shows an ambivalent behavior, acting as an electron acceptor in the case of the NMe2-substituted compounds and as an electron donor in the NO2-substituted derivative. In these derivatives, even macrocycle mono-substitution provides unconventional "push-pull" systems suitable for NLO. Columnar discotic mesophases are also shown by thio-octyl arylethynyl derivatives, allowing us to envisage the possibility to achieve compounds both suitable for optoelectronic applications and endowed with self-aggregation properties.

An interplay between infrared multiphoton dissociation Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry and density functional theory computations in the characterization of a tripodal quinolin-8-olate Gd(III) complex.

A new hexadentate, tripodal 8-hydroxyquinoline based ligand (QH3) and its gadolinium(III) tris-chelated (GdQ) complex with hemicage structure was investigated by using high resolution Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICRMS). The protonated adduct of the free ligand and its hemicage tripodal Gd(III) complex, [GdQ + H](+), were first observed in experiments of electrospray ionization (ESI) with a linear ion trap (LTQ) mass spectrometer and further investigated by using high resolution FTICRMS. Gas-phase dissociation of the protonated Gd(III) complex, by infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) FTICR MS, demonstrated a fragmentation pattern with six main product cluster ions labeled as [Fn](+) (n = 1 up to 6). These product ions suggest the elimination of 7-amino-alkyl or 7-alkyl chains of the hemicage moiety. High resolution MS conditions allowed the elucidation of the fragmentation pattern and product ion structures along with the determination, among the isotopic pattern of Gd, of the chemical compositions of closely related species, which differ in terms of hydrogen content. Among the Gd six naturally stable isotopes, (158)Gd is the most abundant, and its peak within each cluster was used as a reference for distinguishing each product ions. Computational DFT investigations were applied to give support to some hypothesis of fragmentation pathways, which could not have been easily justified on the basis of the experimental work. Furthermore, computational studies suggested the coordination geometry of the protonated parent complex and the five- and four-coordinated complexes, which derive from its fragmentation. Furthermore, experimental and computational evidences were collected about the octet spin state of the parent compound.

Cyclometalated Pt(IV) trans-diiodo adducts: experimental and computational studies within an homologous series of compounds.

Four cyclometalated Pt(IV) compounds, 1a,b and 2a,b, were successfully obtained by oxidative addition of I(2) to 2-phenylpyridinate (PhPy) and Nile Red (NR) derived Pt(II) complexes with acetylacetonate (acac) or hexafluoroacetylacetonate (hacac) ancillary ligands. Single crystal X-ray diffraction, electrochemical, photophysical and computational studies have been performed in comparison with the analogues Pt(II) compounds, shedding new light on the role of the oxidation state of the metal centre towards both the luminescence properties and the dioxygen quenching.

Organometallic red-emitting chromophores: a computational and experimental study on cyclometallated Nile Red complexes of palladium(II) and platinum(II) acetylacetonates and hexafluoroacetylacetonates.

A comparative photophysical, electrochemical and computational study of a series of Nile Red cyclopalladated and newly synthesised cycloplatinated complexes is reported. All complexes are luminescent at room temperature and the emission properties are governed by the nature of the cyclometallated dye. However, the presence of platinum(II) as metal centre decreases severely the emission quantum yield, while the electronegativity of the ancillary hexafluoroacetylacetonato ligand enhanced the emission properties of the Nile Red complexes.

Spectroscopy and electrochemical properties of a homologous series of acetylacetonato and hexafluoroacetylacetonato cyclopalladated and cycloplatinated complexes.

A photophysical, electrochemical and computational study has been performed on a homologous series of cyclometallated Pd(II) (1a-f) and Pt(II) (2a-f) complexes of general formula [(C,N)M(O,O)]; (H(C,N) = azobenzene, 2-phenylpyridine, benzo[h]quinoline; M = Pd, Pt; H(O,O) = acetylacetone, hexafluoroacetylacetone). Experimental and computational data have shown the strong influence exerted by electronegativity of the ancillary ligand on the frontier orbitals of the complexes, such an effect being enhanced for the Pt(II) species.

8-hydroxyquinoline monomer, water adducts, and dimer. Environmental influences on structure, spectroscopic properties, and relative stability of cis and trans conformers.

The low fluorescence quantum yield of 8-hydroxyquinoline cannot be correctly interpreted without knowing the form that such a compound assumes in different environments. The commonly accepted emission-quenching excited-state proton transfer can follow different reaction paths if 8-hydroxyquinoline is dimeric or monomeric or if it exists in the form of cis and trans conformers; in this light, the knowledge of the compound form in a particular environment is basic. We have performed a spectroscopic and computational investigation aimed at the determination of the form of 8-hydroxyquinoline in different solvents. UV-vis, fluorescence, and IR spectral features have been assigned by ab initio computations based on the density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory; the density functional theory and MP2 computations have been applied to the determination of the relative stability of the dimeric and monomeric cis and trans forms of 8-hydroxyquinoline in different solvents. Molecular dynamics computations have been used to determine the compound behavior in water solutions. According to our results, 8-hydroxyquinoline shows a clear preference for the cis conformation (as dimer or monomer), but, in water solutions, a small fraction of the trans conformation is also present.

Platinum(II) complexes bearing 1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene as building blocks for functionalized redox active porphyrins.

Reactions of the cationic complex ions [PtMe(Me2SO)(PP)]+ (PP = dppf (1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) and dppe (1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane)) with 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-pyridyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (TpyP) led to the formation of the symmetrical tetraplatinated porphyrin complexes, [PtMe(PP)]4TpyP.X4 (PP = dppf, X = CF3SO3-, 3, and PP = dppe, X = BF4-, 5) containing the organometallic fragment [PtMe(PP)]. The precursor sulfoxide platinum complexes [PtMe(Me2SO)(dppf)]CF3SO3, 2 and [PtMe(Me2SO)(dppe)]BF4, 4, were prepared by halide abstraction from [PtMeCl(dppf)], 1, and by controlled protonolysis of [PtMe2(dppe)] respectively, in the presence of a small amount of dimethyl sulfoxide. All these starting platinum(II) compounds, as well as the porphyrin derivatives 3 and 5, were fully characterized through elemental analysis, 1H NMR mono- and bidimensional, 31P[1H], 31P-1H HMBC, UV/Vis absorption and photophysical measurements. The X-ray crystal structure of complex 1 has been determined. In order to ascertain the electronic influence of ferrocene, the spectroscopic and redox properties of 3 were compared with those of TPyP and of the analogous 5. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), 1H and 31P NMR data, and UV/Vis data, all suggest a certain degree of communication between the central porphyrin and the peripheral hetero-bimetallic fragments. In contrast, no detectable interaction among these peripheral groups seem to come into play. Unlikely from the porphyrin derivative 5, formation of well defined fluorescent mesoscopic ring structures was easily achieved by simple evaporation from diluted dichloromethane solutions of 3.

Two-electron reduction of alkyl(sulfanyl)porphyrazines: a route to free-base and peripherally metallated asymmetric porphyrazines.

Treatment of octakis(octylthio)porphyrazine (H(2)OOSPz) with cis-bis(benzonitrile)dichloroplatinum(II) in a 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB)-n-BuOH mixture at 190 degree C affords the asymmetric porphyrazine 2H-heptakis(octylthio)porphyrazine, H(2)HOSPz, in ca. 40% yield. In the key synthetic step the two-electron reduced diprotonated porphyrazine, [H(2)OOPz(4-)(H(+))(2)](hemiporphyrazinogen), forms in nearly quantitative yield. This species undergoes nucleophilic substitution of an octylsulfide group by H(-), affording the asymmetric porphyrazine, this process being favoured by the high-temperature induced charge and structural intramolecular rearrangements. The resulting molecule shows mesomorphic behaviour. Interestingly, in the presence of sodium acetate, or in neat TCB, the asymmetric porphyrazine does not form at all. Under these conditions, a PtCl(2) molecular fragment coordinates both to a porphyrazine aza bridge and to a thioether moiety leading to the formation of the [H(2)OOSPz]PtCl(2) complex. The S,N-coordination of the PtCl(2) unit was proved by (1)H, (195)Pt[(1)H], and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, and supported by DFT (B3LYP) calculations. The complex conjugates high asymmetry with strong solvatochromism and, therefore, it is potentially interesting for nonlinear optics.

Investigations on the electronic effects of the peripheral 4'-group on 5-(4'-substituted)phenylazo-8-hydroxyquinoline ligands: zinc and aluminium complexes.

A new series of 5-(4'-substituted)phenylazo-8-hydroxyquinolines (H[L-R]; R = N(CH(3))(2), C(2)H(5), n-C(4)H(9), C(CH(3))(3), H, and F, ) has been prepared and the corresponding Zn[L-R](2) (1a-6a) and Al[L-R](3) (1b-6b) complexes successfully synthesized. These compounds have been studied in order to design new molecular materials with enhanced electron transport properties. The obtained species have been extensively characterized by absorption and emission spectra and by cyclic voltammetric measurements. Experimental and computational results show that the Zn[L-N(CH(3))(2)].2H(2)O (1a) and Al[L-N(CH(3))(2)](1b) complexes only feature luminescence (at 620 and 600 nm), respectively. The unique effects, which are induced by the N=N-C(6)H(4)-N(CH(3))(2) group, are further proved by a reversible electron transfer process detected by cyclic voltammetry. These outcomes, discussed on the basis of theoretical calculations performed on the (H[L-N(CH3)2])-, H[L-N(CH3)2] and (H[L-N(CH3)(2)])+ species, suggest that metal complexes formed by 5-(4'-N,N-dimethylamino)phenylazo-8-hydroxyquinoline should be considered as electron transport materials suitable for applications in photonic devices.