Chromophore Optimization in Organometallic Au(III) Cys Arylation of Peptides and Proteins for 266 nm Photoactivation.

Cysteine is the most reactive naturally occurring amino acid due to the presence of a free thiol, presenting a tantalizing handle for covalent modification of peptides/proteins. Although many mass spectrometry experiments could benefit from site-specific modification of Cys, the utility of direct arylation has not been thoroughly explored. Recently, Spokoyny and co-workers reported a Au(III) organometallic reagent that robustly arylates Cys and tolerates a wide variety of solvents and conditions. Given the chromophoric nature of aryl groups and the known susceptibility of carbon-sulfur bonds to photodissociation, we set out to identify an aryl group that could efficiently cleave Cys carbon-sulfur bonds at 266 nm. A streamlined workflow was developed to facilitate rapid examination of a large number of aryls with minimal sample using a simple test peptide, RAAACGVLK. We were able to identify several aryl groups that yield abundant homolytic photodissociation of the adjacent Cys carbon-sulfur bonds with short activation times (<10 ms). In addition, we characterized the radical products created by photodissociation by subjecting the product ions to further collisional activation. Finally, we tested Cys arylation with human hemoglobin, identified reaction conditions that facilitate efficient modification of intact proteins, and evaluated the photochemistry and activation of these large radical ions.

Cooperative dinitrogen capture by a diboraanthracene/samarocene pair.

The combination of a boron Lewis acid and a decamethylsamarocene, specifically 9,10-Me2-9,10-diboraanthracene with (C5Me5)2SmII(THF)2, in toluene leads to cooperative reductive capture of N2. The product crystallizes as the salt, [(C5Me5)2SmIII(THF)2][(C5Me5)2SmIII(η2-N2B2C14H14)], 1, which formally is comprised of an (NN)2- moiety sandwiched between a [(C5Me5)2SmIII]1+ metallocene cation and the diboraanthracene ditopic Lewis acid.

Solid-state 11B NMR studies of coinage metal complexes containing a phosphine substituted diboraanthracene ligand.

Transition metal interactions with Lewis acids (M → Z linkages) are fundamentally interesting and practically important. The most common Z-type ligands contain boron, which contains an NMR active 11B nucleus. We measured solid-state 11B{1H} NMR spectra of copper, silver, and gold complexes containing a phosphine substituted 9,10-diboraanthracene ligand (B2P2) that contain planar boron centers and weak M → BR3 linkages ([(B2P2)M][BArF4] (M = Cu (1), Ag (2), Au (3)) characterized by large quadrupolar coupling (CQ) values (4.4-4.7 MHz) and large span (Ω) values (93-139 ppm). However, the solid-state 11B{1H} NMR spectrum of K[Au(B2P2)]- (4), which contains tetrahedral borons, is narrow and characterized by small CQ and Ω values. DFT analysis of 1-4 shows that CQ and Ω are expected to be large for planar boron environments and small for tetrahedral boron, and that the presence of a M → BR3 linkage relates to the reduction in CQ and 11B NMR shielding properties. Thus solid-state 11B NMR spectroscopy contains valuable information about M → BR3 linkages in complexes containing the B2P2 ligand.

H2 evolution from H2O via O-H oxidative addition across a 9,10-diboraanthracene.

The water reactivity of the boroauride complex ([Au(B2P2)][K(18-c-6)]; (B2P2, 9,10-bis(2-(diisopropylphosphino)-phenyl)-9,10-dihydroboranthrene) and its corresponding two-electron oxidized complex, Au(B2P2)Cl, are presented. Au(B2P2)Cl is tolerant to H2O and forms the hydroxide complex Au(B2P2)OH in the presence of H2O and triethylamine. [Au(B2P2)]Cl and [Au(B2P2)]OH are poor Lewis acids as judged by the Gutmann-Becket method, with [Au(B2P2)]OH displaying facile hydroxide exchange between B atoms of the DBA ring as evidenced by variable temperature NMR spectroscopy. The reduced boroauride complex [Au(B2P2)]- reacts with 1 equivalent of H2O to produce a hydride/hydroxide product, [Au(B2P2)(H)(OH)]-, that rapidly evolves H2 upon further H2O reaction to yield the dihydroxide compound, [Au(B2P2)(OH)2]-. [Au(B2P2)]Cl can be regenerated from [Au(B2P2)(OH)2]-via HCl·Et2O, providing a synthetic cycle for H2 evolution from H2O enabled by O-H oxidative addition at a diboraanthracene unit.

Supramolecular Catalysis of the oxa-Pictet-Spengler Reaction with an Endohedrally Functionalized Self-Assembled Cage Complex.

An endohedrally functionalized self-assembled Fe4 L6 cage complex can catalyze oxa-Pictet-Spengler cyclizations of tryptophols and various aldehyde derivatives, showing strong rate accelerations and size-selectivity. Selective molecular recognition of substrates controls the reactivity, and the cage is capable of binding and activating multiple different species along the multistep reaction pathway. The combination of a functionalized active site, size-selective reactivity, and multistep activation, all from a single host molecule, illustrates the biomimetic nature of the catalysis.

Assembly and Redox-Rich Hydride Chemistry of an Asymmetric Mo2S2 Platform.

Although molybdenum sulfide materials show promise as electrocatalysts for proton reduction, the hydrido species proposed as intermediates remain poorly characterized. We report herein the synthesis, reactions and spectroscopic properties of a molybdenum-hydride complex featuring an asymmetric Mo2S2 core. This molecule displays rich redox chemistry with electrochemical couples at E½ = -0.45, -0.78 and -1.99 V vs. Fc/Fc+. The corresponding hydrido-complexes for all three redox levels were isolated and characterized crystallographically. Through an analysis of solid-state bond metrics and DFT calculations, we show that the electron-transfer processes for the two more positive couples are centered predominantly on the pyridinediimine supporting ligand, whereas for the most negative couple electron-transfer is mostly Mo-localized.

C[double bond, length as m-dash]O scission and reductive coupling of organic carbonyls by a redox-active diboraanthracene.

The boron-centered reactivity of the diboraanthracene-auride complex [Au(B2P2)][K(18-c-6)]; (B2P2, 9,10-bis(2-(diisopropylphosphino)-phenyl)-9,10-dihydroboranthrene) with a series of organic carbonyls is reported. The reaction of [Au(B2P2)]- with formaldehyde or paraformaldehyde results in a head-to-tail dimerization of two formaldehyde units across the boron centers. In contrast, the reaction of [(B2P2)Au]- with two equivalents of benzaldehyde yields the pinacol coupling product via C-C bond formation. Careful stoichiometric addition of one equivalent of benzaldehyde to [Au(B2P2)]- enabled the isolation of an adduct corresponding to the formal [4+2] cycloaddition of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O bond of benzaldehyde across the boron centers. This adduct reacts with a second equivalent of benzaldehyde to produce the pinacol coupling product. Finally, the reaction of [Au(B2P2)]- with acetone results in a formal reductive deoxygenation with discrete hydroxo and 2-propenyl units bound to the boron centers. This reaction is proposed to proceed via an analogous [4+2] cycloadduct, highlighting the unique small molecule activation chemistry available to this platform.

CO2 reduction with protons and electrons at a boron-based reaction center.

Borohydrides are widely used reducing agents in chemical synthesis and have emerging energy applications as hydrogen storage materials and reagents for the reduction of CO2. Unfortunately, the high energy cost associated with the multistep preparation of borohydrides starting from alkali metals precludes large scale implementation of these latter uses. One potential solution to this issue is the direct synthesis of borohydrides from the protonation of reduced boron compounds. We herein report reactions of the redox series [Au(B2P2)] n (n = +1, 0, -1) (B2P2, 9,10-bis(2-(diisopropylphosphino)phenyl)-9,10-dihydroboranthrene) and their conversion into corresponding mono- and diborohydride complexes. Crucially, the monoborohydride can be accessed via protonation of [Au(B2P2)]-, a masked borane dianion equivalent accessible at relatively mild potentials (-2.05 V vs. Fc/Fc+). This species reduces CO2 to produce the corresponding formate complex. Cleavage of the formate complex can be achieved by reduction (ca. -1.7 V vs. Fc/Fc+) or by the addition of electrophiles including H+. Additionally, direct reaction of [Au(B2P2)]- with CO2 results in reductive disproportion to release CO and generate a carbonate complex. Together, these reactions constitute a synthetic cycle for CO2 reduction at a boron-based reaction center that proceeds through a B-H unit generated via protonation of a reduced borane with weak organic acids.

Copper and Silver Complexes of a Redox-Active Diphosphine-Diboraanthracene Ligand.

Redox-active ligands and Z-type acceptor ligands have emerged as promising strategies for promoting multielectron redox chemistry at transition-metal centers. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of copper and silver complexes of a diphosphine ligand featuring a diboraanthracene core (B2P2, 9,10-bis(2-(diisopropylphosphino)phenyl)-9,10-dihydroboranthrene) that is capable of serving as both a redox reservoir and a Z-type ligand. Metalation of B2P2 with CuX (X = Cl, Br, I) results in the formation of bimetallic complexes of the formula (B2P2)Cu2X2 of two different structure types, depending on the halide. The Cu(I) cation [Cu(B2P2)]+ can be accessed by direct metalation of B2P2 with [Cu(CH3CN)4][PF6] or by halide abstraction with Na[BArF4] (ArF = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl) with concomitant expulsion of CuX from the bimetallic Cu2X2 complexes. Metalation of B2P2 with AgCl results in the formation of the zwitterion Ag(B2P2)Cl featuring a diphosphine Ag cation tethered to a chloroborate anion. Metathesis of chloride for the noncoordinating [BArF4]- affords the cation [Ag(B2P2)]+. The cations [Cu(B2P2)]+ and [Ag(B2P2)]+ exhibit quasireversible reduction events at ∼ -1.6 V versus the ferrocene/ferrocenium redox couple, and the thermally sensitive radicals that result from their reduction, Cu(B2P2) and Ag(B2P2), were characterized by EPR spectroscopy and, in the case of the latter, single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Electronic structure calculations suggest these neutral radicals are best described as zwitterions with reduction centered at the diboraanthracene core.

Small Structural Variations Have Large Effects on the Assembly Properties and Spin State of Room Temperature High Spin Fe(II) Iminopyridine Cages.

Small changes in steric bulk at the terminus of bis-iminopyridine ligands can effect large changes in the spin state of self-assembled Fe(II)-iminopyridine cage complexes. If the added bulk is properly matched with ligands that are either sufficiently flexible to allow twisted octahedral geometries at the Fe centers or can assemble with unusual mer configurations at the metals, room temperature high spin Fe(II) cages can be synthesized. These complexes maintain their high spin state in solution at low temperatures and have been characterized by X-ray crystallographic and computational methods. The high spin M2L3 meso-helicate and M4L6 cage complexes display longer N-Fe bond distances and larger interligand N-Fe-N bond angles than their diamagnetic counterparts, and these structural changes invert the ligand selectivity in narcissistic self-sorting and accelerate subcomponent exchange rates. The paramagnetic cages can be easily converted to diamagnetic cages by subcomponent exchange under mild conditions, and the intermediates of the exchange process can be visualized in situ by NMR analysis.

PbS/CdS Core-Shell Quantum Dots Suppress Charge Transfer and Enhance Triplet Transfer.

A sub-monolayer CdS shell on PbS quantum dots (QDs) enhances triplet energy transfer (TET) by suppressing competitive charge transfer from QDs to molecules. The CdS shell increases the linear photon upconversion quantum yield (QY) from 3.5 % for PbS QDs to 5.0 % for PbS/CdS QDs when functionalized with a tetracene acceptor, 5-CT. While transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that both PbS and PbS/CdS QDs show the formation of the 5-CT triplet (with rates of 5.91±0.60 ns-1 and 1.03±0.09 ns-1 respectively), ultrafast hole transfer occurs only from PbS QDs to 5-CT. Although the CdS shell decreases the TET rate, it enhances TET efficiency from 60.3±6.1 % to 71.8±6.2 % by suppressing hole transfer. Furthermore, the CdS shell prolongs the lifetime of the 5-CT triplet and thus enhances TET from 5-CT to the rubrene emitter, further bolstering the upconverison QY.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Stabilized Boranthrene as a Metal-Free Platform for the Activation of Small Molecules.

The multielectron reduction of small molecules (e.g., CO2) is a key aspect of fuel synthesis from renewable electricity. Transition metals have been researched extensively in this role due to their intrinsic redox properties and reactivity, but more recently, strategies that forego transition metal ions for p-block elements have emerged. In this vein, we report an analogue of boranthrene (9,10-diboraanthracene) stabilized by N-heterocyclic carbenes and its one- and two-electron oxidized congeners. This platform exhibits reversible, two-electron redox chemistry at mild potentials and reacts with O2, CO2, and ethylene via formal [4+2] cycloaddition to the central diborabutadiene core. In an area traditionally dominated by transition metals, these results outline an approach for the redox activation of small molecules at mild potentials based on conjugated, light element scaffolds.

A Molecular Boroauride: A Donor-Acceptor Complex of Anionic Gold.

Gold is unique among the transition metals in that it is stable as an isolated anion (auride). Despite this fact, the coordination chemistry of anionic gold is virtually nonexistent, and this unique oxidation state is not readily exploited in conventional solution chemistry owing to its high reactivity. Through the use of a new molecular scaffold based on diboraanthracene (B2 P2 , 1), we have overcome these issues by avoiding the intermediacy of zerovalent gold and stabilizing the highly reduced gold anion through acceptor interactions. We have thus synthesized a molecular boroauride [(B2 P2 )Au]- ([2]- ) and showed its reversible conversion between Au-I and AuI states. Through a combination of spectroscopic and computational studies, we show the neutral state to be a AuI complex with a ligand radical anion. Bonding analyses (NBO and QTAIM) and the isolobal relationship between gold and hydrogen provide support for the description of [2]- as a boroauride complex.

A Terminal N2 Complex of High-Spin Iron(I) in a Weak, Trigonal Ligand Field.

The role of Fe in biological and industrial N2 fixation has inspired the intense study of small molecule analogues of Fe-(NxHy) intermediates of potential relevance to these processes. Although a number of low-coordinate Fe-(N2) featuring varying degrees of fidelity to the nitrogenase active site are now known, these complexes frequently feature strongly donating ligands that either enforce low- or intermediate-spin states or result in linear Fe-(N2)-Fe bridging motifs. Given that the nitrogenase active site uses weak-field sulfide ligands to stabilize its reactive Fe center(s), N2 binding to high-spin Fe is of great interest. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of the first terminal N2 complex of high-spin (S = 3/2) Fe(I) as well as a bridging Fe-(N2)-Fe analogue. Electron paramagnetic resonance and solution magnetic moment determination confirm the high-spin state, and vibrational experiments indicate a substantial degree of activation of the N≡N bond in these complexes. Density functional theory calculations reveal an electronic structure for the terminal adduct featuring substantial delocalization of unpaired spin onto the N2 ligand.

A d(10) Ni-(H(2)) adduct as an intermediate in H-H oxidative addition across a Ni-B bond.

Bifunctional EH activation offers a promising approach for the design of two-electron-reduction catalysts with late first-row metals, such as Ni. To this end, we have been pursuing H2 activation reactions at late-metal boratranes and herein describe a diphosphine-borane-supported Ni-(H2 ) complex, [((Ph) DPB(iPr) )Ni(H2 )], which has been characterized in solution. (1) H NMR spectroscopy confirms the presence of an intact H2 ligand. A range of data, including electronic-structure calculations, suggests a d(10) configuration for [((Ph) DPB(iPr) )Ni(H2 )] as most appropriate. Such a configuration is highly unusual among transition-metal H2 adducts. The nonclassical H2 adduct is an intermediate in the complete activation of H2 across the NiB interaction. Reaction-coordinate analysis suggests synergistic activation of the H2 ligand by both the Ni and B centers of the nickel boratrane subunit, thus highlighting an important role of the borane ligand both in stabilizing the d(10) Ni-(H2 ) interaction and in the H-H cleavage step.

Well-defined vanadium organoazide complexes and their conversion to terminal vanadium imides: structural snapshots and evidence for a nitrene capture mechanism.

We report the synthesis and structural characterization of a family of well-defined organoazide complexes supported by a three-fold-symmetric pyrrolide scaffold and their conversion to the corresponding terminal imido congeners. Kinetic measurements on a series of structurally homologous but electronically distinct vanadium organoazide complexes reveal that the azido-to-imido transformations proceed via a process that is first-order in the metal complex and has a positive entropy of activation. Further studies suggest that these reactions may involve metal-mediated generation and capture of nitrene fragments.

Reversible H2 addition across a nickel-borane unit as a promising strategy for catalysis.

We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of nickel complexes of the chelating diphosphine-borane ligands ArB(o-Ph(2)PC(6)H(4))(2) ([(Ar)DPB(Ph)]; Ar = Ph, Mes). The [(Ar)DPB(Ph)] framework supports pseudo-tetrahedral nickel complexes featuring η(2)-B,C coordination from the ligand backbone. For the B-phenyl derivative, the THF adduct [(Ph)DPB(Ph)]Ni(THF) has been characterized by X-ray diffraction and features a very short interaction between nickel and the η(2)-B,C ligand. For the B-mesityl derivative, the reduced nickel complex [(Mes)DPB(Ph)]Ni is isolated as a pseudo-three-coordinate "naked" species that undergoes reversible, nearly thermoneutral oxidative addition of dihydrogen to give a borohydrido-hydride complex of nickel(II) which has been characterized in solution by multinuclear NMR. Furthermore, [(Mes)DPB(Ph)]Ni is an efficient catalyst for the hydrogenation of olefin substrates under mild conditions.

A high-spin iron(IV)-oxo complex supported by a trigonal nonheme pyrrolide platform.

We report the generation and characterization of a new high-spin iron(IV)-oxo complex supported by a trigonal nonheme pyrrolide platform. Oxygen-atom transfer to [(tpa(Mes))Fe(II)](-) (tpa(Ar) = tris(5-arylpyrrol-2-ylmethyl)amine) in acetonitrile solution affords the Fe(III)-alkoxide product [(tpa(Mes2MesO))Fe(III)](-) resulting from intramolecular C-H oxidation with no observable ferryl intermediates. In contrast, treatment of the phenyl derivative [(tpa(Ph))Fe(II)](-) with trimethylamine N-oxide in acetonitrile solution produces the iron(IV)-oxo complex [(tpa(Ph))Fe(IV)(O)](-) that has been characterized by a suite of techniques, including mass spectrometry as well as UV-vis, FTIR, Mössbauer, XAS, and parallel-mode EPR spectroscopies. Mass spectral, FTIR, and optical absorption studies provide signatures for the iron-oxo chromophore, and Mössbauer and XAS measurements establish the presence of an Fe(IV) center. Moreover, the Fe(IV)-oxo species gives parallel-mode EPR features indicative of a high-spin, S = 2 system. Preliminary reactivity studies show that the high-spin ferryl tpa(Ph) complex is capable of mediating intermolecular C-H oxidation as well as oxygen-atom transfer chemistry.

A structurally characterized nitrous oxide complex of vanadium.

Nitrous oxide (N(2)O), a widespread greenhouse gas, is a thermodynamically potent and environmentally green oxidant that is an attractive target for activation by metal centers. However, N(2)O remains underutilized owing to its high kinetic stability, and the poor ligand properties of this molecule have made well-characterized metal-N(2)O complexes a rarity. We now report a vanadium-pyrrolide system that reversibly binds N(2)O at room temperature and provide the first single-crystal X-ray structure of such a complex. Further characterization by vibrational spectroscopy and DFT calculations strongly favor assignment as a linear, N-bound metal-N(2)O complex.

Slow magnetic relaxation in a family of trigonal pyramidal iron(II) pyrrolide complexes.

We present a family of trigonal pyramidal iron(II) complexes supported by tris(pyrrolyl-α-methyl)amine ligands of the general formula [M(solv)(n)][(tpa(R))Fe] (M = Na, R = tert-butyl (1), phenyl (4); M = K, R = mesityl (2), 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl (3), 2,6-difluorophenyl (5)) and their characterization by X-ray crystallography, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and high-field EPR spectroscopy. Expanding on the discovery of slow magnetic relaxation in the recently reported mesityl derivative 2, this homologous series of high-spin iron(II) complexes enables an initial probe of how the ligand field influences the static and dynamic magnetic behavior. Magnetization experiments reveal large, uniaxial zero-field splitting parameters of D = -48, -44, -30, -26, and -6.2 cm(-1) for 1-5, respectively, demonstrating that the strength of axial magnetic anisotropy scales with increasing ligand field strength at the iron(II) center. In the case of 2,6-difluorophenyl substituted 5, high-field EPR experiments provide an independent determination of the zero-field splitting parameter (D = -4.397(9) cm(-1)) that is in reasonable agreement with that obtained from fits to magnetization data. Ac magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate field-dependent, thermally activated spin reversal barriers in complexes 1, 2, and 4 of U(eff) = 65, 42, and 25 cm(-1), respectively, with the barrier of 1 constituting the highest relaxation barrier yet observed for a mononuclear transition metal complex. In addition, in the case of 1, the large range of temperatures in which slow relaxation is observed has enabled us to fit the entire Arrhenius curve simultaneously to three distinct relaxation processes. Finally, zero-field Mössbauer spectra collected for 1 and 4 also reveal the presence of slow magnetic relaxation, with two independent relaxation barriers in 4 corresponding to the barrier obtained from ac susceptibility data and to the 3D energy gap between the M(S) = ±2 and ±1 levels, respectively.