Isostructural salts of the same complex showing contrasting thermal spin-crossover mediated by multiple phase changes.

Two salts of [FeL2](2+) (L = 2,6-bis[5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl]pyridine) are isostructural under ambient conditions but show different thermal spin-crossover behaviour, involving a variety of crystallographic phase changes.

Solid-phase methodology for synthesis of O-alkylated aromatic oligoamide inhibitors of α-helix-mediated protein-protein interactions.

Rapid access to rigid rods: A method is described for the synthesis of 3-O-alkylated aromatic oligobenzamide foldamers that could be used for assembly of libraries of α-helix mimetic inhibitors of protein-protein interactions (see scheme; Fmoc=9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl).

2-O-alkylated para-benzamide α-helix mimetics: the role of scaffold curvature.

The design and synthesis of a new 2-O-alklyated benzamide α-helix mimetic is described. Comparison with regioisomeric 3-O-alkylated benzamides permits a preliminary evaluation of the role that mimetic curvature has in determining molecular recognition properties.

Suppression of the Jahn-Teller distortion in a six-coordinate copper(II) complex by doping it into a host lattice.

The electronic structures of [Cu(terpy)(2)](2+) and [Cu(bpp)(2)](2+) (bpp = 2,6-di[pyrazol-1-yl]pyridine) are different, when doped into [M(bpp)(2)][BF(4)](2) (M(2+) = Fe(2+) or Zn(2+)). The [Cu(terpy)(2)](2+) dopant is a typical pseudo-Jahn-Teller elongated copper(II) center. However, the [Cu(bpp)(2)](2+) sites show EPR spectra consistent with a tetragonally compressed {d(z(2))}(1) configuration.

Tetrakis(methylimidazole) and tetrakis(methylimidazolium) calix[4]arenes: competitive anion binding and deprotonation.

Neutral tetrakis(methylimidazole) (1) and the novel cationic tetrakis(methylimidazolium) (2) calixarenes have been prepared and their solid-state and solution behaviour examined. The neutral imidazole forms a mono-zwitterion at elevated temperature, a feature that has been observed both in solution and in the solid-state. The cationic imidazolium exhibits a range of hydrogen bond interactions with anions, with the titration curves upon binding to basic anions suggesting sequential binding to both the upper and lower rims.

Mechanistic studies on a sulfoxide transfer reaction mediated by diphenyl sulfoxide/triflic anhydride.

Sulfoxides are frequently used in organic synthesis as chiral auxiliaries and reagents to mediate a wide variety of chemical transformations. For example, diphenyl sulfoxide and triflic anhydride can be used to activate a wide range of glycosyl donors including hemiacetals, glycals and thioglycosides. In this way, an alcohol, enol or sulfide is converted into a good leaving group for subsequent reaction with an acceptor alcohol. However, reaction of diphenyl sulfoxide and triflic anhydride with oxathiane-based thioglycosides, and other oxathianes, leads to a different process in which the thioglycoside is oxidised to a sulfoxide. This unexpected oxidation reaction is very stereoselective and proceeds under anhydrous conditions in which the diphenyl sulfoxide acts both as oxidant and as the source of the oxygen atom. Isotopic labelling experiments support a reaction mechanism that involves the formation of oxodisulfonium (S-O-S) dication intermediates. These intermediates undergo oxygen-exchange reactions with other sulfoxides and also allow interconversion of axial and equatorial sulfoxides in oxathiane rings. The reversibility of the oxygen-exchange reaction suggests that the stereochemical outcome of the oxidation reaction may be under thermodynamic control, which potentially presents a novel strategy for the stereoselective synthesis of sulfoxides.

Iron(II) complexes of new hexadentate 1,1,1-tris-(iminomethyl)ethane podands, and their 7-methyl-1,3,5-triazaadamantane rearrangement products.

New iron(II) podand complexes have been prepared, by condensation of 2-(aminomethyl)-2-methyl-1,3-diaminopropane with 3 equiv of a heterocyclic aldehyde in the presence of hydrated Fe[BF(4)](2) or Fe[ClO(4)](2) as templates. The 2-(aminomethyl)-2-methyl-1,3-diaminopropane is prepared in situ by deprotonation of its trihydrochloride salt. The chloride must be removed from these reactions by precipitation with silver, to avoid the formation of the alternative 2,4,6-trisubstituted-7-methyl-1,3,5-triazaadamantane condensation products, or their FeCl(2) adducts. The crystal structures of two 2,4,6-tri(pyridyl)-7-methyl-1,3,5-triazaadamantane-containing species are presented, and contain two different geometric isomers of this tricyclic ring with three equatorial, or two equatorial and one axial, pyridyl substituents. Both structures feature strong C-HX (X = Cl or F) hydrogen bonding from the aminal C-H groups in the triazaadamantane ring. Five iron(II) podand complexes were successfully obtained, all of which contain low-spin iron centres.

Do glycosyl sulfonium ions engage in neighbouring-group participation? A study of oxathiane glycosyl donors and the basis for their stereoselectivity.

Neighbouring-group participation has long been used to control the synthesis of 1,2-trans-glycosides. More recently there has been a growing interest in the development of similar strategies for the synthesis of 1,2-cis-glycosides, in particular the use of auxiliary groups that generate sulfonium ion intermediates. However, there has been some debate over the role of sulfonium ion intermediates in these reactions: do sulfonium ions actually engage in neighbouring-group participation, or are they a resting state of the system prior to reaction through an oxacarbenium ion intermediate? Herein, we describe the reactivities and stereoselectivities of a family of bicyclic thioglycosides in which an oxathiane ring is fused to the sugar to form a trans-decalin-like structure. A methyl sulfonium ion derived from one such glycosyl donor is so stable that it can be crystallised from ethanol, yet it reacts with complete stereoselectivity at high temperature. The importance of a ketal group in the oxathiane ring for maintaining this high stereoselectivity is investigated using a combination of experiment and ab initio calculations. The data are discussed in terms of S(N)1 and S(N)2 type mechanisms. Trends in stereoselectivity across a series of compounds are more consistent with selective addition to oxacarbenium ions rather than a shift between S(N)1 and S(N)2 mechanisms.

Stereoselective glycosylations using oxathiane spiroketal glycosyl donors.

Novel oxathiane spiroketal donors have been synthesised and activated via an umpolung S-arylation strategy using 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene and 1,3-dimethoxybenzene. The comparative reactivity of the resulting 2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl (TMP)- and 2,4-dimethoxyphenyl (DMP)-oxathiane spiroketal sulfonium ions is discussed, and their α-stereoselectivity in glycosylation reactions is compared to the analogous TMP- and DMP-sulfonium ions derived from an oxathiane glycosyl donor bearing a methyl ketal group. The results show that the stereoselectivity of the oxathiane glycosyl donors is dependent on the structure of the ketal group and reactivity can be tuned by varying the substituent on the sulfonium ion.

Spin-crossover in [Fe(3-bpp)2][BF4]2 in different solvents--a dramatic stabilisation of the low-spin state in water.

The temperature of spin-crossover in [Fe(3-bpp)(2)][BF(4)](2) (3-bpp = 2,6-di{pyrazol-3-yl}pyridine) tends to increase in associating solvents. In particular, T(½) shifts to 60-70 K higher temperature in water compared to organic solvents.

New insights into the aggregation of silver pyrazolides using sterically hindered bidentate pyrazole ligands.

Recrystallisation of Ag[L(1)] (HL(1) = 3{5}-[pyrid-2-yl]-5{3}-tert-butylpyrazole) in the presence of halide anions leads to two polymorphs of [Ag(3)(µ-Br)(µ-L(1))(2)], which differ in their mode of supramolecular association, and the cluster [Ag(10)(µ-L(1))(8)]Cl(2). In contrast, Ag[L(2)] (HL(2) = 3{5}-[isoquinol-1-yl]-5{3}-tert-butyl-pyrazole) crystallises as a cyclic tetrameric molecule.

Two heptacopper(II) disk complexes with a [Cu(7)(µ(3)-OH)(4)(µ-OR)(2)](8+) core.

The reaction of CuX(2) (X(-) ≠ F(-)) salts with 1 equiv of 3-pyridyl-5-tert-butylpyrazole (HL) in basic methanol yields blue solids, from which disk complexes of the type [Cu(7)(µ(3)-OH)(4)(µ-OR)(2)(µ-L)(6)](2+) and/or the cubane [Cu(4)(µ(3)-OH)(4)(HL)(4)](4+) can be isolated by recrystallization under the appropriate conditions. Two of the disk complexes have been prepared in crystalline form: [Cu(7)(µ(3)-OH)(4)(µ-OCH(2)CF(3))(2)(µ-L)(6)][BF(4)](2) (2) and [Cu(7)(µ(3)-OH)(4)(µ-OCH(3))(2)(µ-L)(6)]Cl(2)·xCH(2)Cl(2) (3·xCH(2)Cl(2)). The molecular structures of both compounds as solvated crystals can be described as [Cu⊂Cu(6)(µ-OH)(4)(µ-OR)(2)(µ-L)(6)](2+) (R = CH(2)CF(3) or CH(3)) adducts. The [Cu(6)(µ-OH)(4)(µ-OR)(2)(µ-L)(6)] ring is constructed of six square-pyramidal Cu ions, linked by 1,2-pyrazolido bridges from the L(-) ligands and by basal, apical-bridging hydroxy or alkoxy groups, while the central Cu ion is bound to the four metallamacrocyclic hydroxy donors in a near-regular square-planar geometry. The L(-) ligands project above and below the metal ion core, forming two bowl-shaped cavities that are fully (R = CH(2)CF(3)) or partially (R = CH(3)) occupied by the alkoxy R substituents. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements on 2 demonstrated antiferromagnetic interactions between the Cu ions, yielding a spin-frustrated S = (1)/(2) magnetic ground state that is fully populated below around 15 K. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, UV/vis/near-IR, and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements imply that the heptacopper(II) disk motif is robust in organic solvents.

Asymmetric general base catalysis of the phospho-aldol reaction via dimeric aluminium hydroxides.

Dimeric aluminium hydroxide complexes containing the (R,R)-N,N'-bis(2'-hydroxy-3'-organobenzyl)-trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane ligand backbone effect catalysis of the phospho-aldol reaction under ambient, aerobic conditions at catalyst loadings of 0.5 mol% to afford enantioselectivities of ca. 65%.

An unusual discontinuity in the thermal spin transition in [Co(terpy)2][BF4]2.

Single crystal and powder samples of [Co(terpy)(2)][BF(4)](2) are low spin below 100 K but show a typically gradual thermal spin-transition on warming, centred near 270 K. However, the spin-crossover exhibits an unusual and pronounced discontinuity above room temperature, when the material is ca. 87% high-spin. A crystallographic study at nine temperatures between 30-375 K showed that the discontinuity is not caused by a phase transition or by changes in anion disorder. Rather, it may reflect the steric consequence of small changes in the nearest neighbour interactions between the cations as the spin transition progresses.

Change in electronic structure in a six-coordinate copper(II) complex accompanied by an anion order/disorder transition.

A variable-temperature crystallographic study of [Cu(L(OH))(2)][ClO(4)](2).2(CH(3))(2)CO [L(OH) = 2,6-bis(hydroxyiminomethyl)pyridine] between 30 and 300 K is presented. The complex exhibits an unusual electronic structure at room temperature with a {d(z(2))}(1) ground state, corresponding to an axially compressed ligand coordination geometry about the copper ion. This reflects a suppression of the pseudo-Jahn-Teller distortion that is normally shown by copper(II) compounds with this ligand geometry [Halcrow et al. (2004). New J. Chem. 28, 228-233]. On cooling the compound undergoes an abrupt structural change at 157 +/- 3 K, that does not involve a change in the space group (P1), but causes significant changes to c and the unit-cell angles. This reflects a conformational rearrangement of the complex dication, towards a more typical pseudo-Jahn-Teller elongated coordination geometry. This occurs concurrently with a crystallographic ordering of one of the two perchlorate anions, and a significant displacement of the two lattice acetone molecules. The transformation involves displacements of up to 0.5 A in the non-H atoms of the structure at 30 K, compared with their positions at 300 K. The change in coordination geometry of the complex around 157 K is reflected in a small reduction in its magnetic moment near that temperature.

Neighbouring group participation vs. addition to oxacarbenium ions: studies on the synthesis of mycobacterial oligosaccharides.

Neighbouring group participation is frequently used to control the stereoselectivity of chemical reactions. Herein, we investigate the use of neighbouring group participation for the synthesis of disaccharides incorporating the mycobacterial sugar methylthioxylose. A bicyclic thioglycoside was activated by methylation to generate a methylsulfonium group that would act both as the anomeric leaving group, and also provide the methylsulfide group in the product. Model reactions indicated that the bicyclic intermediate would also act as a participating group to direct the acceptor alcohol to the lower alpha-face of the sugar. While the key sulfonium intermediate could be detected in the reaction mixture, the glycosylation reaction proceeded with moderate stereoselectivity, apparently via an S(N)1-type mechanism. Density functional theory calculations were used to compare our methylthioxylose sulfonium ion with a trans-decalin-like sulfonium ion described by Boons and co-workers to be an alpha-directing participating group (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 12090). Our studies show that even where a bicyclic sulfonium ion can be detected in the reaction mixture, caution should be applied before invoking it as an intermediate on the reaction pathway.

3-(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole forms an unusual hydrogen-bonded two-dimensional (3,4)-connected net.

The title compound, C7H7N3, is the first crystallographically characterized 1H-pyrrolyl-1H-pyrazole derivative and contains two unique molecules in its asymmetric unit (Z' = 2). These molecules associate into centrosymmetric tetramers through N-H...N hydrogen bonding, including a cyclic dimerization of one of the two unique pyrazole rings. These tetramers are linked further by two weaker N-H...pi contacts to give a novel two-dimensional (3,4)-connected net with a (3(2).8)(2)(3.8(2))(2) topology.

Stereoselective glycosylation using oxathiane glycosyl donors.

A bicyclic glycosyl donor is activated as an arylsulfonium ion and used to synthesise alpha-glycosides with high stereoselectivity.

Thermal and light-induced spin-transitions in iron(II) complexes of 2,6-bis(4-halopyrazolyl)pyridines: the influence of polymorphism on a spin-crossover compound.

The syntheses of 2,6-bis(4-chloropyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L1), 2,6-bis(4-bromopyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L2) and 2,6-bis(4-iodopyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (L3) by electrophilic halogenation of 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine are reported. The complex [Fe(L1)2][BF4]2 crystallises in two different solvent-free polymorphs. The tetragonal (alpha) form crystallises in a known version of the "terpyridine embrace" structure, and undergoes an abrupt spin-transition at 202 K. The orthorhombic (beta) form exhibits a modified form of the same packing motif, containing two unique iron sites in a 2 : 1 ratio. One-third of the complex molecules in that material undergo a very gradual thermal spin-crossover centred at 137 K. Comparison of the two structures implies that spin-crossover cooperativity in the alpha-polymorph is transmitted in two dimensions within the extended lattice. [Fe(L2)2][BF4]2 is isostructural with alpha-[Fe(L1)2][BF4]2 and exhibits a similarly abrupt spin-transition at 253 K. In contrast, [Fe(L3)2][BF4]2 is low-spin as a powder at 360 K and below and can be crystallised as two different solvates from acetone solution. All three compounds exhibit the LIESST effect at 10 K, with photoconversions of 40-100%. Their LIESST relaxation temperatures obey the empirical T(LIESST) = T0- 0.3T(1/2) (T0 = 150 K) law that we have previously proposed for this class of compound.