Electronic and steric impact of bis-NHC ligands on reactions of Pt3S2 cores in trinuclear complexes bearing bis-NHC ligands with various lengths of alkylene bridges.

Alkylene-bridged bis-N-heterocyclic carbene ligands working as strong σ-donors enhance the reactivity of the Pt3S2 core in a triplatinum complex. Although an Ag(I) ion possibly reacts with the Pt-Pt bond, one of the sulfide ligands coordinates to an Ag(I) ion due to the steric hindrance of the ligands.

Use of a Ferritin L134P Mutant for the Facile Conjugation of Prussian Blue in the Apoferritin Cavity.

Since the bullfrog H-ferritin L134P mutant in which leucine 134 is replaced with proline was found to exhibit a flexible conformation in the C3 axis channel, homologous ferritins with the corresponding mutation have often been studied in terms of a mechanism of iron release from the mineral core within the protein cavity. Meanwhile, a ferritin mutant with the flexible channel is an attractive material in developing a method to encapsulate functional molecules larger than mononuclear ions into the protein cavity. This study describes the clathrate with a horse spleen L-ferritin L134P mutant containing Prussian blue (PB) without a frequently used technique, disassembly and reassembly of the protein subunits. The spherical shell of ferritin was confirmed in a TEM image of the clathrate. The produced clathrate (PB@L134P) was soluble in water and reproduced the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of PB prepared using the conventional method. The catalytic activity for an oxidoreductive reaction with H2O2, one of the major applications of conventional PB, was also observed for the clathrate. The instability of PB in alkaline solutions, limiting its wide applications in aqueous media, was significantly improved in PB@L134P, showing the protective effect of the protein shell. The method developed here shows that horse spleen L-ferritin L134P is a useful scaffold to produce clathrates of three-dimensional complexes with ferritin.

Dibenzoate esters of cis-tetralin-2,3-diol as analogs of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate: synthesis and crystal structure of anticancer drug candidates.

(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the main component of green tea extract, displays multiple biological activities. However, it cannot be used as a drug due to its low cellular absorption, instability and metabolic degradation. Therefore, there is a need to provide analogs that can overcome the limitations of EGCG. In this work, six synthetic analogs of EGCG sharing a common tetralindiol dibenzoate core were synthesized and fully characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, HRMS and IR spectroscopies, and X-ray crystallography. These are (2R,3S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2,3-diyl bis[3,4,5-tris(benzyloxy)benzoate], C66H56O10, and the analogous esters bis(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate), C30H32O10, bis(3,4,5-trifluorobenzoate), C24H14F6O4, bis[4-(benzyloxy)benzoate], C38H32O6, bis(4-methoxybenzoate), C26H24O6, and bis(2,4,6-trifluorobenzoate), C24H14F6O4. Structural analysis revealed that the molecular shapes of these dibenzoate esters of tetralindiol are significantly different from that of previously reported dimandelate esters or monobenzoate esters, as the acid moieties extend far from the bicyclic system without folding back over the tetralin fragment. Compounds with small fluorine substituents take a V-shape, whereas larger methoxy and benzyloxy groups determine the formation of an L-shape or a cavity. Intermolecular interactions are dominated by π-π stacking and C-H...π interactions involving the arene rings in the benzoate fragment and the arene ring in the tetrahydronaphthalene moiety. All six crystal structures are determined in centrosymmetric space groups (either P-1, P21/n, C2/c or I2/a).

Metal-metal bond formation of triplatinum cores with a silver(i) ion affording a heptanuclear cluster bearing four Pt-Ag bonds.

An N-heterocyclic carbene triplatinum complex with two triply bridging sulfide ligands reacts with a silver(i) salt and affords a heptanuclear complex. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed that a silver(i) ion connects two triplatinum complexes with one of the three Pt-Pt bonds of each triplatinum unit.

Chelated bis-N-heterocyclic carbene platinum and palladium units as tunable components of multinuclear complexes.

Heterometallic trinuclear M2M' complexes (M = Rh, Ir; M' = Pt, Pd) containing a platinum or palladium moiety with chelated bis-N-heterocyclic carbene ligands, [(MCp*)2{M'(bisNHC-Cn-R)}(µ3-S)2](BPh4)2 (M = Rh, Ir; M' = Pt, Pd; bisNHC-Cn-R = methylene-, ethylene-, or propylene-bridged bis(N-alkyl-imidazolylidene)), were synthesized by reacting bis(hydrosulfido)platinum(II) or palladium(II) complexs with bisNHC-Cn-R and hydroxo-bridged dinuclear complexes [(MCp*)2(µ-OH)3](BPh4), whose dinuclear structures remained intact during the formation of the trinuclear complexes, which was confirmed by using electrospray mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The heterometallic trinuclear M2M' complexes with a variety of alkylene bridges in bisNHC-Cn-R showed two reversible reduction waves in the cyclic voltammogram, and the second reduction potentials were affected by the alkylene chain lengths, which caused different dihedral angles between the imidazolylidene rings and the coordination plane of the platinum or palladium center. The M2M' complexes, except for those containing the platinum unit with the ethylene-bridged bisNHC ligands, showed dynamic behavior in solution due to the flapping wing motion of the NHC ligand moieties. Although activation parameters obtained from line-shape analyses on variable-temperature NMR spectra of the complexes suggested that the flapping wing motion occurred without bond cleavage, large negative ΔS(‡) values were obtained for the complexes with the palladium unit with the ethylene-bridged ligand, suggesting that the Pd-Ccarbene bond cleavage, accompanied by coordination of solvent molecules, occurred.

π-back-bonding interaction depending on the bridging chain lengths of chelated N-heterocyclic carbene platinum units in heterometallic trinuclear complexes affecting their electrochemical property.

Newly synthesized heterometallic trinuclear M2Pt complexes (M = Rh, Ir) containing a platinum moiety having a chelated bis-N-heterocyclic carbene (bisNHC) ligand with a variety of alkylene chain lengths of the bridging part showed two reversible reduction waves in cyclic voltammetry. Only the second reduction potentials were affected by the alkyl chain lengths, which afforded different dihedral angles between the imidazolylidene rings and the platinum coordination plane resulting in the variation of π-back-donation from the platinum center to the carbene carbon atoms.

Syntheses, characterization, and antitumor activities of platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with sugar-conjugated triazole ligands.

Four platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with sugar-conjugated bipyridine-type triazole ligands, [Pt(II)Cl(2)(AcGlc-pyta)] (3), [Pd(II)Cl(2)(AcGlc-pyta)] (4), [Pt(II)Cl(2)(Glc-pyta)] (5), and [Pd(II)Cl(2)(Glc-pyta)] (6), were prepared and characterized by mass spectrometry, elemental analysis, (1)H- and (13)C-NMR, IR as well as UV/VIS spectroscopy, where AcGlc-pyta and Glc-pyta denote 2-[4-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]ethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-ß-D-glucopyranoside (1) and 2-[4-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl]ethyl ß-D-glucopyranoside (2), respectively. The solid-state structure of complex 6 was determined by single-crystal X-ray-diffraction analysis. These complexes exhibited in vitro cytotoxicity against human cervix tumor cells (HeLa) though weaker than that of cisplatin.

Sulfur containing platinum(II) complexes with N-heterocyclic carbene ligands obtained by reactions of a hydrosulfido complex.

A hydrosulfido platinum(ii) complex with a chelated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand was oxidised with O(2) in the presence of excess hydrogen sulfide, to give a linear tetrasulfido complex, and without hydrogen sulfide, to give a thiosulfato-bridged dinuclear complex. The hydrosulfido complex also reacted with an acetato complex containing the chelating NHC platinum unit to afford a trinuclear platinum complex with two triply bridging sulfido ligands showing an equilibrium in solution between two isomers based on the arrangement of the chelating NHC ligands.

Redox-controlled, reversible rearrangement of a tris(2-pyridylthio)methyl ligand on nickel to an isomer with an "N,S-confused" 2-pyridylthiolate arm.

Interchange between the nickel +2 and +3 oxidation states precisely controls the reversible rearrangement of the tris(2-pyridylthio)methanide (tptm) ligand in the organometallic nickel(II) complex [{Ni(µ-Br)-(tptm)}(2)] (2). Oxidation of 2 first gives the corresponding Ni(III) complex [{Ni(µ-Br)(tptm)}(2)][PF(6)](2) (4). However, in solution the tptm ligand in 4 slowly undergoes a rearrangement, in which the N and S atoms of one of the pyridylthiolate arms exchange Ni and C bonding partners, thereby resulting in an "N,S-confused" isomer of tptm in the product, [NiBr(bpttpm)]PF(6) (5; bpttpm= bis(2-pyridylthio)(2-thiopyridinium)-methyl). Reduction of 5 reverses this ligand rearrangement and 2 is reformed quantitatively. The individual steps involved in these unusual ligand rearrangements were investigated by a number of methods, including voltammetric analysis, and a mechanism for this process is proposed. X-ray crystal structure determinations of the key compounds 2, 4 and 5 have been obtained.

Dynamic behaviour attributed to chiral carbohydrate substituents of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in square planar nickel complexes.

Nickel complexes having acetylated glucopyranosyl group incorporated N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with methyl or benzyl groups as an N-substituent exhibit two kinds of dynamic behaviours in solution (1)H NMR spectroscopy. One of the dynamic behaviours is attributed to the anti- and syn-rotamers, which occur by the rotation of the unsymmetrical NHC ligands around the axes of the Ni-C bonds. The other is attributed to the diastereomers of the syn-rotamers, which occur by opposite rotation of the imidazolylidene rings and the chiral carbohydrate group incorporated into the NHC ligands. Crystallographic analysis of the nickel complex having the NHC ligand with acetylated glucopyranosyl and benzyl groups as N-substituents showed CH-π interaction between the glucopyranosyl unit of each NHC ligand and the phenyl ring of the other NHC ligand in the complex in the solid state.

Unprecedented diastereoselective generation of chiral-at-metal, half sandwich Ir(III) and Rh(III) complexes via anomeric isomerism on "sugar-coated" N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.

The first example of the diastereoselective synthesis induced by anomeric isomerism of sugar units in ligands of metal complexes was demonstrated. S and R configurations of chiral-at-metal Ir(III) and Rh(III) complexes were selectively obtained by using chelate-type NHC ligands with α- and ß-glucopyranosyl units, respectively.

Carbon-sulfur bond cleavage reactions of dibenzothiophene derivatives mediated by iron and ruthenium carbonyls.

A thermal reaction of 6-(4''-dibenzothienyl)-2,2'-bipyridine (bpyDBT) with [Ru(3)(CO)(12)] produced a sulfur-bridged triruthenium complex via double carbon-sulfur bond cleavage and CO insertion, while a diiron(I,I) complex containing a thiametallacycle was obtained by a photochemical reaction of bpyDBT with [Fe(CO)(5)].

Carbene-carbanion equilibrium for tris(2-pyridylthio)methanido Fe(II) complexes.

A reaction of FeCl(2) with tris(2-pyridylthio)methane (tptmH) produced the carbanion complex [Fe(tptm)(CH(3)CN)(2)](FeCl(4)){(C(2)H(5))(3)NH}. When FeI(2) was used instead of FeCl(2), the carbene complex [FeI(pyt)(bptmd)] (pyt = 2-pyridinethiolate, bptmd = bis(2-pyridylthio)methylidene) was isolated. The carbene forms [FeX(pyt)(bptmd)](n+) (n = 1 for X = CH(3)CN, n = 0 for X = I) were observed for [Fe(tptm)(CH(3)CN)(2)](FeCl(4)){(C(2)H(5))(3)NH} and [FeI(pyt)(bptmd)] in chloroform, whereas the carbene-carbanion equilibrium was observed in acetonitrile by NMR measurements. The thermodynamic parameters were evaluated by variable temperature (1)H NMR measurements using the diamagnetic salt [Fe(tptm)(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6) for [Fe(tptm)(CH(3)CN)(2)](+)⇆ [Fe(pyt)(bptmd)(CH(3)CN)](+) + CH(3)CN (ΔH = 23 kJ mol(-1), ΔS = 55 J mol(-1) K(-1)).

Rh(I)-catalyzed CO gas-free carbonylative cyclization reactions of alkynes with 2-bromophenylboronic acids using formaldehyde.

The rhodium(I)-catalyzed reaction of alkynes with 2-bromophenylboronic acids in the presence of paraformaldehyde resulted in a CO gas-free carbonylative cyclization, yielding indenone derivatives. [RhCl(BINAP)](2) and [RhCl(cod)](2) were responsible for the decarbonylation of formaldehyde and the subsequent carbonylation of alkynes with 2-haloboronic acids, respectively, leading to efficient whole carbonylation. Sterically bulky and electron-withdrawing groups on unsymmetrically substituted alkynes favored the alpha-position of indenones.

Photochromism of an organorhodium dithionite complex in the crystalline-state: molecular motion of pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligands coupled to atom rearrangement in a dithionite ligand.

In the crystalline state, the rhodium dinuclear complex [(RhCp*)(2)(mu-CH(2))(2)(mu-O(2)SSO(2))] (1) with a photoresponsive dithionite group (mu-O(2)SSO(2)) and two pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ligands (Cp* = eta(5)-C(5)Me(5)) undergoes a 100% reversible unimolecular type T inverse photochromism upon interconversion to [(RhCp*)(2)(mu-CH(2))(2)(mu-O(2)SOSO)] (2). The photochromism can be followed directly by using stepwise crystal structure analysis (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 6473). In this study, we found that the photoreaction of 1 was triggered by absorption of the 510 nm light (charge transfer band from sigma(S-S) to sigma*(S-S) and sigma*(Rh-Rh) orbitals assigned by DFT calculation) and included two important processes: kinetically controlled oxygen-atom transfer to produce four stereoisomers of 2 and thermodynamically controlled isomerization between the four stereoisomers of 2 to afford the most stable isomer. Although the formation rate of the four stereoisomer products was kinetically controlled and the population of the four stereoisomers produced in the system was thermodynamically controlled, both processes were regulated by the steric hindrance between the mu-O(2)SSO(2) or mu-O(2)SOSO ligand and the reaction cavity formed by the Cp* ligands. The cooperation of both processes achieved an intriguing stereospecific oxygen-atom rearrangement to produce only one stereoisomer of 2 at the final stage of the photoreaction at room temperature. We also determined the effect of the oxygen-atom rearrangement on the rotational motion of the two crystallographically independent Cp* ligands (parallel and perpendicular arrangement). Using variable-temperature (13)C CP/MAS NMR and quadrupolar echo solid-state (2)H NMR spectroscopies, before photoirradiation, the activation energies for the rotation of the parallel and perpendicular Cp* ligands in 1 were determined to be 33 +/- 3 and 7.8 +/- 1 kJ/mol, respectively, and after photoirradiation, in 2, they were much lower than those in 1 (21 +/- 2 and 4.7 +/- 0.5 kJ/mol, respectively). The large decrease in the activation energy for the parallel Cp* in 2 is attributed to the relaxation of molecular stress via a stereospecific oxygen-atom rearrangement, which suggests that the rotational motion of the Cp* ligands is coupled to the photochromism.

Synthesis and characterization of tris(2-pyridylthio)methanido Zn complex with a Zn-C bond and DFT calculation of its one-electron oxidized species.

Tris(2-pyridylthio)methane (tptmH) reacts with ZnCl(2) producing the Zn-C containing complex of [ZnCl(tptm)], whose cyclic voltammogram shows an irreversible oxidation peak at 0.2 V vs. E(0')(Fc(+/0)). DFT calculations suggested that 1e(-) oxidation should occur at the tptm ligand resulting in the cleavage of the Zn-C bond, leading to decomposition of the complex.

Mimicking the photosynthetic system with strong hydrogen bonds to promote proton electron concerted reactions.

A Copper(2+) complex with a Cu(II)-C bond containing sp(3) configuration was used to investigate the role of strong hydrogen bonds in proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions. The only example of a Cu(II)-C system realized so far is that using tris-(pyridylthio)methyl (tptm) as a tetradentate tripodal ligand. Using this ligand, [CuF(tptm)] and [Cu(tptm)(OH)] have been prepared. The former complex forms supra-molecular arrays of layers of the complex between which hydroquinone is intercalated in the crystalline phase. This hydroquinone intercalation crystal was prepared via the photochemical conversion of quinone during the crystallization process. This conversion reaction probably involves a proton coupled electron transfer process. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis of the reaction mixture shows the presence of Cu(III) during the conversion reaction. These results strongly suggest the presence of the molecular aggregate of the [CuF(tptm)] complex, water and quinone in the solution phase during the quinone to hydroquinone conversion. The presence of this type of aggregate requires a strong hydrogen bond between the [CuF(tptm)] complex and water. The presence of this particular hydrogen bond is a unique character of such a complex that has the Cu(II)-C bond. This complex is used as a model for photosynthetic water splitting since the photoconversion of quinone to hydroquinone also involves the production of oxygen from water.

Thiacalix[3]pyridine produces a stable mononuclear rhodium(II) complex with mutual Jahn-Teller effect.

Thiacalix[3]pyridine (Py3S3) consists of pyridines and bridging sulfur atoms producing a stable octahedral mononuclear Rh(II) complex [Rh(II)(Py3S3)2]2+ showing mutual Jahn-Teller effect, a metal based reversible redox couple of Rh(III/II) at 0.02 V vs. SCE and a g(perpendicular) > g(||) relationship in EPR measurements.