Diffusion of macromolecules in a polymer hydrogel: from microscopic to macroscopic scales.

To gain insight into the fundamental processes determining the motion of macromolecules in polymeric matrices, the dynamical hindrance of polymeric dextran molecules diffusing as probe through a polyacrylamide hydrogel is systematically explored. Three complementary experimental methods combined with Brownian dynamics simulations are used to study a broad range of dextran molecular weights and salt concentrations. While multi-parameter fluorescence image spectroscopy (MFIS) is applied to investigate the local diffusion of single molecules on a microscopic length scale inside the hydrogel, a macroscopic transmission imaging (MTI) fluorescence technique and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) are used to study the collective motion of dextrans on the macroscopic scale. These fundamentally different experimental methods, probing different length scales of the system, yield long-time diffusion coefficients for the dextran molecules which agree quantitatively. The measured diffusion coefficients decay markedly with increasing molecular weight of the dextran and fall onto a master curve. The observed trends of the hindrance factors are consistent with Brownian dynamics simulations. The simulations also allow us to estimate the mean pore size for the herein investigated experimental conditions. In addition to the diffusing molecules, MFIS detects temporarily trapped molecules inside the matrix with diffusion times above 10 ms, which is also confirmed by anisotropy analysis. The fraction of bound molecules depends on the ionic strength of the solution and the charge of the dye. Using fluorescence intensity analysis, also MTI confirms the observation of the interaction of dextrans with the hydrogel. Moreover, pixelwise analysis permits to show significant heterogeneity of the gel on the microscopic scale.

Experimental and theoretical investigations on the synthesis, structure, reactivity, and bonding of the stannylene-iron complex Bis bis(2-tert-butyl-4,5,6-trimethyl-phenyl)SnFe (eta6-toluene) (Sn-Fe-Sn)

The pi-(arene)bis(stannylene) complex bis(bis(2-tert-butyl-4,5,6-trimethylphenyl)SnFe(eta6-toluene) (Sn-Fe-Sn, 15) is accessible in high yields by a metal-atom-mediated synthesis between iron atoms, toluene, and the stannylene [bis(2-tert-butyl-4,5,6-trimethylphenyl)Sn](3). Complex 15 has a half-sandwich structure with short Fe -Sn bonds (2.432(1) A) and a trigonal-planar coordination at both the Fe and Sn atoms. The distance between the two Sn centers is 3.56 A. Complex 15 is stable under ambient conditions and displays a pi-arene lability, so far rarely observed for (arene)iron complexes; this leads to an irreversible substitution of the arene and formation of fivefold-coordinated zerovalent iron complexes. The pi-arene lability of the title compound is a result of the Fe-Sn bonding situation, which can be interpreted, on the basis of an extended Huckel molecular orbital calculation, as being solely a donation of the 5sigma lone-pair of Sn into empty or half-filled acceptor d orbitals on Fe. As the calculations reveal, there is little backbonding from the iron to the tin, and the strong sigma donation leads to an increased occupation of the pi-antibonding orbitals of the eta6-arene, which are mainly responsible for the experimentally observed arene lability. Fe and Sn Mossbauer spectra support the polar character of Sn(sigma+)-->Fe(sigma-) with strong sigma donation from tin to iron, but significantly low iron-to-tin pi backdonation.

Antitumor properties of organometallic metallocene complexes of tin and germanium.

The antitumor activity of the four metallocene compounds decaphenylstannocene [eta 5-(C6H5)5C5]2Sn(II), decabenzylstannocene [eta 5-(C6H5CH2)5C5]2Sn(II), decaphenylgermanocene [eta 5-(C6H5)5C5]2Ge(II), and decabenzylgermanocene [eta 5-(C6H5CH2)5C5]2Ge(II), containing the main group IV elements tin or germanium as the central metal atom and two pentasubstituted cyclopentadienyl ring ligands in sandwich arrangement, were tested against Ehrlich ascites tumor in female CF1 mice. The complexes caused cure rates of 40% to 90% of the animals treated over rather broad dose ranges. With both germanocene complexes, no strong dose-activity relationship was manifest. The toxicity of all four metallocenes was low, the LD10 values of both stannocenes being 460 and 500 mg/kg, and those of both germanocenes higher than 700 mg/kg. Regarding the isolated pentasubstituted cyclopentadiene ligands (C6H5)5C5H and (C6H5CH2)5C5H, these also exhibited antitumor activity which was less pronounced than that of the metal-containing sandwich complexes. Decasubstituted stannocene and germanocene compounds represent a new type of non-platinum group metal antitumor agents structurally differing from known inorganic and organometallic cytostatics.

A carboxylato-supported alkoxo-bridged dimanganese(III) complex: bis(mu-benzoato-O:O')bis[3-(33-methoxysalicydeneamino)propanolato-O,N,O':O']dimanganese(III).

The title compound, [Mn2(C11H13NO3)2(C7H5O2)2], is a centrosymmetric dinuclear manganese(III) complex in which the two Mn atoms are bridged by two alkoxo groups and supported by two carboxylate groups, with an Mn.Mn distance of 2.8720 (15) A.

Diaquabis(4,4'-bipyridine-N)bis(dihydrogenphosphato-O)copper(II): blocking of extended metal-ligand coordination by hydrogen bonding.

The title compound, [Cu(H(2)PO(4))(2)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2)(H(2)O)(2)], is a mononuclear complex in which the Cu atom is square-planar coordinated by two dihydrogenphosphate anions and two monodentate 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bipy) groups, and by two more distant aqua ligands to complete a distorted octahedral coordination. Metal-metal bridging by 4,4'-bipy is blocked by intermolecular hydrogen bonding from the dihydrogenphosphate to the second N atom of 4,4'-bipy. The crystal packing is controlled both by additional hydrogen bonding between the aqua and phosphate ligands and by pi-stacking. These hydrogen-bonding interactions create two-dimensional networks which are connected by the bipyridine ligands.

M(mu-CN)Fe(mu-CN)M' chains with phthalocyanine iron centers: redox, spin-state, and mixed-valence properties.

Dinuclear complexes with M-CN-ZnPc and M-CN-FePc-CN arrays and trinuclear complexes with M(mu-CN)Fe(mu-CN)M' arrays containing central metal phthalocyaninato (Pc) and external Cp(dppe)Fe or Cp(PPh3)2Ru building blocks (M) and having all possible orientations of the bridging cyanide ligands were subjected to electrochemical and preparative redox reactions. The species with unpaired electrons show characteristic MMCT bands in the near-IR spectra, the energies of which depend in a typical fashion on the nature of the building blocks and the orientation of the cyanide bridges and can be correlated with the redox potentials. Cyclic voltammetry has revealed electronic communication between the external organometallic units. An analysis of the MMCT spectra allows the assignment of the odd-electron complexes as class II mixed-valence species. The magnetic moments of the complexes with central Fe(III)Pc units are characteristically higher than the spin-only value for one unpaired electron. A Mössbauer investigation has shown that the M-CN-Fe(III)Pc-NC-M complexes undergo a low-spin-to-high-spin crossover of the Fe(III) component above room temperature.