Noble-Metal Substitution in Hemoproteins: An Emerging Strategy for Abiological Catalysis.

Enzymes have evolved to catalyze a range of biochemical transformations with high efficiencies and unparalleled selectivities, including stereoselectivities, regioselectivities, chemoselectivities, and substrate selectivities, while typically operating under mild aqueous conditions. These properties have motivated extensive research to identify or create enzymes with reactivity that complements or even surpasses the reactivity of small-molecule catalysts for chemical reactions. One of the limitations preventing the wider use of enzymes in chemical synthesis, however, is the narrow range of bond constructions catalyzed by native enzymes. One strategy to overcome this limitation is to create artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) that combine the molecular recognition of nature with the reactivity discovered by chemists. This Account describes a new approach for generating ArMs by the formal replacement of the natural iron found in the porphyrin IX (PIX) of hemoproteins with noble metals. Analytical techniques coupled with studies of chemical reactivity have demonstrated that expression of apomyoglobins and apocytochrome P450s (for which "apo-" denotes the cofactor-free protein) followed by reconstitution with metal-PIX cofactors in vitro creates proteins with little perturbation of the native structure, suggesting that the cofactors likely reside within the native active site. By means of this metal substitution strategy, a large number of ArMs have been constructed that contain varying metalloporphyrins and mutations of the protein. The studies discussed in this Account encompass the use of ArMs containing noble metals to catalyze a range of abiological transformations with high chemoselectivity, enantioselectivity, diastereoselectivity, and regioselectivity. These transformations include intramolecular and intermolecular insertion of carbenes into C-H, N-H, and S-H bonds, cyclopropanation of vinylarenes and of internal and nonconjugated alkenes, and intramolecular insertions of nitrenes into C-H bonds. The rates of intramolecular insertions into C-H bonds catalyzed by thermophilic P450 enzymes reconstituted with an Ir(Me)-PIX cofactor are now comparable to the rates of reactions catalyzed by native enzymes and, to date, 1000 times greater than those of any previously reported ArM. This reactivity also encompasses the selective intermolecular insertion of the carbene from ethyl diazoacetate into C-H bonds over dimerization of the carbene to form alkenes, a class of carbene insertion or selectivity not reported to occur with small-molecule catalysts. These combined results highlight the potential of well-designed ArMs to catalyze abiological transformations that have been challenging to achieve with any type of catalyst. The metal substitution strategy described herein should complement the reactivity of native enzymes and expand the scope of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.

Site-Selective Functionalization of (sp3 )C-H Bonds Catalyzed by Artificial Metalloenzymes Containing an Iridium-Porphyrin Cofactor.

The selective functionalization of one C-H bond over others in nearly identical steric and electronic environments can facilitate the construction of complex molecules. We report site-selective functionalizations of C-H bonds, differentiated solely by remote substituents, catalyzed by artificial metalloenzymes (ArMs) that are generated from the combination of an evolvable P450 scaffold and an iridium-porphyrin cofactor. The generated systems catalyze the insertion of carbenes into the C-H bonds of a range of phthalan derivatives containing substituents that render the two methylene positions in each phthalan inequivalent. These reactions occur with site-selectivity ratios of up to 17.8:1 and, in most cases, with pairs of enzyme mutants that preferentially form each of the two constitutional isomers. This study demonstrates the potential of abiotic reactions catalyzed by metalloenzymes to functionalize C-H bonds with site selectivity that is difficult to achieve with small-molecule catalysts.

Photophysical Properties of Pt(II) Polypyridines with Five- versus Six-Membered Chelate Rings: Trade-Offs in Angle Strain.

This report describes the synthesis and characterization of a series of eight [Pt(NNN)X]+ complexes where the tridentate NNN ligand is (2,2'-bipyrid-6-yl)(pyrid-2-yl)sulfide (btp) or methyl(2,2'-bipyrid-6-yl)(pyrid-2-yl)amine (bmap) and X is OMe, Cl, phenylethynyl (C2Ph), or cyclohexylethynyl (C2Cy). The expectation was that inserting a heteroatom into the backbone of 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (trpy) would expand the overall intraligand bite angle, introduce ILCT character into the excited states, and improve the photophysical properties. Crystal structures of [Pt(bmap)C2Ph]+ and [Pt(btp)Cl]+ reveal that atom insertion into the trpy backbone successfully expands the bite angle of the ligand by 8-10°. However, the impact on the photophysics is minimal. Indeed, of the eight systems investigated, only the [Pt(bmap)C2Ph]+ and [Pt(btp)C2Ph]+ complexes display appreciable emission in fluid solution, and they exhibit shorter emission lifetimes than [Pt(trpy)C2Ph]+. One reason is that the bond angle preferences of platinum and the inserted heteroatom induce the six-membered rings to deviate from planarity and adopt a boat-like conformation, impairing charge delocalization within the ligand. In addition, angle strain induces the donor atoms about platinum to assume a pseudotetrahedral arrangement, which offsets any benefit due to the increase in overall bite angle by promoting deactivation via d-d excited states. The results reveal that, in order to improve the luminescence of a [Pt(NNN)X]+ system, one must take care to avoid trading one kind of angle strain for another.

An Aerobic Synthetic Approach toward Bis-Alkynyl Cobalt(III) Compounds.

Reported herein is an expanded investigation into a new method for the preparation of Co(III) cyclam bis-alkynyls (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) under aerobic, weak base conditions. Treatment of trans-[Co(cyclam)(C2Ar)Cl]Cl-type complexes (Ar = C6F5 (1a), 4-C6H4NMe2 (1b)) with AgOTf in MeCN resulted in the doubly charged complexes [Co(cyclam)(C2Ar)(NCMe)](OTf)2 (Ar = C6F5 (2a), 4-C6H4NMe2 (2b)). These solvento complexes 2a,b undergo rapid alkynylation under aerobic conditions in the presence of an organic base and HC2Ar' to form the symmetrical or unsymmetrical bis-alkynyl complexes trans-[Co(cyclam)(C2Ar)(C2Ar')](OTf) (Ar/Ar' = C6F5 (3a), 4-C6H4NMe2 (3b); Ar = C6F5 and Ar' = 4-C6H4NMe2 (3c), C2Ph (3d)) in good yields. Molecular structures of the new compounds were established using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural studies revealed a notable trans influence for the Co-Cα bond lengths in the unsymmetrical complex 3c with a bond length of 1.929(7) Å for the electron-withdrawing -C2C6F5 ligand and 1.944(7) Å for -C2-4-C6H4NMe2. The optical HOMO-LUMO gaps for the bis-alkynyl complexes follow the trend 3a (2.83 eV) > 3d (2.77 eV) > 3c (2.70 eV) > 3b (2.64 eV). Although [Co(cyclam)(C2R)2]+ type complexes typically have irreversible electrochemical reductions, reversibility of the Co(+3/+2) couple improves in Co(III) cyclam complexes bearing more electron withdrawing substituents. Voltammetric analysis also revealed a modest NMe2/NMe2 coupling across the Co-alkynyl backbone in 3b, while DFT calculations identified the HOMO in 3b as the superexchange pathway for such coupling.

Engineering Chemically Exfoliated Large-Area Two-Dimensional MoS2 Nanolayers with Porphyrins for Improved Light Harvesting.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) is a promising candidate for electronic and optoelectronic applications. However, its application in light harvesting has been limited in part due to crystal defects, often related to small crystallite sizes, which diminish charge separation and transfer. Here we demonstrate a surface-engineering strategy for 2D MoS2 to improve its photoelectrochemical properties. Chemically exfoliated large-area MoS2 thin films were interfaced with eight molecules from three porphyrin families: zinc(II)-, gallium(III)-, iron(III)-centered, and metal-free protoporphyrin IX (ZnPP, GaPP, FePP, H2 PP); metal-free and zinc(II) tetra-(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)porphyrin (H2 T4, ZnT4); and metal-free and zinc(II) tetraphenylporphyrin (H2 TPP, ZnTPP). We found that the photocurrents from MoS2 films under visible-light illumination are strongly dependent on the interfacial molecules and that the photocurrent enhancement is closely correlated with the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) levels of the porphyrins, which suppress the recombination of electron-hole pairs in the photoexcited MoS2 films. A maximum tenfold increase was observed for MoS2 functionalized with ZnPP compared with pristine MoS2 films, whereas ZnT4-functionalized MoS2 demonstrated small increases in photocurrent. The application of bias voltage on MoS2 films can further promote photocurrent enhancements and control current directions. Our results suggest a facile route to render 2D MoS2 films useful for potential high-performance light-harvesting applications.

Stepwise Synthesis of Bis-Alkynyl Co(III)(cyclam) Complexes under Ambient Conditions.

Reported herein is a new synthetic method for the synthesis of Co(III)(cyclam) bis-alkynyls (cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane) under aerobic conditions. Upon the treatment of AgOTf in acetonitrile, complex trans-[Co(cyclam)(C2C6H4NMe2)Cl]Cl (1) was converted to trans-[Co(cyclam)(C2C6H4NMe2) (NCMe)](OTf)2 (2), and 2 was in turn reacted with HC2Ar under weakly basic conditions to afford the novel bis-alkynyls trans-[Co(cyclam)(C2C6H4NMe2)(C2Ar)](OTf) (Ar = C6H4NMe2 (3) and C6F5 (4)) in reasonable yields. Voltammetric analysis revealed a modest NMe2/NMe2 coupling across the Co-alkynyl backbone in 3, while DFT calculations identified the HOMO in 3 as the superexchange pathway for such coupling.

Turning a New Leaf on Metal-TMC Chemistry: Ni(II)(TMC) Acetylides.

Novel [Ni(TMC)C≡CY](+)-type compounds 1-4 [TMC = 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane; Y = SiMe3 (1), Si(i)Pr3 (2), Ph (3), and C2H (4)] have been synthesized and characterized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies revealed that these compounds adopt a distorted square-pyramidal geometry, with the acetylide ligand occupying the apical position and a RSRS isomer for the TMC ligand. The room temperature magnetic properties of 1-4 are consistent with an S = 1 ground state, as corroborated by CASSCF and density functional theory calculations, which indicate that the singly occupied molecular orbitals are d(z(2)) and d(x(2)-y(2)).

Synthesis and Electronic Structure of Ru2(Xap)4(Y-gem-DEE) Type Compounds: Effect of Cross-Conjugation.

Reported in this Article are the preparation and characterization of a series of new Ru2(II,III) compounds bearing one cross-conjugated σ-geminal-diethynylethene ligand (gem-DEE), namely, Ru2(Xap)4(Y-gem-DEE) (Xap = N,N'-anilinopyridinate (ap) or 2-(3,5-dimethoxy)anilinopyridinate (DiMeOap), and Y = Si(i)Pr3 (1) or H (2)) and [Ru2(ap)4]2(µ-gem-DEE) (3). Compounds 1-3 were characterized by spectroscopic and voltammetric techniques as well as the single crystal X-ray diffraction study of 2a. The X-ray structural data of 2a and the spectroscopic/voltammetric data of compounds 1 and 2 indicate that the gem-DEE ligands are similar to simple alkynyls in their effects on the molecular and electronic structures of the Ru2(Xap)4 moiety. Similar to the previously studied [Ru2(ap)4]2(µ-C2n) type compounds, dimer 3 exhibits pairwise 1e(-) oxidations and reductions, albeit the potential splits within the pair (ΔE1/2) are significantly smaller than those of [Ru2(ap)4]2(µ-C4). The electronic absorption spectra of the reduced and oxidized derivatives of 1a and 3 were determined using spectroelectrochemistry methods. No discernible intervalence charge transfer transition (IVCT) was detected in the near-IR spectrum for either 3(-) or 3(+), suggesting that the Ru2-Ru2 coupling in these mixed-valence states is weak. DFT calculations on a model compound of 3 yielded six singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs), which have Ru2 contributions similar to those previously calculated for the [Ru2(ap)4]2(µ-C2n) type compounds. Among six SOMOs, SOMO-2 is the only one containing substantial dπ-π(gem-DEE) character across the entire Ru2-µ-gem-DEE-Ru2 linkage, which explains the weakened Ru2-Ru2 coupling.

Attachment of a diruthenium compound to Au and SiO2/Si surfaces by "click" chemistry.

Fabrication of electrodes with functionalized properties is of interest in many electronic applications with the surface impacting the electrical and electronic properties of devices. We report the formation of molecular monolayers containing a redox-active diruthenium(II,III) compound to gold and silicon surfaces via "click" chemistry. The use of Cu-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition enables modular design of molecular surfaces and interfaces and allows for a variety of substrates to be functionalized. Attachment of the diruthenium compound is monitored by using infrared and photoelectron spectroscopies. The highest occupied molecular (or system) orbital of the "clicked-on" diruthenium is clearly seen in the photoemission measurements and is mainly attributed to the presence of the Ru atoms. The "click" attachment is robust and provides a route to investigate the evolution of the electronic structure and properties of novel molecules attached to a variety of electrodes. The ability to attach this redox-active Ru molecule onto SiO2 and Au surfaces is important for the development of functional molecular devices such as charge-based memory devices.

Redox-Active Molecular Nanowire Flash Memory for High-Endurance and High-Density Nonvolatile Memory Applications.

In this work, high-performance top-gated nanowire molecular flash memory has been fabricated with redox-active molecules. Different molecules with one and two redox centers have been tested. The flash memory has clean solid/molecule and dielectric interfaces, due to the pristine molecular self-assembly and the nanowire device self-alignment fabrication process. The memory cells exhibit discrete charged states at small gate voltages. Such multi-bit memory in one cell is favorable for high-density storage. These memory devices exhibit fast speed, low power, long memory retention, and exceptionally good endurance (>10(9) cycles). The excellent characteristics are derived from the intrinsic charge-storage properties of the protected redox-active molecules. Such multi-bit molecular flash memory is very attractive for high-endurance and high-density on-chip memory applications in future portable electronics.