Synthesis and structural characterization of mercury(II) complexes with a novel ferrocenyliminophosphine

Synthesis of the novel ligand ferrocenyliminophosphine [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CHN(C₆H₄-2-PPh₂)}] (1, L) and studies on its complexation properties with mercury (II) are reported. Halogen-bridged binuclear mercury (II) complexes [HgX(μ-X)L]₂ (X = Cl (2a), Br (2b)) and a mononuclear mercury (II) complex HgCl₂L₂ (4a) have been obtained under different reaction conditions. In both cases, the ferrocenyliminophosphine acts as a P-monodentate ligand and the imino nitrogen does not participate in coordination to mercury (II). All the new compounds 1, 2a, 2b and 4a were characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR and IR spectra. In addition, structures of 2a and 4a have been determined by X-ray single-crystal analysis.     

Mercury complexes with the ligand benzaldehyde-N(4),N(4)-dimethylthiosemicarbazone

The Schiff base benzaldehyde-N(4),N(4)-dimethylthiosemicarbazone (LH) and its complexes [Hg(NO₃)(LH)₂]NO₃ (1), [Hg(L)₂] (2), [Hg(LH)₂(μ-X)₂HgX₂] [X = Cl (3), Br (4)], [HgI(LH)(μ-I)₂HgI(LH)] (5) and [HgI₂(LH)] (6) have been synthesized and characterized by IR, mass spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C NMR and by single crystal X-ray diffraction. All the complexes were obtained in ethanol and complex 2, in which the ligand is deprotonated, in addition needs the presence of basic medium. From mercury(II) iodide two complexes with the same molar ratio but with different structures were isolated. In all the complexes the ligand acts as a NS chelate, except in complex 5 in which is only S-donor. The coordination number of the mercury ion and the structures of the complexes depend on the counterion. Complexes 1, 2 and 6 are monomeric species but with different coordination spheres: N₂S₂O₂ with a distorted octahedral arrangement in complex 1, and N₂S₂ or NSI₂ in a pseudo-tetrahedral geometry in complexes 2 and 6, respectively. However, 3, 4 and 5 are binuclear complexes with two halido bridges, but they show two different structures. In 3 and 4, each mercury ion has a different environment giving an asymmetric structure, one is bonded to two NS-ligands and two halido bridges in a distorted octahedral geometry, and the other one has a tetrahedral environment formed by four halido ligands. In complex 5 both mercury ions are equivalent with a SI₃ distorted tetrahedral coordination sphere, formed by one S-bonded ligand, one terminal iodido and two iodido bridges.     

Effect of metal coordination and intra-molecular H-bond on the acidity of phenolic proton in a set of structurally characterized octahedral Ni(II) complexes of l-histidine derivative

Four different mononuclear octahedral Ni(II) complexes with protonated and deprotonated form of the same ligand have been synthesized by controlling reaction conditions and structurally characterized. The complexes are [Ni(HL^l-his)(benzoate)(MeOH)] (1), [Ni(HL^l-his)(SCN)(MeOH)] (2), [Ni(HL^l-his)₂] (3) and [Ni(L^l-his)(imidazole)₂] (4) where H₂L^l-his is (S)-2-(2-hydroxybenzylamino)-3-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)-propionic acid. The ligand behaves as a monobasic tetradentate ligand in 1 and 2, monobasic tridentate ligand in 3 and dibasic tetradentate ligand in 4. Ni(II) coordinated phenolic proton of the ligand in the complexes 1-2 shows strong intra-molecular H-bonding with benzoate in 1 and lattice water in 2, whereas 3 shows intermolecular H-bonding between uncoordinated phenols with neighbouring carboxylate. The pH titration of the complexes revealed that metal coordination and H-bond in complexes 1 and 2 considerably lowers the acidity of ligand phenol (pK_a 6.8 and 7.0 respectively) compared to phenol (pK_a 10). The complex 4 does not show any proton loss due to the absence of phenolic proton. All the complexes show extensive H-bonded network in the crystals including narrow (7.8 × 5.2 Å) water filled one dimensional channel in 2.     

Palladium(II) complexes of quinolinylaminophosphonates: synthesis, structural characterization, antitumor and antimicrobial activity

Three types of palladium(II) halide complexes of quinolinylaminophosphonates have been synthesized and studied. Diethyl and dibutyl [α-anilino-(quinolin-2-ylmethyl)]phosphonates (L1, L2) act as N,N-chelate ligands through the quinoline and aniline nitrogens giving complexes cis-[Pd(L1/L2)X₂] (X═Cl, Br) (1-4). Their 3-substituted analogues [α-anilino-(quinolin-3-ylmethyl)]phosphonates (L3, L4) form dihalidopalladium complexes trans-[Pd(L3/L4)₂X₂] (5-8), with trans N-bonded ligand molecules only through the quinoline nitrogen. Dialkyl [α-(quinolin-3-ylamino)-N-benzyl]phosphonates (L5, L6) give tetrahalidodipalladium complexes [Pd₂(L5/L6)₃X₄] (9-12), containing one bridging and two terminal ligand molecules. The bridging molecule is bonded to the both palladium atoms, one through the quinoline and the other through the aminoquinoline nitrogen, whereas terminal ligand molecules are coordinated each only to one palladium via the quinoline nitrogen. Each palladium ion is also bonded to two halide ions in a trans square-planar fashion. The new complexes were identified and characterized by elemental analyses and by IR, UV-visible, ¹H, ¹³C and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance and ESI-mass spectroscopic studies. The crystal structures of complexes 1-4 and 6 were determined by X-ray structure analysis. The antitumor activity of complexes in vitro was investigated on several human tumor cell lines and the highest activity with cell growth inhibitory effects in the low micromolar range was observed for dipalladium complexes 11 and 12 derived from dibutyl ester L6. The antimicrobial properties in vitro of ligands and their complexes were studied using a wide spectrum of bacterial and fungal strains. No specific activity was noted. Only ligands L3 and L4 and tetrahalidodipalladium complexes 9 and 11 show poor activities against some Gram positive bacteria.     

Strong 1,4 P-O intramolecular interactions as a source of conformational preferences in α-stabilised phosphorus ylides. Part 2: metallic complexes

The complexes cis-[PdCl₂{η²-[C(H)PH₃]₂CO}] (2) in two different stereochemical arrangements (cisoid-cisoid, 2cc; cisoid-transoid, 2ct) have been studied by DFT methods at the B3LYP level. The (2cc) structure is energetically more stable than the (2ct), being the main responsible of the energy difference between the two complexes the energetic gap between the cc and ct isomers of the free bis-ylide ligand [H₃PC(H)-C(O)-C(H)PH₃] (1). In (1) these differences arise from the presence of 1,4-intramolecular interactions between the phosphorus atoms and the carbonyl oxygen. That is, the conformational preferences observed in (1) due to the establishment of 1,4-P?O interactions are directly transferred to the metallic complexes (2) in such a way that the most stable structure for the free ligand gives the most stable complex. In the absence of the carbonyl group (e.g. [H₃PC(H)-C(CH₂)-C(H)PH₃] (3) or [H₃PC(H)-CH₂-C(H)PH₃] (5)) all isomers of a given bis-ylide (cc, ct and tt) become isoenergetic. The absence of discrimination in the free bis-ylides (3) and (5) gives isoenergetic cc and ct structures for the corresponding complexes cis-[PdCl₂{η²-[C(H)PH₃]₂CCH₂}] (4), cis-[PdCl₂{η²-[C(H)PH₃]₂CH₂}] (6) and [CpNi{η²-[C(H)PH₃]₂CH₂}] (7), as stated by NMR spectroscopy for (7). The influence of other factors (change of the heteroatom at C_β, change of the P substituents) in the energy of the different isomers of the bis-ylides and in the energy of the corresponding complexes has also been studied and discussed.     

Speciation, stability constants and structures of complexes of copper(II), nickel(II), silver(I) and mercury(II) with PAMAM dendrimer and related tetraamide ligands

The acid-base properties and Cu(II), Ni(II), Ag(I) and Hg(II) binding abilities of PAMAM dendrimer, L, and of the simple model compounds, the tetraamides of EDTA and PDTA, L¹, were studied in solution by pH-metric methods and by ¹H NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. PAMAM is hexabasic and six pK_a values have been determined and assigned. PAMAM forms five identifiable complexes with copper(II), [CuLH₄]⁶⁺, [CuLH₂]⁴⁺, [CuLH]³⁺, [CuL]²⁺ and [CuLH_-1]⁺ in the pH range 2-11 and three with nickel(II), [NiLH]³⁺, [NiL]²⁺ and [NiLH_-1]⁺ in the pH range 7-11. The complex [CuLH₄]⁶⁺, which contains two tertiary nitrogen and three amide oxygen atoms coordinated to the metal ion, is less stable than the analogous EDTA and PDTA tetraamide complexes [CuL¹]²⁺, which contain two tertiary nitrogen and four amide oxygen atoms, due to ring size and charge effects. With increasing pH, [CuLH₄]⁶⁺ undergoes deprotonation of two coordinated amide groups to give [CuLH₂]⁴⁺ with a concomitant change from O-amide to N-amidate coordination. Surprisingly and in contrast to the tetraamide complexes [CuL¹]²⁺, these two deprotonation steps could not be separated. As expected the nickel(II) complexes are less stable than their copper(II) analogues. The tetra-N-methylamides of EDTA, L¹(b), and PDTA form mononuclear and binuclear complexes with Hg(II). In the case of L¹(b) these have stoichiometries HgL¹(b)Cl₂, [HgL¹(b)H₋₂Cl₂]²⁻, [Hg₂L¹(b)Cl₂]²⁺, Hg₂L¹(b)H₋₂Cl₂ and [Hg₂L¹(b)H₋₅Cl₂]³⁻. Based on ¹H NMR and pH-metric data the proposed structure for HgL¹(b)Cl₂, the main tetraamide ligand containing species in the pH range <3-6.5, contains L¹(b) coordinated to the metal ion through the two tertiary nitrogens and two amide oxygens while the structure of [HgL¹(b)H₋₂Cl₂]²⁻, the main tetraamide ligand species at pH 7.5-9.0, contains the ligand similarly coordinated but through two amidate nitrogen atoms instead of amide oxygens. The proposed structure of [Hg₂L¹(b)Cl₂]²⁺, a minor species at pH 3-6.5, also based on ¹H NMR and pH-metric data, contains each Hg(II) coordinated to a tertiary amino nitrogen, two amide oxygens and a chloride ligand while that of [Hg₂L¹(b)H₋₅Cl₂]³⁻, contains each Hg(II) coordinated to a tertiary amino nitrogen, two amidate nitrogens, a chloride and a hydroxo ligand in the case of one of the Hg(II) ions. The parent EDTA and PDTA amides only form mononuclear complexes. PAMAM also forms dinuclear as well as mononuclear complexes with mercury(II) and silver(I). In the pH range 3-11 six complexes with Hg(II) i.e. [HgLH₄Cl₂]⁴⁺, [HgLH₃Cl₂]³⁺, [Hg₂LCl₂]²⁺, [Hg₂LH₋₁Cl₂]⁺, [HgLH₋₁Cl₂]⁻ and [HgLH₋₂Cl₂]²⁻ were identified and only two with Ag(I), [AgLH₃]⁴⁺ and [Ag₂L]²⁺. Based on stoichiometries, stability constant comparisons and ¹H NMR data, structures are proposed for these species. Hence [HgLH₄Cl₂]⁴⁺ is proposed to have a similar structure to [CuLH₄]⁶⁺ while [Hg₂LCl₂]²⁺has a similar structure to [Hg₂L¹(b)H₋₅Cl₂]³⁻.     

Hybrid scorpionate/cyclopentadienyl titanium and zirconium complexes with alkoxide and imido ligands

The reactivity of hybrid scorpionate/cyclopentadienyl ligand-containing trichloride zirconium complexes [ZrCl₃(bpzcp)] (1) [bpzcp = 2,2-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,1-diphenylethylcyclopentadienyl] and [ZrCl₃(bpztcp)] (2) [bpztcp = 2,2-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1-tert-butylethylcyclopentadienyl] toward several lithium alkoxides has been carried out. Thus, alkoxide-containing complexes [ZrCl₂(OR)(bpzcp)] (R = Me, 3; Et, 4; ⁱPr, 5; (R)-2-Bu, 6), [ZrCl₂(OR)(bpztcp)] (R = Me, 7; Et, 8; ⁱPr, 9; (R)-2-Bu, 10) and [Zr(OR)₃(bpztcp)] (R = Et, 11; ⁱPr, 12) were prepared by deprotonation of the appropriate alcohol group with BuⁿLi followed by reaction with 1 or 2. In addition, the imido-complex [Ti(N^tBu)Cl(bpztcp)(py)] (13) were also prepared. The structures of these complexes have been proposed on basis of spectroscopic and DFT methods.     

Palladium(II) oxalato complexes involving N6-(benzyl)-9-isopropyladenine-based N-donor carrier ligands: Synthesis, general properties, H, C and N{H} NMR characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity

Reactions of potassium bis(oxalato)palladate dihydrate, K₂[Pd(ox)₂]·2H₂O, with two molar equivalents of N6-(benzyl)-9-isopropyladenine-based organic molecules (L_1-7), i.e. 2-chloro-N6-(2-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₁), 2-chloro-N6-(3-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₂), 2-chloro-N6-(3,5-dimethoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₃), 2-(1-ethyl-2-hydroxyethylamino)-N6-(benzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₄), 2-(1-ethyl-2-hydroxyethylamino)-N6-(2-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₅), 2-(1-ethyl-2-hydroxyethylamino)-N6-(3-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₆) and 2-(1-ethyl-2-hydroxyethylamino)-N6-(4-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L₇), provided a series of seven palladium(II) oxalato (ox) complexes of the general formula [Pd(ox)(L_1-7)₂]·nH₂O (1-7; n = 0 for 4, 5 and 7, ¾ for 1 and 2, 1 for 6, and 3 for 3). The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, Raman, ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁵N{¹H} NMR spectroscopy, ESI+ mass spectrometry, molar conductivity and TG/DTA thermal analysis. The geometry of [Pd(ox)(L₂)₂] (2) was optimized on the B3LYP/6-311G∗/LANL2DZ level of theory. The complexes 4-7 represent the first palladium(II) oxalato complexes with a PdN₂O₂ donor set, which involve highly potent purine-based cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors (L_4-7) as carrier N-donor ligands. The selected complexes 1, 3-5 and 7 were tested by an MTT assay for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against human osteosarcoma (HOS) cancer cell line. The highest activity was found for the complexes 5 (IC₅₀ = 34.9 μM) and 7 (IC₅₀ = 39.2 μM).     

Coordination chemistry of heterocycle-functionalized diazamesocycles: tuning the productive Ni complexes through altering the pendants of ligands

In order to further understand the coordination chemistry of diazamesocyclic systems, a series of mononuclear Ni^II complexes with 1,4-diazacycloheptane (DACH) functionalized by additional imidazole or pyridine donor pendants, including [NiL¹](ClO₄)₂ · H₂O (1), [NiL¹Cl](ClO₄) (2), [NiL²Cl](ClO₄) · CH₃OH (3), [NiL²Cl][NiL²](ClO₄)₃ (4) and [NiL³](ClO₄)₂ (5), where L¹ = 1,4-bis(N-1-methylimidazol-2-yl-methyl)-1,4-diazacycloheptane, L² = 1,4-bis(pyridyl-2-yl-methyl)-1,4-diazacycloheptane, and L³ = 1,4-bis-(imidazol-4-yl-methyl)-1,4-diazacycloheptane, have been prepared and characterized. A detailed study on the solid structures and solution spectra of these complexes indicates that tetradentate ligands L¹, L² and L³ would lead to new Ni^II complexes with different coordination environments in the solid states and solution. The N-methyl substituted imidazole functionalized ligand L¹ forms green compound 2 and yellow product 1; while the pyridine functionalized ligand L² affords red product 4 and green complex 3; the ligand L³ results in only one stable mononuclear Ni^II product 5. The solution behaviors of these interesting compounds were also investigated by UV-Vis technique.     

New organotin complexes with trans(cis)-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid: Synthesis, characterization and crystal structures of mononuclears, 2D network polymers and a tetratin macrocycle

A series of new organotin carboxylates have been synthesized by reactions of trans(cis)-1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid with triorganotin chloride and diorganotin dichloride. All the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ¹¹⁹Sn NMR spectroscopy; furthermore, complexes 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 were characterized by X-ray diffraction analyses. The structural analyses show that complex 1 possesses a monomer structure; complex 5 possesses a 1D zigzag chain structure; both the complexes 3 and 8 have 2D network structures and complex 9 has a tetratin 36-membered macrocyclic structure.     

Bimetallic complexes of porphyrinphenanthroline: Preparation and catalytic activities

Condensation of tetraphenylporphyrin-2,3-dione with 1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-diamine provided porphyrinphenanthroline (2) as the desired ligand. Metallation of the porphyrinic site of 2 with CoCl₂, NiCl₂, ZnCl₂ and CuCl₂ afforded the corresponding metal complexes [Co(2)] (8a), [Ni(2)] (8b), [Zn(2)] (8c) and [Cu(2)] (8d), respectively. Subsequent reactions of these metalloporphyrins with [(COD)PdCl₂] yielded the corresponding bimetallic complexes [Co/Pd (9a), Ni/Pd (9b), Zn/Pd (9c) and Cu/Pd (9d)] in high yields. The bimetallic complex 9e (Mg/Pd) was prepared directly by complexation of 2 with MgBr₂ and [(COD)PdCl₂]. All complexes were characterized by both spectroscopic and elemental analyses. In addition, crystal structure of 9c was determined to confirm its formulation. The use of these bimetallic complexes as pre-catalysts for Mizoroki-Heck coupling reaction has been examined.     

Synthesis, characterization and structural diversity of lanthanide chlorides supported by the β-diketiminate ligand [{(2,6-Me2C6H3)NC(Me)}2CH]

Reactions of the β-diketiminate lithium salt L²Li [L²={(2,6-Me₂C₆H₃)NC(Me)}₂CH] with anhydrous LnCl₃ (Ln=Yb, Sm, Nd) in 1:1 molar ratio in THF afforded the new β-diketiminate lanthanide complexes L²LnCl(THF)(μ-Cl)₂Li(THF)₂ (Ln=Yb (1), Sm (2), Nd (3)). Recrystallization of complexes 1-3 from toluene gave the neutral complexes L²LnCl₂(THF)₂ (Ln=Yb (4), Sm (5), Nd (6)). Recrystallization of complexes 4 and 5 in hot toluene for two times gave the dinuclear complexes L²ClLn(μ-Cl)₃LnL²(THF) (Ln=Yb (7), Sm (8)). Treatment of the mother liquor of complex 2 in hot toluene for three times gave the novel trinuclear complex L²SmCl(μ-Cl)₃SmL²(μ-Cl)Li(L²H)(THF) (9). Each of these complexes was well characterized, while complexes 3, 7 and 9 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction structure determination.     

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro cytotoxicity of the first palladium(II) oxalato complexes involving adenine-based ligands

The first [Pd(Lⁿ)₂(ox)] xH₂O oxalato(ox) complexes involving 2-chloro-N6-(benzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L¹; complex 1), 2-chloro-N6-(4-methoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L²; 2), 2-chloro-N6-(2,3-dimethoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L³; 3), 2-chloro-N6-(2,4-dimethoxybenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L⁴; 4), and 2-chloro-N6-(4-methylbenzyl)-9-isopropyladenine (L⁵; 5) have been synthesized by the reactions of potassium bis(oxalato)palladate(II) dihydrate, [K₂Pd(ox)₂]·2H₂O, with the mentioned organic compounds (H₂ox = oxalic acid; x = 0 for 1-3 and 5 or 2 for 4). Elemental analyses (C, H, N), FTIR, Raman and NMR (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N) spectroscopies, conductivity measurements and thermal studies (thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses, TG/DTA) have been used to characterize the prepared complexes. The molecular structures of [Pd(L²)₂(ox)] (2) and [Pd(L⁵)₂(ox)]·L⁵·Me₂CO (5·L⁵·Me₂CO) have been determined by a single crystal X-ray analysis. The geometry of these complexes is slightly distorted square-planar with two appropriate Lⁿ (n = 2 or 5) molecules mutually arranged in the head-to-head (2) or head-to-tail (5) orientation. The Lⁿ ligands are coordinated to the central Pd(II) ion via the N7 atoms. The same conclusions regarding the binding properties of L¹-L⁵ ligands can be made based on multinuclear NMR spectra. In vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes 1-5 has been evaluated against human chronic myelogenous leukaemia (K562) and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cancer cell lines. Significant cytotoxicity has been determined for the complexes 3 (IC₅₀ = 6.2 μM) and 5 (IC₅₀ = 6.8 μM) on the MCF7 cell line, which is even better than that found for the well-known and widely-used platinum-bearing antineoplastic drugs, i.e. oxaliplatin and cisplatin.     

Syntheses, structures and bioactivities of silver(I) complexes with dithioether ligands that contain a di- or triethylene glycol chain and different terminal groups

A series of flexible dithioethyl ligands that contain ethyleneoxy segments were designed and synthesized, including bis(2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)ethyl)ether (L¹), 1,2-bis(2-(pyridin-2-ylthio)ethoxy)ethane (L²), bis(2-(benzothiazol-2-ylthio)ethyl)ether (L³) and 1,2-bis(2-(benzothiazol-2-ylthio)ethoxy)ethane (L⁴). Reactions of these ligands with AgNO₃ led to the formation of four new supramolecular coordination complexes, [Ag₂L¹(NO₃)₂]₂ (1), [Ag₂L²(NO₃)₂] (2), [AgL³(NO₃)]_∞ (3) and [AgL⁴(NO₃)] (4) in which the length of the (CH₂CH₂O)_n spacers and the terminal groups of ligands cause subtle geometrical differences. Studies of the inhibitory effect to the growth of Phaeodactylum tricornutum show that all four complexes are active and the compound 4 has the highest inhibitory activity.     

Pd(II) complexes containing N-alkyl-3-pyridine-5-trifluoromethyl pyrazole ligands: Synthesis, NMR studies and X-ray crystal structures

Palladium [PdCl₂(L)] complexes with N-alkylpyridylpyrazole derived ligands [2-(5-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine (L¹), 2-(1-ethyl-5-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine (L²), 2-(1-octyl-5-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine (L³), and 2-(3-pyridin-2-yl-5-trifluoromethyl-pyrazol-1-yl)ethanol (L⁴) were synthesised. The crystal and molecular structures of [PdCl₂(L)] (L = L², L³, L⁴) were resolved by X-ray diffraction, and consist of monomeric cis-[PdCl₂(L)] molecules. The palladium centre has a typical square-planar geometry, with a slight tetrahedral distortion. The tetra-coordinate metal atom is bonded to one pyridinic nitrogen, one pyrazolic nitrogen and two chlorine ligands in cis disposition. Reaction of L (L², L⁴) with [Pd(CH₃CN)₄](BF₄)₂, in the ratio 1M:2L, gave complexes [Pd(L)]₂(BF₄)₂. Treatment of [PdCl₂(L)] (L = L², L⁴) with NaBF₄ and pyridine (py) and treatment of the same complexes with AgBF₄ and triphenylphosphine (PPh₃) yielded [Pd(L)(py)₂](BF₄)₂ and [Pd(L)(PPh₃)₂](BF₄)₂ complexes, respectively. Finally, reaction of [PdCl₂(L⁴)] with 1 equiv of AgBF₄ yields [PdCl(L⁴)](BF₄).     

Rhenium(III) and technetium(III) complexes with 2-mercapto-1,3-azole ligands and X-ray crystal structures

Reactions of labile [MCl₃(PPh₃)₂(NCMe)] (M = Tc, Re) precursors with 1H-benzoimidazole-2-thiol (H₂L¹), 5-methyl-1H-benzoimidazole-2-thiol (H₂L²) and 1H-imidazole-2-thiol (H₂L³), in the presence of PPh₃ and [AsPh₄]Cl gave a new series of trigonal bipyramidal M(III) complexes [AsPh₄]{[M(PPh₃)Cl(H₂L^1-3)₃]Cl₃} (M = Re, 1-3; M = Tc, 4-6). The molecular structures of 1 and 3 were determined by X-ray diffraction. When the reactions were carried out with benzothiazole-2-thiol (HL⁴) and benzoxazole-2-thiol (HL⁵), neutral paramagnetic monosubstituted M(III) complexes [M(PPh₃)₂Cl₂(L^4,5)] (M = Re, 8, 9; M = Tc, 10, 11) were obtained. In these compounds, the central metal ions adopt an octahedral coordination geometry as authenticated by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of 8 and 11. Rhenium and technetium complexes 1, 4 and rhenium chelate compounds 8, 9 have been also synthesized by reduction of [MO₄]⁻ with PPh₃ and HCl in the presence of the appropriate ligand. All the complexes were characterized by elemental analyses, FTIR and NMR spectroscopy.     

Chiral 2-pyridyl alcoholate copper complexes: crystal structures of [bis(2-pyridyl alcoholate)copper(II)] and the use of [(2-pyridyl alcoholate)copper(II)]and [(2-pyridyl alcoholate)copper(I)] in asymmetric cyclopropanation of styene and allylic oxidation of cyclohexene

Chiral N,O pyridine alcohols HL¹-HL⁶ were used to form complexes with copper(II) ions. Ligands HL¹ and HL² formed complexes with copper(II) ions when Cu(OAc)₂ and HL were refluxed in methanol/ethanol mixture. Ligand HL³ formed a complex with copper(II) when deprotonated with NaH and stirred in a Cu(II) acetate THF solution. Ligands HL⁴-HL⁶ did not form complexes with copper(II) under similar conditions. Two complexes, [Cu(L¹)₂] and [Cu(L²)₂], were isolated as single crystals and characterized by X-ray crystallography. These complexes showed low catalytic activities in asymmetric reactions. However, they became active when reacted with triflic acid. Copper complexes, [Cu(L)] or [Cu(L)]⁺, formed in situ by reacting ligands HL with copper(I) or (II) ions, respectively, were also found to be active copper catalysts for asymmetric cyclopropanation of styrene with ethyl diazoacetate and allylic oxidation of cyclohexene with t-butylperoxybenzoate. Enantioselectivities up to 56% and 38% were obtained in asymmetric cyclopropanation of styrene and asymmetric allylic oxidation of cyclohexene, respectively.     

Design,synthesis, DNA-binding affinity,cytotoxicity, apoptosis,and cell cycle arrest of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes

A novel polypyridyl ligand CNPFIP (CNPFIP = 2-(5(4-chloro-2-nitrophenyl)furan-2-yl)-1H-imidazo[4,5f][1,10]phenanthroline) and its mononuclear Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes of [Ru(phen)₂CNPFIP]²⁺(1) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), [Ru(bpy)₂CNPFIP]²⁺(2) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine), and [Ru(dmb)₂CNPFIP]²⁺(3) (dmb = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine) have been synthesized successfully and characterized thoroughly by elemental analysis, UV/Vis, IR, NMR, and ESI-MS. The interaction of the Ru(II) complexes with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was investigated by absorption titration, fluorescence, viscosity measurements. The experimental results suggest that three complexes bind to CT-DNA through an intercalative mode and the DNA-binding affinity of complex 1 is greater than that of complexes 2 and 3. The photocleavage of plasmid pBR322 DNA by ruthenium complexes 1, 2, and 3 was investigated. We have also tested three complexes for their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria. The in vitro cytotoxicity of these complexes was evaluated by MTT assay, and complex 1 shows higher cytotoxicity than 2 and 3 on HeLa cells. The induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of HeLa cells were investigated by flow cytometry for 24 h. The molecular docking of ruthenium complexes 1, 2, and 3 with the active site pocket residues of human DNA TOP1 was performed using LibDock.     

Design, synthesis and coordination chemistry of sidearm substituted bisoxazoline ligands

We describe herein the design, synthesis and coordination chemistry of a novel ligand motif that combines a bisoxazoline with a third flexible chelating substituent (“tail”). Four such ligands (6-9) were synthesized from phenylglycine in 4-5 steps each in ca. 20% overall yield. Coordination of 6 and 7 to [Re(CO)₄Cl]₂ yielded crystals suitable for X-ray analysis. Likewise, crystals were obtained from coordination of 6 to FeCl₂. The solid state structures of the resulting complexes (10-12) reveal κ² binding of the bisoxazoline motif; however, the structures of complexes 10 and 12 show that the “tail” is poised above the metal center, demonstrating the potential for alternate binding modes in solution. The complexes exhibit a relatively planar 6-membered chelate structure, in contrast to the boat conformation typical of trispyrazolylborate complexes.     

Ruthenium(II) carbonyl chloride complexes containing pyridine-functionalised bidentate N-heterocyclic carbenes: Synthesis, structures, and impact of the carbene ligands on catalytic activities

A series of new ruthenium(II) carbonyl chloride complexes with pyridine-functionalised N-heterocyclic carbenes [Ru(Py-NHC)(CO)₂Cl₂], [Py-NHC = 3-methyl-1-(2-pyridyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, 1 (1a and 1b); 3-methyl-1-(2-picoyl)imidazol-2-ylidene, 2 (2a and 2b); 3-methyl-1-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazolin-2-ylidene, 3 (3b); 3-methyl-1-(2-picoyl)benzimidazolin-2-ylidene, 4 (4a and 4b); 1-methyl-4-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazoline-5-ylidene, 5 (5a and 5b)] have been prepared by transmetallation from the corresponding silver carbene complexes and characterized by NMR, IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. In these complexes with bidentate Py-NHC ligands, one CO ligand is trans to the Py ligand. In 1a, 2a, 4a, and 5a, the NHC ligand is trans to the other CO ligand, thus leaving the two Cl⁻ ligands trans to each other. In 1b, 2b, 3b, 4b, and 5b, the NHC ligands are trans to one Cl⁻ ligand, and the two Cl⁻ ligands are cis to each other. The structures for 1b, 2b, 3b and 4b have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These complexes are efficient catalysts in the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone and their catalytic activities are found to be influenced by electronic effect of the N-heterocyclic carbene ligands.