Synthesis and Reaction Chemistry of Heterodi- and Heterotrimetallic Transition-Metal Complexes Based on 1-(Diphenylphosphanyl)-1′-terpyridylferrocene

Pd(ii) and Pt(ii) complexes of tridentate ligands with selective toxicity against Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans

Novel Pd(ii) and Pt(ii) complexes of the tridentate 2,6-bis(1-ethyl-benzimidazol-2'-yl)pyridine (L^BZ), and 4'-(2-pyridyl)-2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (L^PY) ligands were synthesized, characterized using a variety of analytical and spectroscopic tools, and screened for their potential antimicrobial properties against some bacterial and fungal strains as well as cytotoxicity against healthy human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells. The electronic structures of the complexes were investigated by time-dependent density functional theory calculations. The free ligand L^PY and benzimidazole complexes exhibited selective toxicity against Cryptococcus neoformans and Candida albicans, while displaying no cytotoxicity against HEK293. In the case of Cryptococcus neoformans, the antifungal activities of the benzimidazole-based complexes (MIC = 1.58-2.62 μM) are higher than those of the reference drug fluconazole (26.1 μM).

Triple the fun: tris(ferrocenyl)arene-based gold(i) complexes for redox-switchable catalysis

The modular syntheses of C₃-symmetric tris(ferrocenyl)arene-based tris-phosphanes and their homotrinuclear gold(i) complexes are reported. Choosing the arene core allows fine-tuning of the exact oxidation potentials and thus tailoring of the electrochemical response. The tris[chloridogold(i)] complexes were investigated in the catalytic ring-closing isomerisation of N-(2-propyn-1-yl)benzamide, showing cooperative behaviour vs. a mononuclear chloridogold(i) complex. Adding one, two, or three equivalents of 1,1′-diacetylferrocenium[tetrakis(perfluoro-tert-butoxy)aluminate] as an oxidant during the catalytic reaction (in situ) resulted in a distinct, stepwise influence on the resulting catalytic rates. Isolation of the oxidised species is possible, and using them as (pre-)catalysts (ex situ oxidation) confirmed the activity trend. Proving the intactness of the P–Au–Cl motif during oxidation, the tri-oxidised benzene-based complex has been structurally characterised.

Trinuclear gold(i) complexes of C₃-symmetric tris(ferrocenyl)arene-based tris-phosphanes with four accessible oxidation states catalyse the ring-closing isomerisation of N-(2-propyn-1-yl)benzamide with different rates depending on their redox state.

2,2':6',2''-Terpyridine switches from tridentate to monodentate coordination in a gold(iii) terpy complex upon reaction with sodium azide

Reaction of [AuCl(terpy-κ³-N^1,1',1'')]Cl₂ with an excess of sodium azide did not result in the expected exchange of the chlorido by an azido ligand to give [Au(N₃)(terpy-κ³-N^1,1',1'')]²⁺. Instead, X-ray structure analysis showed that the isolated product is [Au(N₃)₃(terpy-κ¹-N¹)], in which the terpyridine ligand is in a very rare monodentate coordination mode. This is also the dominant species in solution, together with a minor amount of [Au(N₃)₂(terpy-κ²-N^1,1')]⁺. The stability of the tris(azido)gold(iii) moiety relative to other possible species was also confirmed by DFT calculations.

Synthesis and characterisation of palladium(ii) complexes with hybrid phosphinoferrocene ligands bearing additional O-donor substituents

Coordination of phosphinoferrocene ligands with O-donor substituents to Pd(ii) is affected by the nature of the oxygen functions and may results in hemilabile species.

Synthesis of phosphinoferrocene amides and thioamides from carbamoyl chlorides and the structural chemistry of Group 11 metal complexes with these mixed-donor ligands

The reaction of in situ generated 1'-(diphenylphosphino)-1-lithioferrocene with carbamoyl chlorides, ClC(E)NMe2, affords the corresponding (thio)amides, Ph2PfcC(E)NMe2 (E = O (), S (); fc = ferrocene-1,1'-diyl). These compounds as well as their analogues, Ph2PfcC(O)NHMe () and Ph2PfcC(O)NH2 (), prepared from 1'-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene-1-carboxylic acid (Hdpf) were studied as ligands for the Group 11 metal ions. In the reactions with [Cu(MeCN)4][BF4], the amides give rise to bis-chelate complexes of the type [Cu(L-κ(2)O,P)2][BF4]. Similar products, [Ag(L-κ(2)O,P)2]ClO4, are obtained from silver(i) perchlorate and , or . In contrast, the reaction of AgClO4 with produces a unique molecular dimer [Ag()(ClO4-κO)]2, where the metal centres are bridged by the sulfur atoms of the P,S-chelating thioamides. The reactions of with [AuCl(tht)] (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) afford the expected gold(i)-phosphine complexes, [AuCl(L-κP)], containing uncoordinated (thio)amide moieties. Hemilabile coordination of the phosphinoamide ligands in complexes with the soft Group 11 metal ions is established by the crystal structure of a solvento complex, [Cu(-κ(2)O,P)(-κP)(CHCl3-κCl)][BF4], which was isolated serendipitously during an attempted crystallisation of [Cu(-κ(2)O,P)2][BF4]. All of the compounds are characterised by spectroscopic methods, and the structures of several representatives of both the free phosphinoamides and their complexes are determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and further studied by DFT calculations and cyclic voltammetry.

An Alternative Preparation of 1-(N,N-Dimethylaminomethyl)-1'-(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Au(I) and Pd(II) Complexes with this Hybrid Ligand

1-(N,N-Dimethylaminomethyl)-1′-(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene (1) was synthesized in good yield by lithiation of 1-bromo-1′-(diphenylphosphanyl)ferrocene and subsequent reaction with Eschenmoser's salt (dimethylmethylideneammonium iodide). Making use of an easily accessible, nontoxic starting material, this procedure represents a convenient alternative to the original synthetic protocol based on stepwise lithiation/functionalization of 1,1′-bis(tributylstannyl)ferrocene and reductive amination [M. E. Wright, Organometallics1990, 9, 853–856]. Compound 1 has typical hybrid-donor properties. When reacted with [AuCl(tht)] (tht=tetrahydrothiophene), it afforded the expected Au^I phosphane complex [AuCl(1-κP)] (2). An attempted removal of the chloride ligand from 2 with AgClO₄ produced an ill-defined material formulated as Au(1)ClO₄. The uncoordinated amine substituent reacted with traces of hydrogen chloride formed by slow decomposition typically occurring in solution. In this manner, complexes [AuCl(Ph₂PfcCH₂NHMe₂)]Cl (3, fc=ferrocene-1,1′-diyl) and [AuCl(Ph₂PfcCH₂NHMe₂)]ClO₄ (4) were isolated from crystallizations experiments with 2 and Au(1)ClO₄, respectively. On a larger scale, complex 3 was prepared easily from 2 and hydrogen chloride. The course of reactions between [PdCl₂(cod)] (cod=cycloocta-1,5-diene) and 1 were found to depend on the ligand-to-metal ratio. Whereas the reaction with two equivalents of 1 afforded bis(phosphane) complex trans-[PdCl₂(1-κP)₂] (5), that of a Pd:P ratio 1:1 produced ligand-bridged dimer [(μ-1)PdCl₂]₂ (6). With hydrogen chloride, complex 6 reacted to afford zwitterionic complex [PdCl₃(1H-κP)] (7), which was also formed when ligand 1 and [PdCl₂(cod)] were allowed to react slowly by liquid-phase diffusion of their chloroform solutions. The compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods (multinuclear NMR and ESI–MS), and the molecular structures of complex 2–4, 6⋅2CHCl₃ and 7⋅1.5CHCl₃ were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Group 6 complexes with iron and zinc heterometals: understanding the structural, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of a complete series of M≡M···M' compounds

Binuclear quadruply bonded complexes Cr(2)(dpa)(4) (1, dpa = 2,2'-dipyridylamide), Mo(2)(dpa)(4) (2), and W(2)(dpa)(4) (3) react with anhydrous FeCl(2), yielding heterometallic compounds CrCrFe(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (4), MoMoFe(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (5), and WWFe(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (6). These molecules are structurally similar, having a linear M≡M···Fe chain that is axially capped by chloride ions and is equatorially supported by the helically twisted dpa ligands. A structurally related zinc analog, CrCrZn(dpa)(4)Cl(2) (7), can be prepared upon metalation of 1 with ZnCl(2). This reaction also persistently produces a 2:1 adduct of ZnCl(2) with 1, [Cr(2)(dpa)(4)](ZnCl(2))(2) (8), which is in equilibrium with 7 and has the two zinc ions bound externally to the Cr(2) core and axial bridging chloro ligands attached to each Cr ion. The sole isolable product of the addition of ZnCl(2) to 3 is a 1:1 adduct, [W(2)(dpa)(4)]ZnCl(2) (9). The structurally related chain complexes 4, 5, 6, and 7 are characterized by X-ray crystallography, UV-vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy for the iron complexes in order to gain insights into the nature of heterometallic interactions, electronic excited states, and redox properties of these compounds, which have implications for all other M≡M···M' molecules. Additionally, NMR spectroscopy has been used to gain insight into the mechanism of the metalation of 1 by Zn(II).