Synthesis and Characterization of Aminoquinonato Bridged Re(I)-Based Amide Functionalized Dinuclear Metallastirrups and Tetranuclear Lemniscate Metallacycles

Rhenium-Pyrazolyl-Based Figure-Eight- and Z-Shaped Metallocycles: Self-Assembly, Solid-State Structures, Dynamic Properties in Solution, and Competitive Ligand-Induced Supramolecular Transformations into Rhenium-Pyridyl/-Benzimidazolyl/-Phosphine-Based Metallocycles/Acyclic Complexes

Rhenium(I)tricarbonyl core-based heteroleptic "figure-eight"- and Z-shaped metallocycles (1a-4a) of the general formula fac-[{(CO)3Re(μ-L)Re(CO)3}2(dppz)2] were self-assembled from Re2(CO)10, H2-L (H2-L = 5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthaquinone (H2-dhnq) for 1a; 1,4-dihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone (H2-dhaq) for 2a; 6,11-dihydroxy-5,12-naphthacenedione (H2-dhnd) for 3a; 2,2'-bisbenzimidazole (H2-bbim) for 4a), and bis(4-((pyrazolyl)methyl)phenylmethane) (dppz) via one-pot coordination-driven synthetic approach. The molecular structures of 1a and 4a were unambiguously confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) methods. The metallocycles in the DMSO solution exist as an acyclic dinuclear-DMSO adduct of the general formula fac-[{(CO)3Re(μ-L)Re(CO)3}(DMSO)2] (1b, L = dhnq; 2b, L = dhaq; 3b, L = dhnd; 4b, L = bbim) and dppz, which are in dynamic equilibrium. The dynamic behavior of the rhenium-pyrazolyl bond in the solution state was effectively utilized to transform metallocycles 1a-4a into pyridyl/benzimidazolyl/phosphine donor-based heteroleptic metallocycles and acyclic dinuclear complexes (4-13). These include tetranuclear rectangles fac-[{(CO)3Re(μ-L)Re(CO)3}2(4,4'-bpy)2] (4 and 11, L = dhaq for 4 and bbim for 11), dinuclear metallocycles fac-[{(CO)3Re(μ-L)Re(CO)3}(dpbim)] (5-7 and 12; L = dhnq for 5, dhaq for 6, dhnd for 7, and bbim for 12), and dinuclear acyclic complexes fac-[{(CO)3Re(μ-L)Re(CO)3}(PTA)2] (8-10 and 13; L = dhnq for 8, dhaq for 9, dhnd for 10, and bbim for 13). These transformations were achieved through component-induced supramolecular reactions while treating with competitive ligands 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bpy), bis(4-((1H-benzoimidazole-1-yl)methyl)phenyl)methane (dpbim), and 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (PTA). The reaction mixture in the solution was analyzed using NMR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analysis. Additionally, crystal structures of 4, 6, and 13, which were obtained in the mixture of the solutions, were determined, providing unequivocal evidence for the occurrence of supramolecular transformation within the system. The results reveal that the size of the chelating ligand and the pyrazolyl donor angle of the ditopic ligand play crucial roles in determining the resulting solid-state metallacyclic architecture in these synthetic combinations. The dynamic behavior of the rhenium-pyrazolyl bond in the metallocycles can be utilized to transform into other metallocycles and acyclic complexes using suitable competing ligands via ligand-induced supramolecular transformations.

Self-Assembled Manganese(I)-Based Selenolato-Bridged Tetranuclear Metallorectangles: Host-Guest Interaction, Anticancer, and CO-Releasing Studies

Supramolecular one-step self-assembly of dimanganese decacarbonyl, diaryl diselenide, and linear dipyridyl ligands (L = pyrazine (pz), 4,4'-bipyridine (bpy), and trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene (bpe)) has resulted in the formation of selenolato-bridged manganese(I)-based metallorectangles. The synthesis of tetranuclear Mn(I)-based metallorectangles [{(CO)₃Mn(μ-SeR)₂Mn(CO)₃}₂(μ-L)₂] (1-6) was facilitated by the oxidative addition of diaryl diselenide to dimanganese decacarbonyl with the simultaneous coordination of linear bidentate pyridyl linker in an orthogonal fashion. Formation of metallorectangles 1-6 was ascertained using IR, UV-vis, NMR spectroscopic techniques, and elemental analyses. The molecular mass of compounds 2, 4, and 6 were determined by ESI-mass spectrometry. Solid-state structural elucidation of 2, 3, and 6 by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods revealed a rectangular framework wherein selenolato-bridges and pyridyl ligands define the shorter and longer edges, respectively. Also, the guest binding capability of metallorectangles 3 and 5 with different aromatic guests was studied using UV-vis absorption and emission spectrophotometric titration methods that affirmed strong host-guest binding interactions. The formation of the host-guest complex between metallorectangle 3 and pyrene has been explicitly corroborated by the single-crystal X-ray structure of 3•pyrene. Moreover, select metallorectangles 1-4 and 6 were studied to explore their anticancer activity, while CO-releasing ability of metallorectangle 2 was further appraised using equine heart myoglobin assay.

Single-Pot Self-Assembly of Heteroleptic Mn(I)-Based Aminoquinonato-Bridged Ester/Amide-Functionalized Dinuclear Metallastirrups: Potential Anticancer and Visible-Light-Triggered CORMs

Multicomponent self-assembly of Mn₂(CO)₁₀, a bis-chelating aminoquinonato (ON∩ON) bridge (L), and an ester/amide-functionalized flexible neutral ditopic linker (L') has resulted into the formation of M₂LL'-type manganese(I)-based dinuclear metallastirrups of general formula [{(CO)₃Mn(μ-η⁴-L)Mn(CO)₃}(μ-L')] (1-10). Compounds 1-10 were accomplished via orthogonal bonding of the aminoquinone ligand (2,5-bis(n-butylamino)-1,4-benzoquinone/2,5-bis(phenethylamino)-1,4-benzoquinone) and ditopic pyridyl ligand to manganese carbonyl. The resultant metallastirrups were characterized using elemental analyses and IR, UV-vis, ¹H NMR, and electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopic techniques. The molecular structure of 6 was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Furthermore, molecular recognition capabilities of 1, 5, 7, and 9 were evaluated with aromatic compounds containing hydroxy/amine functionalities. Anticancer activities of compounds 1-3, 5-7, 9, and 10 were investigated against three cancer cell lines, that is, lung (A549), colon (HCT-15), and cervical (HeLa) as well as on normal cells (HEK 293). Compound 9 showed a broad-spectrum inhibition toward these cancer cells upon exposure to visible light. The myoglobin assay was performed using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy to investigate the visible-light-triggered CO release from 5 and 9 that could be related to their ability to effectively inhibit cancer cells. In addition, morphological studies confirmed the induction of autophagy due to the treatment of cancer cells using compound 9.