Cyclometallated platinum(II) compounds with imine ligands derived from amino acids: Synthesis and oxidative addition reactions

Synthesis, characterization and biological activity of new cyclometallated platinum(iv) iodido complexes

The synthesis of six novel cyclometallated platinum(iv) iodido complexes is accomplished by intermolecular oxidative addition of methyl iodide (compounds 2a-2c) or iodine (compounds 3a-3c) upon cyclometallated platinum(ii) compounds [PtX{(CH₃)₂N(CH₂)₃NCH(4-ClC₆H₃)}] (1a-1c: X = Cl, CH₃ or I). The X-ray molecular structures of platinum(ii) compound 1c and platinum(iv) compounds 3b and 3a' (an isomer of 3a) are reported. The cytotoxic activity against a panel of human adenocarcinoma cell lines (A-549 lung, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast, and HCT-116 colon), DNA interaction, topoisomerase I, IIα, and cathepsin B inhibition, and cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and ROS generation of the investigated complexes are presented. Remarkable antiproliferative activity was observed for most of the synthesized cycloplatinated compounds (series 1-3) in all the selected carcinoma cell lines. The best inhibition was provided for the octahedral platinum(iv) compounds 2a-2c exhibiting a methyl and an iodido axial ligand. Preliminary biological results point to a different mechanism of action for the investigated compounds. Cyclometallated platinum(ii) compounds 1a-1c modify the DNA migration as cisplatin. In contrast, cyclometallated platinum(iv) compounds 2a-2c and 3a-3c did not modify the DNA tertiary structure neither in the absence nor in the presence of ascorbic acid, which made them incapable of reducing platinum(iv) compounds 2b and 2c in a buffered aqueous medium (pH 7.40) according to ¹H NMR experiments. Remarkable topoisomerase IIα inhibitory activity is reported for platinum(iv) complexes 2b and 3a and in addition, for the last one, a moderate cathepsin B inhibition is reported. Cell cycle arrest (decrease in G0/G1 and G2 phases and arrest in the S phase), induction of apoptosis and ROS generation are related to the antiproliferative activity of some representative octahedral cyclometallated platinum(iv) compounds (2b and 2c).

Heteroleptic Cycloplatinated N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes: A New Approach to Highly Efficient Blue-Light Emitters

New heteroleptic compounds of platinum(II)-containing cyclometalated N-heterocyclic carbenes, [PtCl(R-C^C*)(PPh₃)] [R-CH^C*-κC* = 3-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene (R-C = Naph; 1A), 1-[4-(ethoxycarbonyl)phenyl]-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene (R = CO₂Et; 1B), and [Pt(R-C^C*)(py)(PPh₃)]PF₆ (py = pyridine; R-C = Naph, 2A; R = CO₂Et, 2B], have been prepared and fully characterized. All of them were obtained as the trans-(C*,PPh₃) isomer in high yields. The selectivity of their synthesis has been explained in terms of the degree of transphobia (T) of pairs of ligands in trans positions. X-ray diffraction studies on both 2A and 2B revealed that only in 2A, containing a C^C* with a more extended π system, do the molecules assemble themselves into head-to-tail pairs through intermolecular π···π contacts. The photophysical properties of 2A and 2B and those of the related compounds [Pt(NC-C^C*)(PPh₃)L]PF₆ [NC-CH^C*-κC* = 1-(4-cyanophenyl)-3-methyl-1H-imidazol-2-ylidene; L = pyridine (py; 2C), 2,6-dimethylphenylisocyanide (CNXyl; 3C), and 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole (MMI; 4C)] have been examined to analyze the influence of the R substituent on R-C^C* (R-C = Naph; R = CO₂Et, CN) and that of the ancillary ligands (L) on them. Experimental data and time-dependent density functional theory calculations showed the similarity of the electronic features associated with R-C^C* (R = CN, CO₂Et) and their difference with respect to R-C^C* (R-C = Naph). All of the compounds are very efficient blue emitters in poly(methyl methacrylate) films under an argon atmosphere, with QY values ranging from 68% (2B) to 93% (2C). In the solid state, the color of the emission changes to yellowish-orange for compounds 2A (λ_max = 600 nm) and 3C (λ_max = 590 nm) because of the formation of aggregates through intermolecular π···π interactions. 2C and 3C were chosen to fabricate fully solution-processed electroluminescent devices with blue-light (2C), yellow-orange-light (3C), and white-light (mixtures of 2C and 3C) emission from neat films of the compounds as emitting layers.

Higher fluorescence in platinum(iv) orthometallated complexes of perylene imine compared with their platinum(ii) or palladium(ii) analogues

The reaction of 3-perylenylmethylen-4'-ethylaniline () with [Pt2Me4(μ-SMe2)2] (and subsequent addition of PPh3) or with [Pt2(η(3)-C4H7)2(μ-Cl)2] produced cyclometallated Pt(II) complexes [Pt(C^N)Me(PPh3)] () and, respectively, [Pt2(C^N)2(μ-Cl)2] () (HC^N = 3-C20H11CH[double bond, length as m-dash]NC6H4-p-C2H5), with Pt bound to the ortho site of the perylenyl fragment. From the mononuclear complexes [Pt(C^N)L2] (L2 = acac (); S2COMe (); S2CNEt2 () are easily formed. Oxidative addition of methyl iodide to the square-planar Pt(II) complexes , , and gave the corresponding cyclometallated Pt(IV) compounds [Pt(C^N)L2MeI] , and . The X-ray structures of , , and show that the perylenyl fragment remains essentially flat in and and slightly twisted in . Comparison of the optical properties of these Pt(II) complexes with those reported for similar Pd(II) derivatives reveals that the change of metal exerts a notable influence on the UV-vis spectra. In solution at room temperature, all the Pt complexes exhibit fluorescence associated with the perylene fragment with low emission quantum yields for the Pt(II) complexes (<1%) and remarkably higher emission values for the Pt(IV) complexes: up to 29%, with emission lifetimes of 1-5 ns. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed on the perylene imine and on representative complexes [M(C^N)(acac)] (M = Pd, Pt) and [Pt(C^N)(acac)MeI] to analyse the absorption spectra. These calculations support a perylene-dominated intraligand π-π*emissive state based on the HOMO and LUMO orbitals of the perylene chromophore, and a ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (more intense for the Pt(II) complex) that explains the observed influence of the metal on the absorption properties.