Insights into the role of zinc(II) sites in hydrolytic enzymes: study of the ZnII/X/(py)2CO (X=Cl−, N3−, SO42−; ) reaction systems

Investigation of Structural Changes of Cu(I) and Ag(I) Complexes Utilizing a Flexible, Yet Sterically Demanding Multidentate Phosphine Oxide Ligand

The syntheses of a sterically demanding, multidentate bis(quinaldinyl)phenylphosphine oxide ligand and some Cu(I) and Ag(I) complexes thereof are described. By introducing a methylene group between the quinoline unit and phosphorus, the phosphine oxide ligand gains additional flexibility. This specific ligand design induces not only a versatile coordination chemistry but also a rarely observed and investigated behavior in solution. The flexibility of the birdlike ligand offers the unexpected opportunity of open-wing and closed-wing coordination to the metal. In fact, the determined crystal structures of these complexes show both orientations. Investigations of the ligand in solution show a strong dependency of the chemical shift of the CH₂ protons on the solvent used. Variable-temperature, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy was carried out, and an interesting dynamic behavior of the complexes is observed. Due to the introduced flexibility, the quinaldinyl substituents change their arrangements from open-wing to closed-wing upon cooling, while still staying coordinated to the metal. This change in conformation is completely reversible when warming up the sample. Based on 2D NMR spectra measured at -80 °C, an assignment of the signals corresponding to the different arrangements was possible. Additionally, the copper(I) complex shows reversible redox activity in solution. The combination of structural flexibility of a multidentate ligand and the positive redox properties of the resulting complexes comprises key factors for a possible application of such compounds in transition-metal catalysis. Via a reorganization of the ligand, occurring transition states could be stabilized, and selectivity might be enhanced.

X-ray Crystallographic Observation of Chiral Transformations within a Metal-Peptide Pore

Porous metal complexes enable single-crystal X-ray crystallographic observation of included guests or reaction intermediates through simple soaking with the guests/substrates. Previous studies on this technique have often encountered difficulties in the observation of chiral structures because the host frameworks had no chirality. We synthesized a new metal-peptide porous complex through a folding-and-assembly strategy and utilized the chiral pore for trapping chiral guests. Chiral alcohols and ketones were successfully included within the pore. Crystallographic analyses clearly revealed not only their chemical structures but also chiral transformation events within the pore such as fixed conformations or an unstable hemiacetal formation.

Mechanistically Driven Control over Cubane Oxo Cluster Catalysts

Predictive and mechanistically driven access to polynuclear oxo clusters and related materials remains a grand challenge of inorganic chemistry. We here introduce a novel strategy for synthetic control over highly sought-after transition metal {M₄O₄} cubanes. They attract interest as molecular water oxidation catalysts that combine features of both heterogeneous oxide catalysts and nature's cuboidal {CaMn₄O₅} center of photosystem II. For the first time, we demonstrate the outstanding structure-directing effect of straightforward inorganic counteranions in solution on the self-assembly of oxo clusters. We introduce a selective counteranion toolbox for the controlled assembly of di(2-pyridyl) ketone (dpk) with M(OAc)₂ (M = Co, Ni) precursors into different cubane types. Perchlorate anions provide selective access to type 2 cubanes with the characteristic {H₂O-M₂(OR)₂-OH₂} edge-site, such as [Co₄(dpy-C{OH}O)₄(OAc)₂(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂. Type 1 cubanes with separated polar faces [Co₄(dpy-C{OH}O)₄(L2)₄] ⁿ⁺ (L2 = OAc, Cl, or OAc and H₂O) can be tuned with a wide range of other counteranions. The combination of these counteranion sets with Ni(OAc)₂ as precursor selectively produces type 2 Co/Ni-mixed or {Ni₄O₄} cubanes. Systematic mechanistic experiments in combination with computational studies provide strong evidence for type 2 cubane formation through reaction of the key dimeric building block [M₂(dpy-C{OH}O)₂(H₂O)₄]²⁺ with monomers, such as [Co(dpy-C{OH}O)(OAc)(H₂O)₃]. Furthermore, both experiments and DFT calculations support an energetically favorable type 1 cubane formation pathway via direct head-to-head combination of two [Co₂(dpy-C{OH}O)₂(OAc)₂(H₂O)₂] dimers. Finally, the visible-light-driven water oxidation activity of type 1 and 2 cubanes with tuned ligand environments was assessed. We pave the way to efficient design concepts in coordination chemistry through ionic control over cluster assembly pathways. Our comprehensive strategy demonstrates how retrosynthetic analyses can be implemented with readily available assembly directing counteranions to provide rapid access to tuned molecular materials.

Dichlorido(2,2′-methylenedipyridine)zinc(II)

The title complex, [ZnCl2(C11H10N2)], crystallizes in the P21/c space group with di-2-pyridylmethane acting as a bidentate ligand coordinating the zinc atom in a distorted tetrahedral geometry. The asymmetric unit consists of a single molecule of the title complex. The title complex folds with an angle of 53.82 (5)° between the planes of the two pyridine rings. The crystal packing is stabilized by hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions involving both pyridine rings.

Rearrangement and deoxygenation of 3,3-bis(2-pyridyl)oxaphosphirane complexes

The reaction of Li/Cl phosphinidenoid pentacarbonylmetal(0) complexes with bis(2-pyridyl)ketone led to overcrowded oxaphosphirane derivatives. They can undergo deoxygenation by Ti(iii) reagents or ring expansion via P–C cleavage followed by P–N cyclization.

Towards the installation of transition metal ions on donor ligand decorated tin sulfide clusters

Decoration of tetrelchalcogenide T-E clusters with chelating donor ligands was achieved to capture transition metal ions on their surfaces. We demonstrate that by covalent linking of bispyridyl ligands to an Sn-S complex, [ZnX](+) units can be trapped and incorporated into the cluster framework. Intermediates that were identified using spectroscopy and/or X-ray diffraction gave insight into the formation processes.

Mononuclear versus dinuclear complex formation in nickel(II) sulfate/phenyl(2-pyridyl)ketone oxime chemistry depending on the ligand to metal reaction ratio: synthetic, spectral and structural studies

The reactions of phenyl(2-pyridyl)ketone oxime (py)C(ph)NOH, with nickel(II) sulfate hexahydrate under reflux, in the absence of an external base, have been investigated. The reaction of NiSO4 x 6H2O with two equivalents of (py)C(ph)NOH in H2O/MeOH leads to the dinuclear complex [Ni2(SO4)2[(py)C(ph)NOH]4] (1), while an excess of the organic ligand affords the 1:3 cationic complex [Ni[(py)C(ph)NOH]3](SO4) (2). Compound 1 is transformed into 2 by a reaction with an excess of ligand in refluxing H(2)O/MeOH. Reactions of 1 and 2 with a limited amount of LiOH give the known cluster [Ni6(SO4)4(OH)[(py)C(ph)NO]3[(py)C(ph)NOH]3(H2O)3]. The structures of 1 and 2 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. In both complexes the organic ligand chelates through its 2-pyridyl and oxime nitrogen atoms. The metal centers of 1 are bridged by two eta1:eta1:micro sulfato ligands; each metal ion has the cis-cis-trans deposition of the coordinated sulfato oxygen, pyridyl nitrogen and oxime nitrogen atoms, respectively. The cation of 2 is the fac isomer considering the positions of the coordinated pyridyl and oxime nitrogen atoms. The crystal structures of both complexes are stabilized by hydrogen bonds. Compounds 1 and 2 join a small family of structurally characterized metal complexes containing the neutral or anionic forms of phenyl(2-pyridyl)ketone oxime as ligands. The IR spectra of the two complexes are discussed in terms of the nature of bonding and their structures. From the vibrational spectroscopy viewpoint, the SO4(2-) groups in 1 and 2 appear to have lower symmetries compared with those deduced from X-ray crystallography; this is attributed to the participation of sulfates in hydrogen bonding interactions.

Dinuclear versus tetranuclear cluster formation in zinc(II) nitrate/di-2-pyridyl ketone chemistry: synthetic, structural and spectroscopic studies

The use of di-2-pyridyl ketone, (py)2CO, in zinc(II) nitrate chemistry has yielded a dinuclear complex and a cationic tetranuclear cluster. The 1:1 Zn(NO3)2.4H2O/(py)2CO reaction system in EtOH gives [Zn2(NO3)2{(py)2C(OEt)O}2].0.5H2O (1.0.5H2O), whereas the same reaction system in MeCN yields [Zn4(NO3)3{(py)2C(OH)O}4(H2O)](NO3) (2). The monoanionic derivatives of the hemiacetal and the gem-diol forms of di-2-pyridyl ketone have been derived from the ZnII-mediated addition of solvent (EtOH, H2O involved in MeCN) on the carbonyl group of (py)2CO. Each (py)2C(OEt)O- ion functions as an eta1:eta2:eta1:mu2 ligand in 1.0.5H2O chelating the two ZnII atoms through the 2-pyridyl nitrogen atoms and the common bridging, deprotonated oxygen atom; one asymmetric chelating nitrate completes six coordination at each metal center. The tetranuclear cluster cation of 2 has a cubane topology with the ZnII ions and the deprotonated oxygen atoms from the four eta1:eta3:eta1:mu3 (py)2C(OH)O- ligands occupying alternate vertices. Three monodentate nitrates and one aqua ligand complete the sixth coordination site at the metal ions. The two complexes have been characterized by IR and far-IR spectroscopies. Characteristic bands are discussed in terms of the known structures and the coordination modes of the nitrato ligands. Upon excitation at 371 nm, complex 2 displays blue photoluminescence in the solid state at room temperature with two emission maxima at 430 and 455 nm.

Interpolymetallic Assembly of d8−d10Sulfide Aggregates from [Pt2(PPh3)4(μ-S)2] and Group 12 Metals

A series of heterometallic Pt-M (M=Zn and Cd) sulfide aggregates with growing nuclearities (Pt2M), (Pt4M), and (Pt4M2), viz., [ZnPt2Cl2(PPh3)4(mu3-S)2] (2), [CdPt2Cl2(PPh3)4(mu3-S)2] (3), [Pt2(PPh3)4(mu3-S)2]2[ZnSO4]2 (4), [Pt2(PPh3)4(mu3-S)2]2[CdSO4]2.H2O (5), [CdPt4(PPh3)8(mu3-S)4][ClO4]2 (7), and [ZnPt4(PPh3)8(mu3-S)4][ClO4]2 (8), have been prepared from Pt2(PPh3)4(mu-S)2 (1) with appropriate zinc and cadmium substrates. The structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The supporting anions play an active role in the structural assembly process. An unexpected disintegration complex [Pt2(S2CH2)Cl(PPh3)4][PF6] (6) has also been isolated and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The mechanism of the formation of 6 is proposed.