Synthesis and Coordination Chemistry of Ferrocenyl-1,2,3-triazolyl Ligands

Evaluation of Mono and Bimetallic Ferrocene-Based 1,2,3-Triazolyl Compounds as Burning Rate Catalysts for Solid Rocket Motor

We reported mono and bimetallic ferrocene-based 1,2,3-triazolyl compounds as potential burning rate catalysts in their neutral and ionic forms. All complexes reported here were characterized using 1H and 13C NMR, elemental analysis, and Mössbauer spectroscopy, which was performed for neutral and oxide compounds. The complexes present quasireversible redox potentials with higher oxidative ability than ferrocene and catocene under the same conditions. The complexes were tested as catalysts on the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) and examined by a differential scanning calorimetry technique to gain further knowledge about their catalytic behavior. Compound 1 causes a decrease of the high-temperature decomposition (HTD) of AP positively, decreasing the decomposition temperature of AP to 345 °C and consequently increasing the energy release to 1939 J·g-1. We took the residues from the pans after testing from the DSC to elucidate the underlying reaction pathways. We obtained the size of the nanostructures formed after thermal decomposition of AP determined by the TEM technique. The diameter and size distribution of iron oxide nanoparticles formed depend on the alkyl sidechain of the triazolium ring, which induces the formation of nanoparticles with a double diameter and size distribution compared to their neutral analogues, suggesting that the possible intermediate for the mechanism degradation of AP by ferrocene derivatives is nanoscale Fe2O3 or similar oxides.

From sandwich complexes to dendrimers: journey toward applications to sensing, molecular electronics, materials science, and biomedicine

This review links various areas of inorganic chemistry around the themes developed by our research group during the last four decades. It is firstly based on the electronic structure of iron sandwich complexes, showing how the metal electron count dictates their reactivities, with various applications (via C-H activation, C-C bond formation) as reducing and oxidizing agents, redox and electrocatalysts and precursors of dendrimers and catalyst templates through bursting reactions. Various electron-transfer processes and consequences are explored, including the influence of the redox state on the acidity of robust ligands and the possibility to iterate in situ C-H activation and C-C bond formation to build arene-cored dendrimers. Examples of how these dendrimers are functionalized are illustrated using the cross olefin metathesis reactions, with application to the synthesis of soft nanomaterials and biomaterials. Mixed and average valence complexes give rise to remarkable subsequent organometallic reactions, including the salt influence on these reactions. The stereo-electronic aspect of these mixed valencies is pointed out in star-shaped multi-ferrocenes with a frustration effect and other multi-organoiron systems, with the perspective of understanding electron-transfer processes among dendrimer redox sites involving electrostatic effects and application to redox sensing and polymer metallocene batteries. Dendritic redox sensing is summarized for biologically relevant anions such as ATP^2- with supramolecular exoreceptor interactions at the dendrimer periphery in parallel with the seminal work on metallocene-derived endoreceptors by Beer's group. This aspect includes the design of the first metallodendrimers that have applications in both redox sensing and micellar catalysis with nanoparticles. These properties provide the opportunity to summarize the biomedical (mostly anticancer) applications of ferrocenes, dendrimers and dendritic ferrocenes in biomedicine (in particular the contribution from our group, but not only). Finally, the use of dendrimers as templates for catalysis is illustrated with numerous reactions including C-C bond formation, click reactions and H₂ production reactions.

Impact of the Histidine-Triazole and Tryptophan-Pyrene Exchange in the WHW Peptide: Cu(II) Binding, DNA/RNA Interactions and Bioactivity

In three novel peptidoids based on the tryptophan—histidine—tryptophan (WHW) peptide, the central histidine was replaced by Ala-(triazole), and two derivatives also had one tryptophan replaced with pyrene-alkyls of different lengths and flexibility. Pyrene analogues show strong fluorescence at 480–500 nm, attributed to intramolecular exciplex formation with tryptophan. All three peptidoids bind Cu2+ cation in water with strong affinity, with Trp- Ala-(triazole)-Trp binding comparably to the parent WHW, and the pyrene analogues even stronger, demonstrating that replacement of histidine with triazole in peptides does not hamper Cu2+ coordination. The studied peptidoids strongly bind to ds-DNA and ds-RNA, whereby their complexes with Cu2+ exhibit distinctively different interactions in comparison to metal-free analogues, particularly in the stabilization of ds-DNA against thermal denaturation. The pyrene peptidoids efficiently enter living cells with no apparent cytotoxic effect, whereby their red-shifted emission compared to the parent pyrene allows intracellular confocal microscopy imaging, showing accumulation in cytoplasmic organelles. However, irradiation with 350 nm light resulted in evident antiproliferative effect on cells treated with micromolar concentrations of the pyrene analogues, presumably attributed to pyrene-induced production of singlet oxygen and consecutive cellular damage.

Fluorescent Analogues of FRH Peptide: Cu(II) Binding and Interactions with ds-DNA/RNA

Four novel peptidoids, derived from the Phe-Arg-His (FRH) peptide motif, were prepared by replacing the histidine heterocycle with triazole and consequent triazole-fluorophore (coumarin) extension and also replacing arginine with less voluminous lysine. So the constructed Phe-Lys-Ala(triazole) (FKA(triazole)) peptidoids bind Cu2+ cations in water with a strong, nanomolar affinity comparable to the parent FRH and its known analogs, demonstrating that triazole can coordinate copper similarly as histidine. Moreover, even short KA(triazole)coumarin showed submicromolar affinity to Cu2+. Only FKA(triazole)coumarin with free amino groups and its shorter analog KA(triazole)coumarin showed strong induced CD spectra upon Cu2+ cation binding. Thus, KA(triazole)coumarin can be considered as the shortest peptidoid sequence with highly sensitive fluorescent and chiral CD response for Cu2+ cation, encouraging further studies with other metal cations. The FKA(triazole) coumarin peptidoids show biorelevant, 10 µM affinity to ds-DNA and ds-RNA, binding within DNA/RNA grooves. Intriguingly, only peptidoid complexes with Cu2+ strongly stabilize ds-DNA and ds-RNA against thermal denaturation, suggesting significant interactions of Cu2+ cation within the DNA/RNA binding site.

Ferrocenyl-terminated polyphenylene-type "click" dendrimers as supports for efficient gold and palladium nanocatalysis

Although dendrimer supports have been known as key parts of nanocatalysts, the capability of rigid dendrimers for this function has not yet been reported. Here, the study is focused on ferrocenylmethylenetriazolyl-terminated dendrimers (FcMTPD) as supports of remarkably efficient nanogold and nanopalladium catalysts. A biphasic system is elaborated to evaluate the catalytic activity of FcMTPD-supported Au and Pd nanoparticles (NPs) for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH₄ at 20 °C, and FcMTPD-supported PdNPs are found to be the best nanocatalysts with a rate constant k_app = 7.8 × 10^-2 s^-1. Excellent catalytic results are also obtained in this reaction for FcMTPD-supported AuNPs with a rate constant k_app = 5.6 × 10^-2 s^-1. For both Pd NPs and AuNPs, the kinetic results are shown to strongly depend on the method of preparation of these NPs that influences the NP size and thus their catalytic efficiency. The FcMTPD-stabilized PdNPs are easily recovered and reused at least 13 times, and their catalytic performance displays only a slight decrease during the first seven runs.

The supramolecular redox functions of metallomacromolecules

Abstract

Metallomacromolecules are frequently encountered in redox proteins including metal-tanned hide collagen and play crucial roles involving supramolecular properties in biological electron-transfer processes. They are also currently found in non-natural families, such as: metallopolymers, metallodendrimers and metallodendronic polymers. This mini-review discusses the supramolecular redox functions of such nanomaterials developed in our research group. Electron-transfer processes are first examined in mono-, bis- and hexa-nuclear ferrocenes and other electron-reservoir organoiron systems showing the influence of supramolecular and reorganization aspects on their mechanism. Then applications of electron-transfer processes using these same organoiron redox systems in metallomacromolecules and their supramolecular functions are discussed including redox recognition/sensing, catalysis templates, electrocatalysis, redox catalysis, molecular machines, electrochromes, drug delivery device and nanobatteries.

Graphical Abstract

Synthesis and characterisation of Pd(ii) and Au(i) complexes with mesoionic carbene ligands bearing phosphinoferrocene substituents and isomeric carbene moieites

While numerous functional ligands combining phosphine and imidazole-2-ylidene (or imidazolin-2-ylidene) donor moieties have already been reported, the chemistry of the corresponding functional mesoionic carbenes (MIC) derived from 1,2,3-triazoles remains nearly untapped. This contribution describes the synthesis of two isomeric series of triazolium salts bearing 1'-(diphenylphosphino)ferrocenyl substituents by [3 + 2] cycloaddition of a P-protected phosphinoferrocene alkyne with azides, or alternatively of a P-protected phosphinoferrocene azide with terminal alkynes, and by subsequent methylation. These salts were used to synthesize structurally unique Pd(ii) complexes featuring a P,C-chelating triazolylidene carbene ligands and Au(i)-MIC complexes with free phosphine groups. The latter were further utilised to prepare Pd(ii)Au(i) heterometallic complexes containing bridging ferrocene phosphino-carbenes as structurally flexible, donor-unsymmetric metalloligands. In addition, the reactivity of the newly prepared, P-protected phosphinoferrocene alkyne Ph₂PfcC[triple bond, length as m-dash]CH·BH₃ (fc = ferrocene-1,1'-diyl) was investigated, and representatives from all reported compound classes were structurally characterised.

Construction and morphology of non-covalently double-crosslinked supramolecular polymer networks

A straightforward synthesis of α-Ba, ω-TAP functionalized polymers, Ba-PnBuA-TAP, is reported, leading to the formation of double-crosslinked supramolecular networks driven via the sequential hydrogen-bonding association and metal-coordination.

‘Click’ generated 1,2,3-triazole based organosulfur/selenium ligands and their Pd(ii) and Ru(ii) complexes: their synthesis, structure and catalytic applications

Sonogashira and Suzuki–Miyaura coupling were catalyzed with Pd(ii) complexes (0.001–2 mol%), and transfer hydrogenation (in water–glycerol) was catalyzed with Ru(ii) complexes (≤0.4 mol%).

Investigation of cobalt(iii)-triazole systems as prototypes for hypoxia-activated drug delivery

A novel cobalt(iii)-triazole system was developed for hypoxia-activated drug delivery with an [O₂]-dependent reduction to cobalt(ii) followed by ligand dissociation.

Heterobimetallic complexes with redox-active mesoionic carbenes as metalloligands: electrochemical properties, electronic structures and catalysis

Electronic structures and redox-induced catalysis are presented with the first example of heterobimetallic ferrocenyl–Au(i) complexes with mesoionic carbenes.

Tris(triazole) tripodal receptors as selective probes for citrate anion recognition and multichannel transition and heavy metal cation sensing

The preparation and binding properties towards citrate anions and cations of two three-armed triazole based receptors are described.

Recyclable catalytic dendrimer nanoreactor for part-per-million Cu(I) catalysis of "click" chemistry in water

Upon catalyst and substrate encapsulation, an amphiphilic dendrimer containing 27 triethylene glycol termini and 9 intradendritic triazole rings serves as a catalytic nanoreactor by considerably accelerating the Cu(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) "click" reactions of various substrates in water using the catalyst Cu(hexabenzyltren)Br (tren = triaminoethylamine). Moreover this recyclable nanoreactor with intradendritic triazole rings strongly also activates the simple Sharpless-Fokin catalyst CuSO4 + sodium ascorbate in water under ambient conditions leading to exceptional TONs up to 510,000. This fully recyclable catalytic nanoreactor allows to considerably decrease the amount of this cheap copper catalyst down to industrially tolerable residues, and some biomedical and cosmetic applications are exemplified.