Ruthenium(II) Arene Complexes Bearing Tris(pyrazolyl)methanesulfonate Capping Ligands. Electrochemistry, Spectroscopic, and X-ray Structural Characterization

A bis-quinoline ruthenium(II) arene complex with submicromolar cytotoxicity in castration-resistant prostate cancer cells

A new Ru(II) arene chlorido organometallic complex [(η6-p-cymene)(L)RuCl]PF6 (named as pCYRuL) using 2-bis(quinolin-2-ylmethylene) hydrazine (L) was developed that exhibits potent anticancer activity against castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) (IC50 = 0.71 μM), and it is 45 times more effective than the standard drug cisplatin (IC50 = 31.3 μM) in a castration-resistant human prostatic adenocarcinoma cell line (PC-3) but non-toxic in normal human kidney cells (HK2) as well as normal breast cells (MCF10A) and found that pCYRuL exerted anticancer activity via apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase of PC-3 cells.

Design, synthesis, characterization and evaluation of the anticancer activity of water-soluble half-sandwich ruthenium(ii) arene halido complexes

Synthesis, crystal structure determination, DFT studies, experimental and theoretical evaluation of DNA/BSA interactions and cytotoxicity studies of three piano-stool Ru(ii)(p-cymene)chloride complexes (1–3) are presented herein.

Phosphine-functionalised tris(pyrazolyl)methane ligands and their mono- and heterobimetallic complexes

The synthesis, characterisation and reactivity of new phosphine-functionalised tris(pyrazolyl)methane ligands (TpmPR₂, 2a-c, with R = Ph, nBu, iPr) are presented. The reaction of 2a-c with [Rh(CO)₂Cl]₂ furnished N,P-heterochelate carbonyl complexes (3a-c), which were used to quantify the donor abilities of the ligands via IR spectroscopy. The coordination flexibility was demonstrated by treating representative members of this new ligand class with [CpRu(acn)₃][PF₆] (acn = acetonitrile), [(tht)AuCl] (tht = tetrahydrothiophene) and [Pd(allyl)Cl]₂ providing either a N,N,P-heteroscorpionate complex (4) or the P-coordinated complexes (5,6) without any involvement of the pyrazolyl entities. With 2a and [Pd(cod)Cl₂], another P,N-heterochelate complex (7) was obtained, which served as a precursor for a heterobimetallic complex containing palladium and copper (8). Detailed NMR spectroscopic and X-ray crystallographic investigations have been performed on all new complexes.

Cobalt complexes with pyrazole ligands as catalyst precursors for the peroxidative oxidation of cyclohexane: X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies and biological applications

[CoCl(μ-Cl)(Hpz(Ph))3]2 (1) and [CoCl2(Hpz(Ph))4] (2) were obtained by reaction of CoCl2 with HC(pz(Ph))3 and Hpz(Ph), respectively (Hpz(Ph)=3-phenylpyrazole). The compounds were isolated as air-stable solids and fully characterized by IR and far-IR spectroscopy, MS(ESI+/-), elemental analysis, cyclic voltammetry (CV), controlled potential electrolysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Electrochemical studies showed that 1 and 2 undergo single-electron irreversible Co(II)→Co(III) oxidations and Co(II)→Co(I) reductions at potentials measured by CV, which also allowed, in the case of dinuclear complex 1, the detection of electronic communication between the Co centers through the chloride bridging ligands. The electrochemical behavior of models of 1 and 2 were also investigated by density functional theory (DFT) methods, which indicated that the vertical oxidation of 1 and 2 (that before structural relaxation) affects mostly the chloride and pyrazolyl ligands, whereas adiabatic oxidation (that after the geometry relaxation) and reduction are mostly metal centered. Compounds 1 and 2 and, for comparative purposes, other related scorpionate and pyrazole cobalt complexes, exhibit catalytic activity for the peroxidative oxidation of cyclohexane to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone under mild conditions (room temperature, aqueous H2O2). In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy studies indicated that the species derived from complexes 1 and 2 during the oxidation of cyclohexane (i.e., Ox-1 and Ox-2, respectively) are analogous and contain a Co(III) site. Complex 2 showed low in vitro cytotoxicity toward the HCT116 colorectal carcinoma and MCF7 breast adenocarcinoma cell lines.

NiII, CuII and ZnII complexes with a sterically hindered scorpionate ligand (TpmsPh) and catalytic application in the diasteroselective nitroaldol (Henry) reaction

The bulky (Tpms^Ph)⁻ adapts its coordination mode to the electronic and steric preferences of the Ni^II, Cu^II or Zn^II centre forming complexes which catalyse the nitroaldol reaction.

Synthesis, transition metal chemistry and catalytic reactions of ferrocenylbis(phosphonite), [Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2]

The new metalloligand ferrocenylbis(phosphonite), [Fe(C5H4PR2)2 (R = OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))], (2), is synthesized by the reaction of bis(dichlorophosphino)ferrocene Fe(C5H4PCl2)2 (1) with 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol. The reactions of 2 with H2O2 and elemental sulfur or selenium afforded bischalcogenides, [Fe{C5H4P(E)(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (3, E = O; 4, E = S; 5, E = Se), in good yield. The bis(phosphonite) reacts with group 6 metal carbonyls and group 10 metal dichloride precursors to produce the chelate complexes [{M(CO)4}Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2}] (6, M = Mo; 7, M = W) and [(MCl2)Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (8, M = Pd; 9, M = Pt). The palladium(ii) complex [(PdCl2)Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (8) is an efficient catalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions (TON up to 1.5 × 10(5)). The reaction of 2 with one equivalent of [RuCl2(η(6)-p-cymene)]2 yielded the binuclear complex [{Ru2Cl4(η(6)-p-cymene)2}Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (12) in good yield. Treatment of 2 with copper chloride in a 1 : 1 or 1 : 2 molar ratio resulted in the formation of a binuclear complex, [{(CuCl)Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2}2] (13), whereas a similar reaction of 2 with CuBr and CuI in a 1:2 or 1:2.5 molar ratio yielded the novel butterfly-like deca-nuclear complexes [Cu5(μ-X)5{Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2}2]2 (14, X = Br; 15, X = I). The reaction of 2 with two equivalents of [AuCl(SMe2)] afforded the digold complex [(AuCl)2Fe{C5H4P(OC6H3(OMe-o)(C3H5-p))2}2] (16), with the ligand exhibiting bridged-bidentate mode of coordination. Additionally, some complexes were studied by cyclic voltammetry. The crystal structures of complexes 8, 9, 12, 15 and 16 were determined using X-ray diffraction studies.

Oxorhenium complexes bearing the water-soluble tris(pyrazol-1-yl)methanesulfonate, 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane, or related ligands, as catalysts for Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of ketones

New rhenium(VII or III) complexes [ReO3(PTA)2][ReO4] (1) (PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane), [ReO3(mPTA)][ReO4]I (2) (mPTA = N-methyl-1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane cation), [ReO3(HMT)2][ReO4] (3) (HMT = hexamethylenetetramine), [ReO3(η(2)-Tpm)(PTA)][ReO4] (4) [Tpm = hydrotris(pyrazol-1-yl)methane, HC(pz)3, pz = pyrazolyl], [ReO3(Hpz)(HMT)][ReO4] (5) (Hpz = pyrazole), [ReO(Tpms)(HMT)] (6) [Tpms = tris(pyrazol-1-yl)methanesulfonate, O3SC(pz)3(-)] and [ReCl2{N2C(O)Ph}(PTA)3] (7) have been prepared from the Re(VII) oxide Re2O7 (1-6) or, in the case of 7, by ligand exchange from the benzoyldiazenido complex [ReCl2{N2C(O)Ph}(Hpz)(PPh3)2], and characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopies, elemental analysis and electrochemical properties. Theoretical calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level of theory indicated that the coordination of PTA to both Re(III) and Re(VII) centers by the P atom is preferable compared to the coordination by the N atom. This is interpreted in terms of the Re-PTA bond energy and hard-soft acid-base theory. The oxo-rhenium complexes 1-6 act as selective catalysts for the Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclic and linear ketones (e.g., 2-methylcyclohexanone, 2-methylcyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, cyclopentanone, cyclobutanone, and 3,3-dimethyl-2-butanone or pinacolone) to the corresponding lactones or esters, in the presence of aqueous H2O2. The effects of a variety of factors are studied toward the optimization of the process.