Rock ‘n’ Roll With Gold: Synthesis, Structure, and Dynamics of a (bipyridine)AuCl3 Complex

Synthesis of substituted (N,C) and (N,C,C) Au(III) complexes: the influence of sterics and electronics on cyclometalation reactions

Cyclometalated Au(III) complexes are of interest due to their catalytic, medicinal, and photophysical properties. Herein, we describe the synthesis of derivatives of the type (N,C)Au(OAc^F)₂ (OAc^F = trifluoroacetate) and (N,C,C)AuOAc^F by a cyclometalation route, where (N,C) and (N,C,C) are chelating 2-arylpyridine ligands. The scope of the synthesis is explored by substituting the 2-arylpyridine core with electron donor or acceptor substituents at one or both rings. Notably, a variety of functionalized Au(III) complexes can be obtained in one step from the corresponding ligand and Au(OAc)₃, eliminating the need for organomercury intermediates, which is commonly reported for similar syntheses. The influence of substituents in the ligand backbone on the resulting complexes was assessed using DFT calculations, ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. A correlation between the electronic properties of the (N,C) ligands and their ability to undergo cyclometalation was found from experimental studies combined with natural charge analysis, suggesting the cyclometalation at Au(III) to take place via an electrophilic aromatic substitution-type mechanism. The formation of Au(III) pincer complexes from tridentate (N,C,C) ligands was investigated by synthesis and DFT calculations, in order to assess the feasibility of C(sp³)-H bond activation as a synthetic pathway to (N,C,C) cyclometalated Au(III) complexes. It was found that C(sp³)-H bond activation is feasible for ligands containing different alkyl groups (isopropyl and ethyl), although the C-H activation is less energetically favored compared to a ligand containing tert-butyl groups.

Photochemical and Photobiological Activity of Ru(II) Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Complexes Containing Methylated Bipyridyl-type Ligands

Light-activated compounds are powerful tools and potential agents for medical applications, as biological effects can be controlled in space and time. Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes can induce cytotoxic effects through multiple mechanisms, including acting as photosensitizers for singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production, generating other reactive oxygen species (ROS), releasing biologically active ligands, and creating reactive intermediates that form covalent bonds to biological molecules. A structure-activity relationship (SAR) study was performed on a series of Ru(II) complexes containing isomeric tetramethyl-substituted bipyridyl-type ligands. Three of the ligand systems studied contained strain-inducing methyl groups and created photolabile metal complexes, which can form covalent bonds to biomolecules upon light activation, while the fourth was unstrained and resulted in photostable complexes, which can generate ¹O₂. The compounds studied included both bis-heteroleptic complexes containing two bipyridine ligands and a third, substituted ligand and tris-homoleptic complexes containing only the substituted ligand. The photophysics, electrochemistry, photochemistry, and photobiology were assessed. Strained heteroleptic complexes were found to be more photoactive and cytotoxic then tris-homoleptic complexes, and bipyridine ligands were superior to bipyrimidine. However, the homoleptic complexes exhibited an enhanced ability to inhibit protein production in live cells. Specific methylation patterns were associated with improved activation with red light, and photolabile complexes were generally more potent cytotoxic agents than the photostable ¹O₂-generating compounds.

Mechanochemical Synthesis of 3d Transition-Metal-1,2,4-Triazole Complexes as Precursors for Microwave-Assisted and Thermal Conversion to Coordination Polymers with a High Influence on the Dielectric Properties

The complexes [MCl2 (TzH)4] (M=Mn (1), Fe (2); TzH=1,2,4-1H-triazole) and [ZnCl2 (TzH)2] (3) have been obtained by mechanochemical reactions of the corresponding divalent metal chloride and 1,2,4-1H-triazole. They were successfully used as precursors for the formation of coordination polymers either by a microwave-assisted reaction or by thermal conversion. For manganese, the conversion directly yielded 1∞ [MnCl2 TzH] (4), whereas for the iron-containing precursor, 1∞ [FeCl2 TzH] (6), was formed via the intermediate coordination polymer 1∞ [FeCl(TzH)2]Cl (5). For cobalt, the isotypic polymer 1∞ [CoCl(TzH)2]Cl (7) was obtained, but exclusively by a microwave-induced reaction directly from CoCl2 . The crystal structures were resolved from single crystals and powders. The dielectric properties were determined and revealed large differences in permittivity between the precursor complexes and the rigid chain-like coordination polymers. Whereas the monomeric complexes exhibit very different dielectric behaviour, depending on the transition metal, from "low-k" to "high-k" with the permittivity ranging from 4.3 to >100 for frequencies of up to 1000 Hz, the coordination polymers and complexes with strong intermolecular interactions are all close to "low-k" materials with very low dielectric constants up to 50 °C. Therefore, the conversion procedures can be used to deliberately influence the dielectric properties from complex to polymer and for different 3d transition-metal ions.

The fluxional amine gold(III) complex as an excellent catalyst and precursor of biologically active acyclic carbenes

A new amine gold(III) complex [Au(C6F5)2(DPA)]ClO4 with the di-(2-picolyl)amine (DPA) ligand has been synthesised. In the solid state the complex has a chiral amine nitrogen because the ligand coordinates to the gold centre through one nitrogen atom from a pyridine and through the NH moiety, whereas in solution it shows a fluxional behaviour with a rapid exchange between the pyridine sites. This complex can be used as an excellent synton to prepare new gold(III) carbene complexes by the reaction with isocyanide CNR. The resulting gold(III) derivatives have unprecedented bidentate C^N acyclic carbene ligands. All the complexes have been spectroscopically and structurally characterized. Taking advantage of the fluxional behaviour of the amine complex, its catalytic properties have been tested in several reactions with the formation of C-C and C-N bonds. The complex showed excellent activity with total conversion, without the presence of a co-catalyst, and with a catalyst loading as low as 0.1%. These complexes also present biological properties, and cytotoxicity studies have been performed in vitro against three tumour human cell lines, Jurkat (T-cell leukaemia), MiaPaca2 (pancreatic carcinoma) and A549 (lung carcinoma). Some of them showed excellent cytotoxic activity compared with the reference cisplatin.

2,2'-Bipyridyl formation from 2-arylpyridines through bimetallic diyttrium intermediate

Formation of dianionic 2,2′-bipyridyl-bridged dinuclear yttrium complexes proceeded upon treatment of (ArNCH₂CH₂NAr)Y(CH₂SiMe₃)(THF)₂ with 2-arylpyridine, in which mononuclear (2-pyridylphenyl)yttrium complexes were detected as key intermediates.

An alkylyttrium complex supported by an N,N′-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)ethylenediamido ligand, (ArNCH₂CH₂NAr)Y(CH₂SiMe₃)(THF)₂ (1, Ar = 2,6-ⁱPr₂C₆H₃), activated an ortho-phenyl C–H bond of 2-phenylpyridine (2a) to form a (2-pyridylphenyl)yttrium complex (3a) containing a five-membered metallacycle. Subsequently, a unique C(sp²)–C(sp²) coupling of 2-phenylpyridine proceeded through a bimetallic yttrium intermediate, derived from an intramolecular shift of the yttrium center to an ortho-position of the pyridine ring in 3a, to yield a bimetallic yttrium complex (4a) bridged by two-electron reduced 6,6′-diphenyl-2,2′-bipyridyl. Aryl substituents at the ortho-position of the pyridine ring were key in order to destabilize the μ,κ²-(C,N)-pyridyldiyttrium intermediate prior to the C(sp²)–C(sp²) bond formation.