Cyclopentadienyl Molybdenum(II) N,C-Chelating Benzothiazole-Carbene Complexes: Synthesis, Structure, and Application in Cyclooctene Epoxidation Catalysis

IPr*Thia - wingtip-flexible, sterically hindered, modular, N,C/S,C-chelating thiazole-donor N-heterocyclic carbene ligands

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) represent a pivotal class of ligands in coordination chemistry owing to their unique electronic properties. In particular, hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbenes have garnered significant attention over the past decade due to their capacity to transiently coordinate to metals and open coordination sites. However, hemilabile NHC ligands have been predominantly limited to N, O and P donors, while NHC ligands bearing versatile S-donors have been severely underdeveloped. Herein, we report wingtip-flexible, sterically hindered NHC ligands that feature N,C/S,C-chelating thiazole donors in combination with the powerful IPr* (IPr* = (2,6-bis(diphenylmethyl)-4-methylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) scaffold. These ligands are prepared using a highly modular SNAr arylation of thiazole derivatives. Full structural and electronic characterization is reported. The ligands feature a high barrier to rotation around the N-thiazole axis (10 kcal mol-1). The ligands are evaluated for their steric, electron-donating and π-accepting properties as well as coordination chemistry to Ag(I), Pd(II), Rh(I) and Se. Preliminary studies on Ag, Pd and Rh catalysis are presented. The efficiency of the approach is highlighted by preparing a library of unsymmetrical imidazolium precursors. The mono-IPr* wingtip provides a highly hindered yet sterically flexible environment adjusting to metal centers, while the N-thiazolyl wingtip displays a fluxional behavior that interchanges from the hard/soft N,C to soft/soft S,C coordination. Considering the importance of hemilabile N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in metal stabilization in inorganic and organometallic chemistry, we expect that this class of ligands will be of broad interest.

The complexometric behavior of selected aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals shows that they are more than AIEgens

Using the established synthetic methods, aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals and subsequent bi- and multichromophores can be readily synthesized. Aside from pronounced AIE (aggregation induced emission) properties, these selected examples possess distinct complexometric behavior for various metals purely based on the underlying structural motifs. This affects the fluorescence properties of the materials which can be readily exploited for metal ion detection and for the formation of different metal-aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal complexes that were confirmed by Job plot analysis. In particular, gold(I), iron(III), and ruthenium (III) ions reveal complexation enhanced or quenched emission. For most dyes, weakly coodinating complexes were observed, only in case of a phenanthroline aroyl-S,N-ketene acetal multichromophore, measurements indicate the formation of a strongly coordinating complex. For this multichromophore, the complexation results in a loss of fluorescence intensity whereas for dimethylamino-aroyl-S,N-ketene acetals and bipyridine bichromophores, the observed quantum yield is nearly tripled upon complexation. Even if no stable complexes are formed, changes in absorption and emission properties allow for a simple ion detection.

Benzothiazole-substituted 1,3-diaza-2-oxophenoxazine as a luminescent nucleobase surrogate for silver(I)-mediated base pairing

A benzothiazole-substituted derivative (X) of 1,3-diaza-2-oxophenoxazine was evaluated with respect to its ability to engage in Ag(I)-mediated homo base pair formation in two different DNA duplexes. The metal binding was determined by a combination of temperature-dependent UV spectroscopy, CD spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy, indicating the incorporation of two Ag(I) ions to generate a dinuclear X-Ag(I)₂-X base pair. Interestingly, a luminescence increase was observed upon metal binding. Theoretical luminescence spectra were calculated using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) for all possible Ag(I)-mediated X : X base pair geometries to identify the species responsible for the increase in luminescence. The study shows that even bulky non-planar artificial nucleobases can be applied to form stabilizing metal-mediated base pairs.

Current Perspective of Synthesis of Medicinally Relevant Benzothiazole Based Molecules: Potential for Antimicrobial and Anti-Inflammatory Activities

The therapeutic potential of the majority of the marketed drugs is due to the presence of a heterocyclic nucleus, which constitutes a huge role in the field of medicinal chemistry. These heterocyclic scaffolds could act as a template in order to design potential therapeutic agents against several diseases. Benzothiazole scaffold is one of the influential heteroaromatic rings in the field of medicinal chemistry owing to its extensive pharmacological features. Herein, we have focused on the synthesis of benzothiazole based medicinal molecules, which possess antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities. This review covers a systematic description of synthetic routes for biologically relevant benzothiazole derivatives in the last five years. The main aim of this study is to show the diversification of benzothiazole based molecules into their pharmacologically more active derivatives. This review's synthetic protocols include metal-free, metal-catalyzed, and metal precursor azo dyes strategies for the development of benzothiazole derived bioactive compounds. The discussion under the various headings covers synthetic schemes and biological activities of the most potent molecules in the form of minimum inhibitory concentration.

PdII- and PtII-mediated coupling of aryl isocyanides with N-heterocyclic thiones

A Pd^II- and Pt^II-mediated reaction of aryl isocyanides with N-heterocyclic thiones results in a previously undescribed type of regioselectivity for ambident nucleophile addition to coordinated isocyanides.

Cyclopentadienyl nickel(ii) N,C-chelating benzothiazolyl NHC complexes: synthesis, characterization and application in catalytic C–C bond formation reactions

CpNi(ii) N,C-chelating benzothiazolyl NHC complexes have been synthesized. They are efficient catalysts for the homo-coupling of benzyl bromide in the presence of MeMgCl at r.t. with good function group tolerance.

Assignment of O–O and Mo=O Stretching Frequencies of Molybdenum/Tungsten Complexes Revisited

The assignment of peroxo stretching frequencies for Molybdenum and Tungsten complexes is studied by DFT and MP2 calculations. We found that M06 functional is unsuitable for assignment of Mo=O and O–O stretches in CpMo(η2-O2)OCH3and we found that MP2 and even the def2-TZVP do not give accurate order of asymmetric and symmetric Mo=O stretching. We recommend the M06L, which is a good compromise between speed and accuracy, for works involving these complexes. For a series of ten Molybdenum and Tungsten complexes studied we found that, for Mo/W=O stretching frequencies at M06L/def2-TZVP, after scaling, a small RMSD of 15 cm−1could be obtained. However peroxo stretching frequencies RMSD remains high at 40 cm−1after scaling. This could potentially point out the need for reassignment of experimental peroxo frequencies in some of the works cited in this report.