Molecular Selectivity in the Binding of Alkali Metals, Alkaline Earth Metals, First-Row Transition Metals, and Lanthanides with Cyclic Depsipeptides

Beauvericin (BEA) and enniatins (ENN) are cyclic hexadepsipeptide mycotoxins known for their ionophoric activities across cell membranes. While their ability to selectively bind alkali ions to form binary complexes has been studied, their interaction with multivalent metal ions to form higher-order complexes remains less explored. We report the unique characteristics of the 1:2, Mn+:BEA or ENN complexes with monovalent, divalent, and trivalent metal ions. A thorough IMS-MS analysis underscores the substantial interplay among ionic radii, coordination numbers, and their impact on conformational selection within higher-order complexes that is pertinent to ion transport. Transition metals offer insights into the effects of ion radii and ligand side chains on conformational selection, while lanthanide complexes enable a direct evaluation of coordination chemistry. An intriguing finding concerning the lanthanide complexes involves an unexpected C-H bond activation, wherein water ligands may catalyze the deprotonation of the cyclic peptides.

Effect of hydration equilibria on the relaxometric properties of Gd(III) complexes: new insights into old systems

We present a detailed relaxometric and computational investigation of three Gd(III) complexes that exist in solution as an equilibrium of two species with a different number of coordinated water molecules: [Gd(H2O)q]3+ (q = 8, 9), [Gd(EDTA)(H2O)q]- and [Gd(CDTA)(H2O)q]- (q = 2, 3). 1H nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) data were recorded from aqueous solutions of these complexes using a wide Larmor frequency range (0.01-500 MHz). These data were complemented with 17O transverse relaxation rates and chemical shifts recorded at different temperatures. The simultaneous fit of the NMRD and 17O NMR data was guided by computational studies performed at the DFT and CASSCF/NEVPT2 levels, which provided information on Gd⋯H distances, 17O hyperfine coupling constants and the zero-field splitting (ZFS) energy, which affects electronic relaxation. The hydration equilibrium did not have a very important effect in the fits of the experimental data for [Gd(H2O)q]3+ and [Gd(CDTA)(H2O)q]-, as the hydration equilibrium is largely shifted to the species with the lowest hydration number (q = 8 and 2, respectively). The quality of the analysis improves however considerably for [Gd(EDTA)(H2O)q]- upon considering the effect of the hydration equilibrium. As a result, this study provides for the first time an analysis of the relaxation properties of this important model system, as well as accurate parameters for [Gd(H2O)q]3+ and [Gd(CDTA)(H2O)q]-.

Solution Structures of Europium Terpyridyl Complexes with Nitrate and Triflate Counterions in Acetonitrile

Lanthanide-ligand complexes are key components of technological applications, and their properties depend on their structures in the solution phase, which are challenging to resolve experimentally or computationally. The coordination structure of the Eu³⁺ ion in different coordination environments in acetonitrile is examined using ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. AIMD simulations are conducted for the solvated Eu³⁺ ion in acetonitrile, both with or without a terpyridyl ligand, and in the presence of either triflate or nitrate counterions. EXAFS spectra are calculated directly from AIMD simulations and then compared to experimentally measured EXAFS spectra. In acetonitrile solution, both nitrate and triflate anions are shown to coordinate directly to the Eu³⁺ ion forming either ten- or eight-coordinate solvent complexes where the counterions are binding as bidentate or monodentate structures, respectively. Coordination of a terpyridyl ligand to the Eu³⁺ ion limits the available binding sites for the solvent and anions. In certain cases, the terpyridyl ligand excludes any solvent binding and limits the number of coordinated anions. The solution structure of the Eu-terpyridyl complex with nitrate counterions is shown to have a similar arrangement of Eu³⁺ coordinating molecules as the crystal structure. This study illustrates how a combination of AIMD and EXAFS can be used to determine how ligands, solvent, and counterions coordinate with the lanthanide ions in solution.

Direct Observation of Contact Ion-Pair Formation in La3+ Methanol Solution

An approach combining molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has been used to carry out a comparative study about the solvation properties of dilute La(NO₃)₃ solutions in water and methanol, with the aim of elucidating the still elusive coordination of the La³⁺ ion in the latter medium. The comparison between these two systems enlightened a different behavior of the nitrate counterions in the two environments: while in water the La(NO₃)₃ salt is fully dissociated and the La³⁺ ion is coordinated by water molecules only, the nitrate anions are able to enter the metal first solvation shell to form inner-sphere complexes in methanol solution. The speciation of the formed complexes showed that the 10-fold coordination is preferential in methanol solution, where the nitrate anions coordinate the La³⁺ cations in a monodentate fashion and the methanol molecules complete the solvation shell to form an overall bicapped square antiprism geometry. This is at variance with the aqueous solution where a more balanced situation is observed between the 9- and 10-fold coordination. An experimental confirmation of the MD results was obtained by La K-edge XAS measurements carried out on 0.1 M La(NO₃)₃ solutions in the two solvents, showing the distinct presence of the nitrate counterions in the La³⁺ ion first solvation sphere of the methanol solution. The analysis of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) part of the absorption spectrum collected on the methanol solution was carried out starting from the MD results and confirmed the structural arrangement observed by the simulations.

The formation of contact ion pairs between the La³⁺ ions and the nitrate anions has been demonstrated in diluted methanol solution using a combined approach using Molecular Dynamics simulations and X-ray absorption spectroscpy.

Electronic Structure of Ytterbium(III) Solvates-a Combined Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study

The wide range of optical and magnetic properties of lanthanide(III) ions is associated with their intricate electronic structures which, in contrast to lighter elements, is characterized by strong relativistic effects and spin-orbit coupling. Nevertheless, computational methods are now capable of describing the ladder of electronic energy levels of the simpler trivalent lanthanide ions, as well as the lowest energy term of most of the series. The electronic energy levels result from electron configurations that are first split by spin-orbit coupling into groups of energy levels denoted by the corresponding Russell-Saunders terms. Each of these groups are then split by the ligand field into the actual electronic energy levels known as microstates or sometimes m_J levels. The ligand-field splitting directly informs on the coordination geometry and is a valuable tool for determining the structure and thus correlating the structure and properties of metal complexes in solution. The issue with lanthanide complexes is that the determination of complex structures from ligand-field splitting remains a very challenging task. In this paper, the optical spectra-absorption, luminescence excitation, and luminescence emission-of ytterbium(III) solvates were recorded in water, methanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The electronic energy levels, that is, the microstates, were resolved experimentally. Subsequently, density functional theory calculations were used to model the structures of the solvates, and ab initio relativistic complete active space self-consistent field calculations (CASSCF) were employed to obtain the microstates of the possible structures of each solvate. By comparing the experimental and theoretical data, it was possible to determine both the coordination number and solution structure of each solvate. In water, methanol, and N,N-dimethylformamide, the solvates were found to be eight-coordinated and have a square antiprismatic coordination geometry. In DMSO, the speciation was found to be more complicated. The robust methodology developed for comparing experimental spectra and computational results allows the solution structures of homoleptic lanthanide complexes to be determined.

Ion Association in Lanthanide Chloride Solutions

A better understanding of the solution chemistry of the lanthanide (Ln) salts in water would have wide ranging implications in materials processing, waste management, element tracing, medicine and many more fields. This is particularly true for minerals processing, given governmental concerns about lanthanide security of supply and the drive to identify environmentally sustainable processing routes. Despite much effort, even in simple systems, the mechanisms and thermodynamics of LnIII association with small anions remain unclear. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD), using a newly developed force field, provide new insights into LnCl3 (aq) solutions. The force field accurately reproduces the structure and dynamics of Nd3+ , Gd3+ and Er3+ in water when compared to calculations using density functional theory (DFT). Adaptive-bias MD simulations show that the mechanisms for ion pairing change from dissociative to associative exchange depending upon cation size. Thermodynamics of association reveal that whereas ion pairing is favourable, the equilibrium distribution of species at low concentration is dominated by weakly bound solvent-shared and solvent-separated ion pairs, rather than contact ion pairs, reconciling a number of contrasting observations of LnIII -Cl association in the literature. In addition, we show that the thermodynamic stabilities of a range of inner sphere and outer sphere LnCl x ( 3 - x ) + coordination complexes are comparable and that the kinetics of anion binding to cations may control solution speciation distributions beyond ion pairs. The techniques adopted in this work provide a framework with which to investigate more complex solution chemistries of cations in water.

Structural and thermodynamic aspects of hydration of Gd(iii) systems

A first systematic experimental study on the thermodynamic description of the hydration equilibrium of Gd(iii) compounds is presented.

Hydration and ion pair formation in common aqueous La(III) salt solutions--a Raman scattering and DFT study

Raman spectra of aqueous lanthanum perchlorate, triflate (trifluorosulfonate), chloride and nitrate solutions were measured over a broad concentration (0.121-3.050 mol L(-1)) range at room temperature (23 °C). A very weak mode at 343 cm(-1) with a full width at half height at 49 cm(-1) in the isotropic spectrum suggests that the nona-aqua La(III) ion is thermodynamically stable in dilute perchlorate solutions (∼0.2 mol L(-1)) while in concentrated perchlorate solutions outer-sphere ion pairs and contact ion pairs are formed. The La(3+) nona-hydrate was also detected in a 1.2 mol L(-1) La(CF3SO3)3(aq). In lanthanum chloride solutions chloro-complex formation was detected over the measured concentration range from 0.5-3.050 mol L(-1). The chloro-complexes in LaCl3(aq) are fairly weak and disappear with dilution. At a concentration <0.1 mol L(-1) almost all complexes disappeared. In LaCl3 solutions, with additional HCl, a series of chloro-complexes of the type [La(OH2)(9-n)Cln](+3-n) (n = 1-3) were formed. The La(NO3)3(aq) spectra were compared with a spectrum of a 0.409 mol L(-1) NaNO3(aq) and it was concluded that in La(NO3)3(aq) over the concentration range from 0.121-1.844 mol L(-1), nitrato-complexes, [La(OH2)(9-n)(NO3)n](+3-n) (n = 1, 2) were formed. These nitrato-complexes are quite weak and disappear with dilution <0.01 mol L(-1). DFT geometry optimizations and frequency calculations are reported for a lanthanum-nona-hydrate with a polarizable dielectric continuum in order to take the solvent into account. The bond distances and angles for the cluster geometry of [La(OH2)9](3+) with the polarizable dielectric continuum are in good agreement with data from recent structural experimental measurements and high quality simulations. The DFT frequency of the La-O stretching mode at 328.2 cm(-1), is only slightly smaller than the experimental one.

Identification of different oxygen species in oxide nanostructures with (17)O solid-state NMR spectroscopy

Nanostructured oxides find multiple uses in a diverse range of applications including catalysis, energy storage, and environmental management, their higher surface areas, and, in some cases, electronic properties resulting in different physical properties from their bulk counterparts. Developing structure-property relations for these materials requires a determination of surface and subsurface structure. Although microscopy plays a critical role owing to the fact that the volumes sampled by such techniques may not be representative of the whole sample, complementary characterization methods are urgently required. We develop a simple nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) strategy to detect the first few layers of a nanomaterial, demonstrating the approach with technologically relevant ceria nanoparticles. We show that the (17)O resonances arising from the first to third surface layer oxygen ions, hydroxyl sites, and oxygen species near vacancies can be distinguished from the oxygen ions in the bulk, with higher-frequency (17)O chemical shifts being observed for the lower coordinated surface sites. H2 (17)O can be used to selectively enrich surface sites, allowing only these particular active sites to be monitored in a chemical process. (17)O NMR spectra of thermally treated nanosized ceria clearly show how different oxygen species interconvert at elevated temperature. Density functional theory calculations confirm the assignments and reveal a strong dependence of chemical shift on the nature of the surface. These results open up new strategies for characterizing nanostructured oxides and their applications.

Lanthanide complexes based on a 1,7-diaza-12-crown-4 platform containing picolinate pendants: a new structural entry for the design of magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents

We have synthesized a new macrocyclic ligand, N,N'-Bis[(6-carboxy-2-pyridyl)methyl]-1,7-diaza-12-crown-4 (H 2bp12c4), designed for complexation of lanthanide ions in aqueous solution. The X-ray crystal structure of the Gd (III) complex shows that the metal ion is directly bound to the eight donor atoms of the bp12c4 ligand, the ninth coordination site being occupied by an oxygen atom of a carboxylate group of a neighboring [Gd(bp12c4)] (+) unit, while the structure of the Lu (III) analogue shows the metal ion being only eight-coordinate. The hydration numbers obtained from luminescence lifetime measurements in aqueous solution of the Eu (III) and Tb (III) complexes suggest an equilibrium in aqueous solution between a dihydrated ( q = 2), ten-coordinate and a monohydrated ( q = 1), nine-coordinate species. This has been confirmed by a variable temperature UV-vis spectrophotometric study on the Eu (III) complex. The structure of the complexes in solution has been investigated by (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, as well as by theoretical calculations performed at the DFT (B3LYP) level. The results indicate that the change in hydration number occurring around the middle of the lanthanide series is accompanied by a change in the conformation adopted by the complexes in solution [Delta(lambdalambdalambdalambda) for q = 2 and Lambda(deltalambdadeltalambda) for q = 1]. The structure calculated for the Yb (III) complex (Lambda(deltalambdadeltalambda)) is in good agreement with the experimental structure in solution, as demonstrated by the analysis of the Yb (III)-induced paramagnetic (1)H shifts.