Donor-Site-Directed Rational Assembly of Heteroleptic cis-[Pd2 L2 L'2 ] Coordination Cages from Picolyl Ligands

A donor-site engineering approach facilitates the formation of heteroleptic [Pd2 L2 L'2 ]4+ cage structures through a favored cis-'in2 /out2 ' spatial configuration of the methyl groups of 5- and 3-substituted bis-monodentate picolyl ligands with flat acridone and bent phenothiazine backbones. The heteroleptic cages were confirmed by ESI-MS and 2D NMR experiments as well as DFT calculations, which pointed toward a cis-configuration being energetically favored. This was further supported by the synthesis and X-ray structure of a previously unreported cis-[Pd(2-picoline)4 ]2+ complex. The formation of homoleptic structures, however, was met with considerable steric hindrance at the PdII centers, as observed by the formation of [Pd2 L3 (solvent)2 ]4+ and [Pd2 L2 (solvent)4 ]4+ species when only one type of acridone-based ligand was offered. In contrast, bent phenothiazine ligands with outside-pointing methyl groups showed the ability to form interpenetrated double-cages, as revealed by X-ray crystallography. The general route presented herein enables the assembly of uniform cis-[Pd2 L2 L'2 ]4+ coordination cages, thus furthering the possibility to increase structural and functional complexity in supramolecular systems.

Anticancer potency studies of coordination driven self-assembled arene–Ru-based metalla-bowls

New tetranuclear cationic metalla-bowls 5–7 with the general formula [Ru4(p-cymene)4(N∩N)2(OO∩OO)2]4+ (N∩N=2,6-bis(N-(4-pyridyl carbamoyl)pyridine, OO∩OO=2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinonato (5), OO∩OO=5,8-dioxydo-1,4-naphthaquinonato (6), OO∩OO=hoxonato (7)) were prepared by the reaction of the respective dinuclear ruthenium complexes 2–4 with a bispyridine amide donor ligand 1 in methanol in the presence of AgO3SCF3.These new molecular metalla-bowls were fully characterized by analytical techniques including elemental analysis as well as 1H and 13C NMR and HR-ESI-MS spectroscopy. The structure of metalla-bowl 6 was determined from X-ray crystal diffraction data. A UV/visible study was also carried out for the entire suite of new complexes. As with recent studies of similar arene–Ru complexes, the inhibition of cell growth by metalla-bowls was established against SK-hep-1 (liver cancer), AGS (gastric cancer), and HCT-15 (colorectal cancer) human cancer cell lines. Inhibition of cell growth by 6 was found to be considerably stronger against all cancer cell lines than the anticancer drugs, doxorubicin and cisplatin. In particular, in colorectal cancer cells, expression of the cancer suppressor genes APC and p53 was increased following exposure to 6.

Dinuclear pyridine-4-thiolate-bridged rhodium and iridium complexes as ditopic building blocks in molecular architecture

A series of dinuclear pyridine-4-thiolate (4-Spy)-bridged rhodium and iridium compounds [M(μ-4-Spy)(diolef)]2 [diolef = 1,5-cyclooctadiene (cod), M = Rh (1), Ir (2); diolef = 2,5-norbornadiene (nbd), M = Rh (3)] were prepared by the reaction of Li(4-Spy) with the appropriate compound [M(μ-Cl)(diolef)]2 (M = Rh, Ir). The dinuclear compound [Rh(μ-4-Spy)(CO)(PPh3)]2 (4) was obtained by the reaction of [Rh(acac)(CO)(PPh3)] (acac = acetylacetonate) with 4-pySH. Compounds 1-4 were assessed as metalloligands in self-assembly reactions with the cis-blocked acceptors [M(cod)(NCCH3)2](BF4) [M = Rh (a), Ir (b)] and [M(H2O)2(dppp)](OTf)2 [M = Pd (c), Pt (d); dppp = 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane]. The homometallic hexanuclear metallomacrocycles [{M2(μ-4-Spy)2(cod)2}2{M(cod)}2](BF4)2 (M = Rh [(1a)2], Ir [(2b)2]) and the heterometallic hexanuclear metallomacrocycles [{Rh2(μ-4-Spy)2(cod)2}2{Ir(cod)}2](BF4)2 [(1b)2], [{Rh2(μ-4-Spy)2(cod)2}2{M'(dppp)}2](OTf)4 (M' = Pd [(1c)2], Pt [(1d)2]), and [{Ir2(μ-4-Spy)2(cod)2}2{M'(dppp)}2](OTf)4 (M' = Pd [(2c)2], Pt [(2d)2]) were obtained. NMR spectroscopy in combination with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to elucidate the nature of the metalloligands and their respective supramolecular assemblies. Most of the synthesized species were found to be nonrigid in solution, and their fluxional behavior was studied by variable-temperature (1)H NMR spectroscopy. An X-ray diffraction study of the assemblies (1a)2 and (1d)2 revealed the formation of rectangular (9.6 Å × 6.6 Å) hexanuclear metallomacrocycles with alternating dinuclear (Rh2) and mononuclear (Rh or Pt) corners. The hexanuclear core is supported by four pyridine-4-thiolate linkers, which are bonded through the thiolate moieties to the dinuclear rhodium units, exhibiting a bent-anti arrangement, and through the peripheral pyridinic nitrogen atoms to the mononuclear corners.

Preparation, crystal structures and conformations of six complexes based on 1,4-bis(benzimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene

Six manganese(ii), cobalt(ii), copper(ii) and cadmium(ii) complexes based on dibenzimidazolyl ligands with the 1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene linker have been prepared and characterized.

Molecular self-assembly of arene-Ru based interlocked catenane metalla-cages

Two interlocked and two simple trigonal prisms are formed through the coordination self-assembly of arene-Ru acceptors with a new tridentate donor.

Selective detection of multicarboxylate anions based on "turn on" electron transfer by self-assembled molecular rectangles

Two new large molecular rectangles (4 and 5) were obtained by the reaction of two different dinuclear arene ruthenium complexes [Ru(2)(arene)(2)(OOOO)(2)Cl(2)] (arene = p-cymene; OOOO = 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinonato (2), 6,11-dihydroxy-5,12-naphthacene dionato (3)) with the unsymmetrical amide NN (N-[4-(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)phenyl]isonicotinamide) donor ligand 1 in methanol in the presence of AgO(3)SCF(3), forming tetranuclear cations of the general formula [Ru(4)(arene)(4)(NN)(2)(OOO O)(2)](4+). Both rectangles were isolated in good yields as triflate salts and were characterized by multinuclear NMR, ESI-MS, UV/Vis, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The crystal structure of 5 was determined by X-ray diffraction. Luminescent rectangle 5 was used for anion sensing with an amide ligand as a hydrogen-bond donor and an arene-ruthenium acceptor as a signaling unit. Rectangle 5 strongly bound multicarboxylate anions, such as oxalate, tartrate, and citrate, in UV/Vis titration experiments in 1:1 ratios, in contrast to monoanions, such as F(-), Cl(-), NO(3)(-), PF(6)(-), CH(3)COO(-), and C(6)H(5)COO(-). The fluorescence titration experiment showed a large fluorescence enhancement of 5 upon binding to multicarboxylate anions, which could be attributed to blocking of the photoinduced electron transfer process from the arene-ruthenium moiety to the amidic donor in 5; this was likely to be a result of hydrogen bonding between the ligand and the anion. On the other hand, rectangle 5 was not selective towards any other anions. To the naked eye, multicarboxylate anions in a solution of 5 in methanol appear greenish upon irradiation with UV light.