Selenization of Small Molecule Drugs: A New Player on the Board

There is an urgent need to develop safer and more effective modalities for the treatment of a wide range of pathologies due to the increasing rates of drug resistance, undesired side effects, poor clinical outcomes, etc. Throughout the years, selenium (Se) has attracted a great deal of attention due to its important role in human health. Besides, a growing body of work has unveiled that the inclusion of Se motifs into a great number of molecules is a promising strategy for obtaining novel therapeutic agents. In the current Perspective, we have gathered the most recent literature related to the incorporation of different Se moieties into the scaffolds of a wide range of known drugs and their feasible pharmaceutical applications. In addition, we highlight different representative examples as well as provide our perspective on Se drugs and the possible future directions, promises, opportunities, and challenges of this ground-breaking area of research.

Crystal structure of 4,4'-(disulfanedi-yl)dipyridinium chloride triiodide

4,4'-(Disulfanedi-yl)dipyridinium chloride triiodide, C10H10N2S2 2+·Cl-·I3 -, (1) was synthesized by reaction of 4,4'-di-pyridyl-disulfide with ICl in a 1:1 molar ratio in di-chloro-methane solution. The structural characterization of 1 by SC-XRD analysis was supported by elemental analysis, FT-IR, and FT-Raman spectroscopic measurements.

Tellurium-Modified Nucleosides, Nucleotides, and Nucleic Acids with Potential Applications

Tellurium was successfully incorporated into proteins and applied to protein structure determination through X-ray crystallography. However, studies on tellurium modification of DNA and RNA are limited. This review highlights the recent development of Te-modified nucleosides, nucleotides, and nucleic acids, and summarizes the main synthetic approaches for the preparation of 5-PhTe, 2'-MeTe, and 2'-PhTe modifications. Those modifications are compatible with solid-phase synthesis and stable during Te-oligonucleotide purification. Moreover, the ideal electronic and atomic properties of tellurium for generating clear isomorphous signals give Te-modified DNA and RNA great potential applications in 3D crystal structure determination through X-ray diffraction. STM study also shows that Te-modified DNA has strong topographic and current peaks, which immediately suggests potential applications in nucleic acid direct imaging, nanomaterials, molecular electronics, and diagnostics. Theoretical studies indicate the potential application of Te-modified nucleosides in cancer therapy.

Chalcogen Bonding: An Overview

In the last few decades, "unusual" noncovalent interactions like anion-π and halogen bonding have emerged as interesting alternatives to the ubiquitous hydrogen bonding in many research areas. This is also true, to a somewhat lesser extent, for chalcogen bonding, the noncovalent interaction involving Lewis acidic chalcogen centers. Herein, we aim to provide an overview on the use of chalcogen bonding in crystal engineering and in solution, with a focus on the recent developments concerning intermolecular chalcogen bonding in solution-phase applications. In the solid phase, chalcogen bonding has been used for the construction of nano-sized structures and the self-assembly of sophisticated self-complementary arrays. In solution, until very recently applications mostly focused on intramolecular interactions which stabilized the conformation of intermediates or reagents. In the last few years, intermolecular chalcogen bonding has increasingly also been exploited in solution, most notably in anion recognition and transport as well as in organic synthesis and organocatalysis.

A heuristic approach to evaluate peri interactions versus intermolecular interactions in an overcrowded naphthalene

Octachloronaphthalene (OCN), a serious environmental pollutant, has been investigated by charge density analysis to unravel several unexplored factors responsible for steric overcrowding. The topological features of the enigmatic peri interactions contributing to steric overcrowding are qualified and quantified from experimental and theoretical charge-density studies. A new facet in the fundamental understanding of peri interactions is revealed by NCI (non-covalent interaction) analysis. The potential role of these interactions in deforming the molecular geometry and subsequent effect on aromaticity are substantiated from NICS (Nuclear Independent Chemical Shift) and QTAIM (Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules) calculations. The eye-catching dissimilarity in the out-of-plane twisting of OCN renders the molecule in an asymmetric geometry in the crystalline phase compared with symmetric geometry in the optimized solvated phase. This is uniquely characterized by their molecular electrostatic potential (MESP), respectively, and is explained in terms of conflict between two opposing forces - peri interactions, and symbiotic intermolecular Cl⋯Cl and Cl⋯π contacts.

Comment on "A quantitative definition of hypervalency" by M. C. Durrant, Chem. Sci., 2015, , 6614

Consideration is given to (electronically) hypervalent increased-valence structures, which possess 2c–1e bonds, fractional 2c–2e bonds, and usually normal 2c–2e bonds.

Consideration is given to (electronically) hypervalent increased-valence structures, which possess 2c–1e bonds, fractional 2c–2e bonds, and usually normal 2c–2e bonds. For singlet-spin electron-rich systems, increased-valence structures, with Heitler–London 2c–2e bond wavefunctions, are equivalent to resonance between non-hypervalent Kekulé and Dewar (or singlet diradical) type Lewis structures. Dewar structures are not considered in the Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 6614 Edge article on hypervalency. Using one-electron delocalizations from lone-pair atomic orbitals into separate bonding molecular orbitals, increased-valence structures for PCl₅, O₃, SO₄^2–, NO₃^–, N₂O₄ and S_N2 reactions are derived from the Edge-article's Kekulé-type Lewis structures, and compared with the Edge article's hypervalent structures with 2c–2e bonds. It is also shown that Durrant's method to determine the γ parameter for XAY-type systems that possess a symmetrical 3c–4e bonding unit is related to the A-atom charge density.

Fine-tuning halogen bonding properties of diiodine through halogen–halogen charge transfer – extended [Ru(2,2′-bipyridine)(CO)2X2]·I2systems (X = Cl, Br, I)

The current paper introduces the use of stable carbonyl containing ruthenium complexes, [Ru(bpy)(CO)₂X₂] (X = Cl, Br, I), as halogen bond acceptors for a I₂halogen bond donor.

Tellurium: a maverick among the chalcogens

This tutorial review elucidates the fundamental concepts necessary for an understanding of the unique structures and reactivities of tellurium compounds.

Crystal structure of 2-phenyl-2λ(4),3-ditellura-tetra-cyclo-[5.5.2.0(4,13).0(10,14)]tetra-deca-1(12),4,6,10,13-pentaen-2-ylium tri-fluoro-methane-sulfonate

In the title compound, C18H13Te2 (+)·CF3O3S(-), the Te(II) atom of the cation and one O atom of the tri-fluoro-methane-sulfonate counter-ion form a close-to-linear Te-Te-O system, with a Te-Te-O angle of 172.3 (1)° and a Te-O distance of 2.816 (5) Å, which may suggest the presence of a three-centre-four-electron (3c-4e) bond. Secondary Te⋯O inter-actions [3.003 (4) and 3.016 (4) Å], involving the second Te(II) atom of the binuclear mol-ecule, are also noted, resulting in a supra-molecular layer in the bc plane.

Probing interactions through space using spin–spin coupling

A series of eight 5-(TeAr)-6-(SePh)acenaphthenes (Ar = aryl) were prepared and structurally characterised by X-ray crystallography, solution and solid-state NMR spectroscopy and DFT/B3LYP calculations.

Electrochemically informed synthesis: oxidation versus coordination of 5,6-bis(phenylchalcogeno)acenaphthenes

Chalcogen dications: Facile synthesis of E--E bonded dications can be readily achieved. Radical cations are identified as the intermediates.

Investigating silver coordination to mixed chalcogen ligands

Six silver(I) coordination complexes have been prepared and structurally characterised. Mixed chalcogen-donor acenaphthene ligands L1-L3 [Acenap(EPh)(E'Ph)] (Acenap = acenaphthene-5,6-diyl; E/E' = S, Se, Te) were independently treated with silver(I) salts (AgBF₄/AgOTf). In order to keep the number of variables to a minimum, all reactions were carried out using a 1:1 ratio of Ag/L and run in dichloromethane. The nature of the donor atoms, the coordinating ability of the respective counter-anion and the type of solvent used in recrystallisation, all affect the structural architecture of the final silver(I) complex, generating monomeric, silver(I) complexes {[AgBF₄(L)₂] (1 L = L1; 2 L = L2; 3 L = L3), [AgOTf(L)₃] (4 L = L1; 5 L = L3), [AgBF₄(L)₃] (2a L = L1; 3a L = L3)} and a 1D polymeric chain {[AgOTf(L3)](n) 6}. The organic acenaphthene ligands L1-L3 adopt a number of ligation modes (bis-monodentate μ₂-η²-bridging, quasi-chelating combining monodentate and η⁶-E(phenyl)-Ag(I) and classical monodentate coordination) with the central silver atom at the centre of a tetrahedral or trigonal planar coordination geometry in each case. The importance of weak interactions in the formation of metal-organic structures is also highlighted by the number of short non-covalent contacts present within each complex.