Site-Specific Anchoring a Luminescent Tag in a Protein with Non-Emissive Iridium(III) Complex

Site-specific modification of proteins with synthetic fluorescent tag effectively improves the resolution of imaging, and such a labeling method with negligible three-dimensional structural perturbations and minimal impact on the biological functions of proteins is of high interest to dissect the high-resolution activities of biomolecules in complex systems. To this end, several non-emissive iridium(III) complexes [Ir(C-N)2 (H2 O)2 ]+ OTF- (C-N denotes various cyclometalated ligands) were designed and synthesized. These complexes were tested for attaching a protein by coordinating to H/X (HisMet, HisHis, and HisCys) that are separated by i and i+4 in α-helix. Replacement of the two labile water ligands in the iridium(III) complex by a protein HisHis pair increases the luminescent intensity up to over 100 folds. This labeling approach has been demonstrated in a highly specific and efficient manner in a number of proteins, and it is also feasible for labeling target proteins in cell lysates.

Two Synthetic Tools to Deepen the Understanding of the Influence of Stereochemistry on the Properties of Iridium(III) Heteroleptic Emitters

Two complementary procedures are presented to prepare cis-pyridyl-iridium(III) emitters of the class [3b+3b+3b'] with two orthometalated ligands of the 2-phenylpyridine type (3b) and a third ligand (3b'). They allowed to obtain four emitters of this class and to compare their properties with those of the trans-pyridyl isomers. The finding starts from IrH5(PiPr3)2, which reacts with 2-(p-tolyl)pyridine to give fac-[Ir{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}3] with an almost quantitative yield. Stirring the latter in the appropriate amount of a saturated solution of HCl in toluene results in the cis-pyridyl adduct IrCl{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2{κ1-Cl-[Cl-H-py-C6MeH4]} stabilized with p-tolylpyridinium chloride, which can also be transformed into dimer cis-[Ir(μ-OH){κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2]2. Adduct IrCl{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2{κ1-Cl-[Cl-H-py-C6MeH4]} directly generates cis-[Ir{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2{κ2-C,N-[C6H4-Isoqui]}] and cis-[Ir{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2{κ2-C,N-[C6H4-py]}] by transmetalation from Li[2-(isoquinolin-1-yl)-C6H4] and Li[py-2-C6H4]. Dimer cis-[Ir(μ-OH){κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2]2 is also a useful starting complex when the precursor molecule of 3b' has a fairly acidic hydrogen atom, suitable for removal by hydroxide groups. Thus, its reactions with 2-picolinic acid and acetylacetone (Hacac) lead to cis-Ir{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2{κ2-O,N-[OC(O)-py]} and cis-Ir{κ2-C,N-[C6MeH3-py]}2{κ2-O,O-[acac]}. The stereochemistry of the emitter does not significantly influence the emission wavelengths. On the contrary, its efficiency is highly dependent on and associated with the stability of the isomer. The more stable isomer shows a higher quantum yield and color purity.

Acid-base-induced fac → mer isomerization of luminescent iridium(iii) complexes

Luminescent Ir(C^N)3 complexes (C^N = cyclometalated arylpyridine ligand) exist in the form of two stable isomers with distinct photophysical and electrochemical properties: fac and mer. Herein, we show that fac-Ir(C^N)3 complexes can be converted into the thermodynamically less stable mer forms by a consecutive reaction with first acid and then base. The chemically induced isomerization is fast, quantitative, and stereoselective, and it can be inversed by light. The new isomerization process opens the possibility to use highly luminescent Ir(C^N)3 complexes as molecular switches.

Salen-based hypercrosslinked polymer-supported Pd as an efficient and recyclable catalyst for C-H halogenation

In this work, we report the first use of a salen-based hypercrosslinked polymer-supported Pd catalyst to carry out C-H halogenation. This catalyst can effectively catalyze C-H bromination and chlorination even better than its homogeneous counterpart Pd(OAc)2. It also showed excellent reusability without loss of catalytic activity for ten cycles. A broad substrate scope was explored and moderate to excellent yields were obtained.

Room temperature transmetallation from tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane to cyclometallated iridium(iii)

Transmetallation with tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane produces bis-cyclometallated iridium complexes with a perfluorophenyl ancillary ligand.

1,2,3-Triazole-assisted C–H amidation by cobalt(iii) catalysis

This protocol proceeded efficiently under external oxidant-free conditions with the advantages of high atom efficiency and a broad substrate scope.

Cyclometalated (boroxinato)gold(iii) complexes from arrested transmetalation

Luminescent metallaboroxines of gold(iii) form in self-assembly reactions from trifluoroacetato precursors and alkyl or arylboronic acids.

New ‘aggregation induced emission (AIE)’ active cyclometalated iridium(iii) based phosphorescent sensors: high sensitivity for mercury(ii) ions

Strategic design and syntheses of an AIE active bis-cyclometalatediridium(iii) complex were carried out for highly selective and sensitive detection of mercuric ions.