Spectrophotometric analysis of 5-coordinate cobalt(II) species for ligand substitution of hexakis(acetonitrile)cobalt(II) with bulky 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea in noncoordinating nitromethane

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of a New Mixed Metal (Co(II), Ni(II)) Cubane

The mixed Co(II)/Ni(II) complex, [Co_2.67Ni_1.33L₄(CH₃COO)₂][BPh₄]₂·0.75H₂O where HL = 4-(salicylaldimine)antipyrine, was isolated as an orange solid from the reaction of 4-(salicylaldimine)antipyrine, with mixed cobalt(II) acetate and nickel(II) acetate in ethanol. The complex was characterized by Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR), UltraViolet Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray single crystal diffraction, and by elemental analysis. The complex is composed of two symmetry independent cationic units, A and B. The two units are essentially isostructural; nevertheless, small differences exist between them. The units contain four metal atoms, arranged at the corners of a distorted cubane-like core alternately with phenoxy oxygen of the Schiff base. The overall eight corners occupied by metal ions in the asymmetric unit are shared between cobalt and nickel in a 5.33:2.67 ratio. Each metal divalent cation binds three coordinated sites from the corresponding tridentate Schiff base ligand, the fourth one is bound by the acetate oxygen, the fifth and the sixth donor sites come from the phenolate oxygens of other Schiff base ligands. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds join the complexes to the water molecules present in the crystal packing. The magnetic characterization was carried out for this new complex and for its isostructural counterpart containing only cobalt ions. The magnetic measurements for the cobalt(II)/nickel(II) mixed compound indicate either antiferromagnetic interactions among the two cubanes or an anisotropic contribution, whereas a ferromagnetic interaction is observed within the cubane, for both the complexes, as expected by geometrical considerations. A comparison between the magnetic properties of the pure cobalt(II) derivative and similar systems discussed in literature, is presented.

Solvation Number and Conformation of N,N-Dimethylacrylamide and N,N-Dimethylpropionamide in the Coordination Sphere of the Cobalt(II) Ion in Solution Studied by FT-IR and FT-Raman Spectroscopy

The solvation number and conformation of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) in the coordination sphere of the cobalt(II) ion in solution were studied, and compared with those of N,N-dimethylpropionamide (DMPA) by means of FT-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. Both solvents are present as either the planar cis or nonplanar staggered conformer in equilibrium, and the former is more stable in the bulk. As these solvents solvate the metal ion through the carbonyl O atom of the acryl (DMAA) or propionyl (DMPA) group, the solvation structure around the metal ion is highly congested to reduce the solvation number and/or to lead to a conformational geometry change of solvent. It turns out that the solvation number of the cobalt(II) ion is 4 for both DMAA and DMPA at 298 K, and that DMPA changes its conformation upon solvation, whereas DMAA hardly changes. The enthalpy of conformational change DeltaH degrees for DMPA is 5 kJ mol(-1) in the bulk, and is -9 kJ mol(-1) in the coordination sphere of the cobalt(II) ion. On the other hand, the DeltaH degrees value for DMAA is 9 kJ mol(-1) in the bulk.

Photoisomerization of arylstilbazolium ligands in the presence of DNA

The ability of the DNA duplex to behave as an efficient organized medium for trans-cis photoisomerization has been explored. The presence of DNA affected isomerization in a variety of ways depending on the aryl moiety properties of the ligand and its DNA-binding mode. Contrary to intercalating ligands, 9-[2-(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)vinyl]phenanthrene (2) and 9-[2-(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)vinyl]anthracene (3), which gave only cis and trans isomers, the additional products--cyclobutane photodimers--were detected for 2-[2-(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)vinyl]naphthalene (1), which binds cooperatively to the minor groove of DNA. Photostationary states (pss) for all ligands were seriously affected by the presence of DNA. A trans isomer-rich pss and restriction of trans --> cis process, observed for ligands 1 and 2, were explained in terms of a different binding affinity of DNA toward particular isomers. On the contrary, 9-anthryl derivative 3 isomerized against the isomer-binding preferences, showing cis isomer-rich pss and enhanced quantum yield of isomerization. The unique behavior of ligand 3-DNA complex was attributed to different isomerization mechanism that consists in quantum chain isomerization from an excited singlet state possessing a charge transfer character. This is the first example of ligand, which undergoes DNA-mediated cis-trans isomerization in the opposite direction than expected from DNA-binding preferences. The analysis of pss data based on two alternative pathways of photoisomerization showed that investigated ligands follow the model that allows isomerization of both free and DNA-bound ligands.