Kinetics and Mechanism of the Cu2+ Induced Hydrolysis of Nitrile Groups in the Side Chain of Tetraazamacrocycles. Models for Nitrilases

Abstract

A series of mono-N-functionalized tetraaza macro-cycles having a nitrile group in their side chain have been synthesized and the kinetics and mechanism of the Cu²⁺ induced hydrolysis has been studied. Two factors were systematically varied: the length of the side chain and thus the distance between Cu²⁺ and the nitrile group, as well as the rigidity of the macro-cycle by introducing an additional ethylene bridge.

The mechanism of the hydrolysis proceeds by an intramolecular attack of a coordinated OH^? onto the nitrile group in a five or six center transition state. The intramolecular nature of the reaction has been proven (a) by the pH dependence of the hydrolysis, which in some cases has a plateau at high pH values, (b) by the competitive inhibition with SCN^?, and (c) by the spectral changes observed at high pH.

The sequence of Cu²⁺ induced hydrolysis rates is the following: flexible macrocycle with a short chain > rigid macrocycle with a short chain > flexible macrocycle with a longer chain < rigid macro-cycle with a longer chain. The length of the side chain, which determines whether a five or six center transition state is formed, is the most important factor. The fastest hydrolysis has a half-life time of about 50 ms at pH 12.5 and 25°C and indicates the efficiency of the metal ion. The rigidity of the macrocycle also influences the reactivity since in the rigid complexes on one side the Cu²⁺ ion is less accessible for OH^? to give the reactive intermediate and on the other side the transition state is less reactive because of topological aspects.     

Low‐dimensional compounds containing cyano groups. II. catena‐Poly[[(2,2′‐bipyridine‐κ2N:N′)(dicyanamido‐κN)copper(II)]‐μ‐dicyanamido‐κ2N:N′]

The crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu(C₂N₃)₂(C₁₀H₈N₂)]_n, is formed by neutral zigzag chains of the [–NC–N–CN–Cu{(bpy)N(CN)₂}–NC–N–CN–] type run­ning along the c axis (bpy is 2,2′‐bi­pyridine). The Cu atoms in the chains are pentacoordinated in the form of a distorted tetragonal pyramid, with a CuN₅ chromophore. The coordination sites are occupied by two N atoms of one bpy mol­ecule in the basal plane [Cu—N 2.018 (4) and 2.025 (2) Å] and by three terminal N atoms of two dicyan­amide ligands. One of the dicyan­amide ligands is coordinated in a monodentate fashion through a nitrile N atom in the basal plane [Cu—N 1.963 (4) Å]. The second acts as an end‐to‐end bridging ligand to a neighbouring Cu atom and is coordinated by one nitrile N atom in the basal plane [Cu—N 2.001 (2) Å], while the second nitrile N atom occupies the apical position [Cu—N 2.159 (2) Å] and originates from the bridge connecting another Cu atom. The shortest intrachain Cu?Cu distance is 8.212 (1) Å, as a consequence of the large bridging ligand, whereas the minimum interchain distance between Cu atoms is only 5.77 (7) Å, because of the interdigitation of the chains.     

catena‐Poly­[[bis­(quinoxaline‐κN)cobalt(II)]‐di‐μ‐dicyan­amido‐κ2N1:N5] and catena‐poly­[[bis(quinoxaline‐κN)copper(II)]‐di‐μ‐dicyan­amido‐κ2N1:N5]

Two new complexes, [Co(C₂N₃)₂(C₈H₆N₂)₂], (I), and [Cu(C₂N₃)₂(C₈H₆N₂)₂], (II), are reported. They are essentially isomorphous. Complex (I) displays distorted octahedral geometry, with the Co atom coordinated by four dicyan­amide nitrile N atoms [Co—N = 2.098 (3) and 2.104 (3) Å] in the basal plane, along with two monodentate quinoxaline N atoms [Co—N = 2.257 (2) Å] in the apical positions. In complex (II), the Cu atom is surrounded by four dicyan­amide nitrile N atoms [Cu—N = 2.003 (3) and 2.005 (3) Å] in the equatorial plane and two monodentate quinoxaline N atoms [Cu—N = 2.479 (3) Å] in the axial sites, to form a distorted tetragonal–bipyramidal geometry. The metal atoms reside on twofold axes of rotation. Neighbouring metal atoms are connected via double dicyan­amide bridges to form one‐dimensional infinite chains. Adjacent chains are then linked by π–π stacking interactions of the quinoxaline mol­ecules, resulting in the formation of a three‐dimensional structure.     

Polyamide synthesis from 6-aminocapronitrile, part 1: N-alkyl amide formation by amine amidation of a hydrolyzed nitrile

The synthesis of N-hexylpentanamide from a stoichiometric amount of pentanenitrile and hexylamine has been studied as a model reaction for the synthesis of nylon-6 from 6-aminocapronitrile. The reaction was carried out under mild hydrothermal conditions and in the presence of a homogeneous ruthenium catalyst. For the mild hydrothermal conditions the presence of hexylamine distinctively increases the nitrile hydrolysis compared to the nitrile hydrolysis in the absence of hexylamine. Amine-catalyzed nitrile hydrolysis mainly produces the N-substituted amide. A clear product development is observed, consisting of first the terminal amide formation and second the accumulation of N-hexylpentanamide. With a maximum conversion of only 80 % after 18 h, the nitrile hydrolysis rate at 230 degrees C is still much too low for nylon-6 synthesis. Ruthenium dihydride phosphine was therefore used as a homogeneous catalyst, which significantly increases the nitrile hydrolysis rate. At a temperature of 140 degrees C and with only 0.5 mol % [RuH(2)(PPh(3))(4)] a 60 % nitrile conversion is already reached within 2 h. Initially the terminal amide is the sole product, which is gradually converted into N-hexylpentanamide. The reaction has a high initial rate, however, for higher conversions a strong decrease in hydrolysis rate is observed. This is ascribed to product inhibition, which results from the equilibrium nature of the reaction.     

Complex Formation Reactions of (2,2′-dipyridylamine)copper(II) with Various Biologically Relevant Ligands. The Kinetics of Hydrolysis of Amino Acid Esters

Binary and ternary copper(II) complexes involving 2,2′-dipyridylamine (DPA) and various biologically relevant ligands containing different functional groups are investigated. The ligands used are dicarboxylic acids, amino acids, peptides and DNA unit constituents. The ternary complexes of amino acids, dicarboxylic acids or peptides are formed by simultaneous reactions. The results showed the formation of 1:1 complexes with amino acids and dicarboxylic acids. The effect of chelate ring size of the dicarboxylic acid complexes on their stability constants was examined. Peptides form both 1:1 complexes and the corresponding deprotonated amide species. The ternary complexes of copper(II) with DPA and DNA are formed in a stepwise process, whereby binding of copper(II) to DPA is followed by ligation of the DNA components. DNA constituents form both 1:1 and 1:2 complexes with Cu(DPA)²⁺. The concentration distribution of the complexes in solution was evaluated. [Cu(DPA)(CBDCA)], [Cu(DPA)(malonate)] and [Cu(DPA)(oxalate)] were isolated and characterized by elemental analysis, i.r. and magnetic measurements. Spectroscopic studies of [Cu(DPA)(malonate)] revealed that the complex exhibits square planner coordination with copper(II). The hydrolysis of glycine methyl ester (MeGly) is catalyzed by the Cu(DPA)²⁺ complex. The reaction has been studied by a pH-state technique over the pH range 5.8–6.8 at 25 °C and I=0.1 mol dm⁻¹. The kinetic data fits assuming that the hydrolysis proceeds in two steps. The first step, involving coordination of the amino acid ester by the amino and carboxylic group, is followed by the rate-determining attack by the OH⁻ ion. The second step involves equilibrium formation of the hydroxo-complex, Cu(DPA)(MeGly)(OH), followed by intramolecular attack.     

两个含有平行交替链的新型二氰胺配位高聚物: {Mn(dmpz)[N(CN)2]2}2和{Cu(dmpz)[N(CN)2]2}2

Two new dicyanamide coordination polymers, {Mn(dmpz)[N(CN)2]2}2 (1) and {Cu(dmpz)[N(CN)2]2}2 (2)(dmpz=3,5-dimethylpyrazole), were synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and IR spectroscopy. In 1 and 2 the metal ions have two different coordination modes, where one is coordinated to four dicyanamide anions and two monodentate dmpz molecules to form a slightly distorted octahedral geometry, while the other adopts octahedral geometry, surrounded by four nitrile N atoms and two amide N atoms of the dicyanamide anions. Both complexes contain two alternating chains that are parallel to each other.     

The gas-phase reaction between hydroxide ion and methyl formate: a theoretical analysis of the energy surface and product distribution

The potential energy surface for the prototype solvent-free ester hydrolysis reaction: OH- +HCOOCH3 --> products has been characterized by high level ab initio calculations of MP4/6-311 + G(2df,2p)//MP2/6-31 + G(d) quality. These calculations reveal that the approach of an OH- ion leads to the formation of two distinct ion-molecule complexes: 1) the MS1 species with the hydroxide ion hydrogen bonded to the methyl group of the ester, and 2) the MS4 moiety resulting from proton abstraction of the formyl hydrogen by the hydroxide ion and formation of a three-body complex of water, methoxide ion and carbon monoxide. The first complex reacts to generate formate anion and methanol products through the well known B(AC)2 and S(N)2 mechanisms. RRKM calculations predict that these pathways will occur with a relative contribution of 85% and 15% at 298.15 K, in excellent agreement with experimentally measured values of 87% and 13%, respectively. The second complex reacts by loss of carbon monoxide to yield the water-methoxide complex through a single minimum potential surface and is the preferred pathway in the gas-phase. This water-methoxide adduct can further dissociate if the reactants have excess energy. These results provide clear evidence that the preferred pathways for ester hydrolysis in solution are dictated by solvation of the hydroxide ion.     

Evaluation of metal-mediated DNA binding of benzoxazole ligands by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The binding of a series of benzoxazole analogs with different amide- and ester-linked side chains to duplex DNA in the absence and presence of divalent metal cations is examined. All ligands were found to form complexes with Ni2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+, with 2:1 ligand/metal cation binding stoichiometries dominating for ligands containing shorter side chains (2, 6, 7, and 8), while 1:1 complexes were the most abundant for ligands with long side chains (9, 10, and 11). Ligand binding with duplex DNA in the absence of metal cations was assessed, and the long side-chain ligands were found to form low abundance complexes with 1:1 ligand/DNA binding stoichiometries. The ligands with the shorter side chains only formed DNA complexes in the presence of metal cations, most notably for 7 and 8 binding to DNA in the presence of Cu2+. The binding of long side-chain ligands was enhanced by Cu2+ and to a lesser degree by Ni2+ and Zn2+. The cytotoxicities of all of the ligands against the A549 lung cancer and MCF7 breast cancer cell lines were also examined. The ligands exhibiting the most dramatic metal-enhanced DNA binding also demonstrated the greatest cytotoxic activity. Both 7 and 8 were found to be the most cytotoxic against the A549 lung cancer cell line and 8 demonstrated moderate cytotoxicity against MCF7 breast cancer cells. Metal ions also enhanced the DNA binding of the ligands with the long side chains, especially for 9, which also exhibited the highest level of cytotoxicity of the long side-chain compounds.     

A survey of diamagnetic probes for copper2+ binding to the prion protein. 1H NMR solution structure of the palladium2+ bound single octarepeat

The prion protein (PrP(C)) is a copper binding cell surface glycoprotein which when misfolded causes transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The cooperative binding of Cu2+ to an unstructured octarepeat sequence within PrP(C) causes profound folding of this region. The use of NMR to determine the solution structure of the octarepeat region of PrP with Cu2+ bound has been hampered by the paramagnetic nature of the Cu2+ ions. Using NMR we have investigated the binding of candidate diamagnetic replacement ions, to the octarepeat region of PrP. We show that Pd2+ forms diamagnetic complexes with the peptides HGGG, HGGGW and QPHGGGWGQ with 1:1 stoichiometry. The 1H NMR spectra indicate that these peptides are in slow-exchange between free and bound Pd2+ on the chemical-shift time-scale. We demonstrate that the Pd-peptide complex forms slowly with a time taken to reach half-maximal signal of 3 hours. Other candidate metal ions, Ni2+, Pt2+ and Au3+, were investigated but only the Pd2+ complexes gave resolvable 1H NMR spectra. We have determined the solution structure of the QPHGGGWGQ-Pd 1:1 complex using 71 NOE distance restraints. A backbone RMSD of 0.30 A was observed over residues 3 to 7 in the final ensemble. The co-ordinating ligands consist of the histidine imidazole side chain N epsilon, the amide N of the second and third glycines with possibly H2O as the fourth ligand. The co-ordination geometry differs markedly from that of the HGGGW-Cu crystal structure. This survey of potential replacement metal ions to Cu2+ provides insight into the metal specificity and co-ordination chemistry of the metal bound octarepeats.     

An attempt to discriminate between the hydrophobic and aromatic pi-pi interactions in the copper(II) ternary complexes CuLA with L=1,10-phenanthroline or 2,2'-bipyridyl and A=para-X-substituted phenylalaninates

For the title complexes, the value of formation constant K(CuL+A) is higher than that of K1(CuA2). According to the mechanistic consideration, log K(CuL+A) is calculated for regular Cu(II) complexes with neither special enhancement nor diminution of the stability constant. Then, the difference of log K(CuL+A)(obs)-log K(CuL+)(calc) represents extrastabilization due to the hydrophobic interactions and the aromatic pi-pi interactions. The former has been found to be proportional to the free energy of the transfer of side chains of aminocarboxylates A. The discrimination between the hydrophobic and the aromatic pi-pi interactions has been attempted.     

Spectroscopic study of the complexes of poly(N-methacryloyl-L-asparagine) with palladium (II)

The complexes formed between palladium (II) and a polymeric ligand derived from L -asparagine, poly(N-methacryloyl-L -asparagine) (PNMAsn) have been investigated by electronic absorption and circular dichroism. N-isobutyroyl-L -asparagine (NIBAsn) was also synthesized and studied with the purpose of comparison with its polymeric analog. NIBAsn gives two complexes: at low pH, an optically active complex between one carboxylate and one secondary amide nitrogen (so-called 1N complex), and at higher pH, a 2N complex involving the primary and secondary amide group. This complex is also optically active. PNMAsn gives at low pH a 1N complex similar to that of NIBAsn, but at higher pH the 2N complex is formed between two carboxylate groups and two secondary amide groups of two different side chains of the polymer. At very high pH this 2N complex is hydrolyzed, i.e., the carboxylate-palladium bonds are replaced by hydroxyle-palladium bonds, and the complex becomes optically inactive.     

Hydrothermal reaction of Cu(II)/pyrazine-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid and characterization of the copper(II) complexes

Four copper(II) complexes [Cu3(PZHD)2(2,2'-bpy)2(H2O)2].3H2O (1), [Cu3(DHPZA)2(2,2'-bpy)2] (2), [Cu(C2O4)phen(H2O)].H2O (3), and [Cu3(PZTC)2(2,2'-bpy)2].2H2O (4) were synthesized by hydrothermal reactions, in which the complexes 1-3 were obtained by the in situ Cu(II)/H3PZTC reactions (PZHD3- = 2-hydroxypyrazine-3,5-dicarboxylate, 2,2'-bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, DHPZA3- = 2,3-dihydroxypyrazine-5-carboxylate, C2O42- = oxalate, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, and H3PZTC = pyrazine-2,3,5-tricarboxylic acid). The Cu(II)/H3PZTC hydrothermal reaction with 2,2'-bpy, without addition of NaOH, results in the formation of complex 4. The complexes 1-4 and transformations from H3PZTC to PZHD3-, DHPZA3-, and C2O4(2-) were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and theoretical calculations. In the complexes 1, 2, and 4, the ligands PZHD3-, DPHZA3-, and PZTC3- all show pentadentate coordination to Cu(II) ion forming three different trinuclear units. The trinuclear units in 1 are assembled by hydrogen-bonding and pi-pi stacking to form a 3D supramolecular network. The trinuclear units in 2 acting as building blocks are connected by the carboxylate oxygen atoms forming a 2D metal-organic framework (MOF) with (4,4) topology. While the trinuclear units in 4 are linked together by the carboxylate oxygen atoms to form a novel 2D MOF containing right- and left-handed helical chains. The theoretical characterization testifies that electron transfer between OH- and Cu2+ and redox of Cu 2+ and Cu+ are the most important processes involved in the in situ copper Cu(II)/H3PZTC reactions, forming complexes of 1-3.     

Equilibrium and NMR studies on GdIII, YIII, CuII and ZnII complexes of various DTPA-N,N'-bis(amide) ligands. Kinetic stabilities of the gadolinium(III) complexes

Three DTPA-derivative ligands, the non-substituted DTPA-bis(amide) (L(0)), the mono-substituted DTPA-bis(n-butylamide) (L(1)) and the di-substituted DTPA-bis[bis(n-butylamide)] (L(2)) were synthesized. The stability constants of their Gd3+ complexes (GdL) have been determined by pH-potentiometry with the use of EDTA or DTPA as competing ligands. The endogenous Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions form ML, MHL and M(2)L species. For the complexes CuL(0) and CuL(1) the dissociation of the amide hydrogens (CuLH(-1)) has also been detected. The stability constants of complexes formed with Gd3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ increase with an increase in the number of butyl substituents in the order ML(0) < ML(1) < ML(2). NMR studies of the diamagnetic YL(0) show the presence of four diastereomers formed by changing the chirality of the terminal nitrogens of their enantiomers. At 323 K, the enantiomerization process, involving the racemization of central nitrogen, falls into the fast exchange range. By the assignment and interpretation of 1H and 13C NMR spectra, the fractions of the diastereomers were found to be equal at pH = 5.8 for YL(0). The kinetic stabilities of GdL(0), GdL(1) and GdL(2) have been characterized by the rates of the exchange reactions occurring between the complexes and Eu3+, Cu2+ or Zn2+. The rates of reaction with Eu3+ are independent of the [Eu3+] and increase with increasing [H+], indicating the rate determining role of the proton assisted dissociation of complexes. The rates of reaction with Cu2+ and Zn2+ increase with rising metal ion concentration, which shows that the exchange can take place with direct attack of Cu2+ or Zn2+ on the complex, via the formation of a dinuclear intermediate. The rates of the proton, Cu2+ and Zn2+ assisted dissociation of Gd3+ complexes decrease with increasing number of the n-butyl substituents, which is presumably the result of steric hindrance hampering the formation or dissociation of the intermediates. The kinetic stabilities of GdL(0) and GdL(1) at pH = 7.4, [Cu2+] = 1 x 10(-6) M and [Zn(2+)] = 1 x 10(-5) M are similar to that of Gd(DTPA)2-, while the complex GdL2 possesses a much higher kinetic stability.     

The activation of tertiary carboxamides in metal complexes: an experimental and theoretical study on the methanolysis of acylated bispicolylamine copper(II) complexes

It is a well-established concept that the C-N bond cleavage of carboxamide functions is facilitated by the coordination of a metal ion to the carbonyl oxygen atom. In contrast, the alternative C-N bond activation by coordination of a neutral tertiary carboxamide nitrogen atom has not been studied. We present the first results on the effect of nitrogen pyramidalization in N-coordinated metal complexes on the methanolysis of tertiary carboxamide groups. An analysis of the reactions products obtained from the methanol cleavage of [(N-Acyl-bpa)Cu]2+ (bpa = N,N-bispicolylamine) complexes is presented together with experimental and high-level theoretically calculated structures. The strong effect of different anions on the amide pyramidalization and subsequent C-N-bond cleavage is evaluated. We show that dichloro complexes [(N-Acyl-bpa)CuCl2] have much less activated amide groups than the corresponding triflate species. They should therefore be less reactive. However, [(N-Acyl-bpa)CuCl2] complexes dissociate in solution to give cationic monochloro complexes [(N-Acyl-bpa)Cu(S)Cl]+ (S = solvent molecule). Theoretical calculations show that the amide pyramidalization in the monochloro complexes is equal to that in the corresponding CF3SO3- salts. Consequently, chloro and triflato complexes are cleaved with similar rates and efficiencies. Parallels to and differences in the reactivity of purely organic distorted amides are discussed.     

N，N＇-双(3-羧基水杨醛叉缩胺乙基)草酰胺均双核铜(Ⅱ)，镍(Ⅱ)配合物合成和性能研究

The homobinuclear complexes of Cu (Ⅱ) and Ni (Ⅱ) with N, N＇-bis(3-Carboxyl salicyl aminal ethylene) oxalamide were synthesized, and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, Uv-visible spectra, conductometry, thermogravimetry, and magnetic susceptibility measurement, which indicated the complexes own an oxalic amide bridge-linking structure. Room temperature magnetic moment data show that there are antiferromagnetic spin coupling through oxalic amide conjugated double bond, In DMF, the redox half wave potential of Cu (Ⅱ) binuclear complexes have been measured by cyclic voltammetry, which proves that the Cu (Ⅱ) complex has two redox waves.     

Properties of a new 4-imidazolyl derivative of a 14-membered tetraazamacrocyclic chelating agent

A new bis-N,N'-(5-methylimidazol-4-ylmethyl) derivative of a 14-membered tetraazamacrocycle, L1, has been synthesized. The protonation constants of this compound and the stability constants of its complexes with divalent first-row transition metal ions and Fe3+ were determined at 298.2 K in aqueous 0.10 mol dm(-3) KNO3. Compound L1 exhibits high overall basicity, which is mainly conferred by the imidazolyl groups. The complexes of the divalent first row-transition metal ions of L1 follow the Irving-Williams order of stability with the maximum for Cu2+ as expected, but a steep fall of constants is verified for the Mn2+, Fe2+ and Co2+, in one side, and for the Zn2+ complexes, in the other side. Additionally, L1 shows a large affinity for Fe3+, and the relative stability constants for its Cd2+ and Pb2+ complexes indicate that L1 may be useful for the complexometric determination of these two toxic metal ions in solutions containing both metal ions. These studies together with NMR, UV-vis and EPR spectroscopic data indicated the presence of mononuclear complexes, which adopt distorted pyramidal or octahedral geometries depending on the metal centre. The X-ray crystal structure of [Cu(HL1)](PF6)2(NO3).H2O showed that the coordination sphere of the copper centre can be described as a distorted square pyramid with the basal plane defined by three nitrogen donors of the macrocycle backbone and one nitrogen atom from one imidazolyl pendant arm. The apical position is occupied by the nitrogen atom of the macrocycle trans to the pyridine ring. To achieve this coordination environment, the macrocycle is folded along the axis defined by the two N atoms contiguous to the pyridine ring. The free methylimidazolyl arm points away from the metal centre leading to an intramolecular Cu[dot dot dot]N distance of 5.155(1) A.     

Structural variety of zinc and copper complexes based on a 2,3-disubstituted 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazoline ligand

The ring-chain tautomerism of 2-(3-tosyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazolin-2-yl)quinolin-8-ol (H(2)L(ring)) has been exploited to produce mononuclear complexes or, alternatively, dinuclear complexes, as desired, by varying the stoichiometry of the ligand. Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) stabilise the ring tautomeric form of the ligand in their mononuclear complexes M(HL(ring))(2). The structural characterisation of Zn(HL(ring))(2)·2MeOH·0.5H(2)O shows O,N-donor behaviour of the ring tautomer. The 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazoline undergoes a ring-opening reaction upon formation of phenoxo-bridged dinuclear complexes M(2)(L(chain))(2) in which the chain tautomer is acting as O,N,N,N-donor. The crystal structure of Cu(2)(L(amide))(L(quinazoline))(MeOH)·2MeOH evidenced the sensitivity of H(2)L(ring) to the copper-mediated aerobic oxidation, which results in two derivatives of the ligand, a quinazoline and an amide. The quinazoline ligand is acting as monoanionic and mononucleating through its O,N,N binding site, while the amide ligand behaves as a trianionic and binucleating through its O,N,N,N and O,O binding sites in Cu(2)(L(amide))(L(quinazoline))(MeOH)·2MeOH.     

Copper(II) complexes of bis(amino amide) ligands: effect of changes in the amino acid residue

A family of ligands derived from bis(amino amides) containing aliphatic spacers has been prepared, and their protonation and stability constants for the formation of Cu(2+) complexes have been determined potentiometrically. Important differences are associated to both the length of the aliphatic spacer and the nature of the side chains derived from the amino acid. In general, ligands containing aliphatic side chains display higher basicities as well as stability constants with Cu(2+). In the same way, basicities and stability constants tend to increase when decreasing the steric hindrance caused by the corresponding side-chain. FT-IR, UV-vis and ESI-MS were used for analyzing the complex species detected in the speciation diagram. UV-vis studies showed the presence of different coordination environments for the copper(II) complexes. Complexes with different stoichiometries can be formed in some instances. This was clearly highlighted with the help of ESI-MS experiments.     

A series of tripodal cysteine derivatives as water-soluble chelators that are highly selective for copper(I)

A series of tripodal ligands derived from nitrilotriacetic acid and extended by three converging, metal-binding, cysteine chains was synthesised. Their ability to bind soft metal ions thanks to their three thiolate functions was investigated by means of complementary analytical and spectroscopic methods. Three ligands that differ by the nature of the carbonyl group next to the coordinating thiolate functions were studied: L(1) (ester), L(2) (amide) and L(3) (carboxylate). The negatively charged derivative L(3), which bears three carboxylate functions close to the metal binding site, gives polynuclear copper(I) complexes of low stability. In contrast, the ester and amide derivatives L(1) and L(2) are efficient Cu(I) chelators with very high affinities, close to that reported for the metal-sequestering metallothioneins (log K≈19). Interestingly, these two ligands form mononuclear copper complexes with a unique MS(3) coordination in water solution. An intramolecular hydrogen-bond network involving the amide functions in the upper cavity of the tripodal ligands stabilises these mononuclear complexes and was evidenced by the very low chemical-shift temperature coefficient of the secondary amide protons. Moreover, L(1) and L(2) display large selectivities for the targeted metal ion that is, Cu(I), with respect to bioavailable Zn(II). Therefore the two sulfur-based tripods L(1) and L(2) are of potential interest for intracellular copper detoxication in vivo, without altering the homeostasis of the essential metal ion Zn(II).     

Gas‐phase doubly charged complexes of cyclic peptides with copper in +1, +2 and +3 formal oxidation states: formation,structures and electron capture dissociation

Copper complexes with a cyclic D‐His‐β‐Ala‐L‐His‐L‐Lys and all‐L‐His‐β‐Ala‐His‐Lys peptides were generated by electrospray which were doubly charged ions that had different formal oxidation states of Cu(I), Cu(II) and Cu(III) and different protonation states of the peptide ligands. Electron capture dissociation showed no substantial differences between the D‐His and L‐His complexes. All complexes underwent peptide cross‐ring cleavages upon electron capture. The modes of ring cleavage depended on the formal oxidation state of the Cu ion and peptide protonation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, using the B3LYP with an effective core potential at Cu and M06‐2X functionals, identified several precursor ion structures in which the Cu ion was threecoordinated to pentacoordinated by the His and Lys side‐chain groups and the peptide amide or enolimine groups. The electronic structure of the formally Cu(III) complexes pointed to an effective Cu(I) oxidation state with the other charge residing in the peptide ligand. The relative energies of isomeric complexes of the [Cu(c‐HAHK + H)]²⁺ and [Cu(c‐HAHK ? H)]²⁺ type with closed electronic shells followed similar orders when treated by the B3LYP and M06‐2X functionals. Large differences between relative energies calculated by these methods were obtained for open‐shell complexes of the [Cu(c‐HAHK)]²⁺ type. Charge reduction resulted in lowering the coordination numbers for some Cu complexes that depended on the singlet or triplet spin state being formed. For [Cu(c‐HAHK ? H)]²⁺ complexes, solution H/D exchange involved only the N–H protons, resulting in the exchange of up to seven protons, as established by ultra‐high mass resolution measurements. Contrasting the experiments, DFT calculations found the lowest energy structures for the gas‐phase ions that were deprotonated at the peptide C_α positions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.