Reversible Hyperpolarization of Ketoisocaproate Using Sulfoxide-containing Polarization Transfer Catalysts

The substrate scope of sulfoxide-containing magnetisation transfer catalysts is extended to hyperpolarize α-ketoisocaproate and α-ketoisocaproate-1-[¹³C]. This is achieved by forming [Ir(H)₂(κ²-ketoisocaproate)(N-heterocyclic carbene)(sulfoxide)] which transfers latent magnetism from p-H₂ via the signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) process. The effect of polarization transfer field on the formation of enhanced ¹³C magnetization is evaluated. Consequently, performing SABRE in a 0.5 μT field enabled most efficient magnetisation transfer. ¹³C NMR signals for α-ketoisocaproate-1-[¹³C] in methanol-d₄ are up to 985-fold more intense than their traditional Boltzmann derived signal intensity (0.8 % ¹³C polarisation). Single crystal X-ray diffraction reveals the formation of the novel catalyst decomposition products [Ir(μ-H)(H)₂(IMes)(SO(Ph)(Me)₂)]₂ and [(Ir(H)₂(IMes)(SO(Me)₂))₂(μ-S)] when the sulfoxides methylphenylsulfoxide and dimethylsulfoxide are used respectively.     

“Direct” 13C Hyperpolarization of 13C‐Acetate by MicroTesla NMR Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE)

Herein, we demonstrate “direct” ¹³C hyperpolarization of ¹³C‐acetate via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE). The standard SABRE homogeneous catalyst [Ir‐IMes; [IrCl(COD)(IMes)], (IMes=1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl), imidazole‐2‐ylidene; COD=cyclooctadiene)] was first activated in the presence of an auxiliary substrate (pyridine) in alcohol. Following addition of sodium 1‐¹³C‐acetate, parahydrogen bubbling within a microtesla magnetic field (i.e. under conditions of SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei, SABRE‐SHEATH) resulted in positive enhancements of up to ≈100‐fold in the ¹³C NMR signal compared to thermal equilibrium at 9.4 T. The present results are consistent with a mechanism of “direct” transfer of spin order from parahydrogen to ¹³C spins of acetate weakly bound to the catalyst, under conditions of fast exchange with respect to the ¹³C acetate resonance, but we find that relaxation dynamics at microtesla fields alter the optimal matching from the traditional SABRE‐SHEATH picture. Further development of this approach could lead to new ways to rapidly, cheaply, and simply hyperpolarize a broad range of substrates (e.g. metabolites with carboxyl groups) for various applications, including biomedical NMR and MRI of cellular and in vivo metabolism.     

Heterogeneous Microtesla SABRE Enhancement of 15N NMR Signals

The hyperpolarization of heteronuclei via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) was investigated under conditions of heterogeneous catalysis and microtesla magnetic fields. Immobilization of [IrCl(COD)(IMes)], [IMes=1,3‐bis(2,4,6‐trimethylphenyl), imidazole‐2‐ylidene; COD=cyclooctadiene] catalyst onto silica particles modified with amine linkers engenders an effective heterogeneous SABRE (HET‐SABRE) catalyst that was used to demonstrate a circa 100‐fold enhancement of ¹⁵N NMR signals in ¹⁵N‐pyridine at 9.4 T following parahydrogen bubbling within a magnetic shield. No ¹⁵N NMR enhancement was observed from the supernatant liquid following catalyst separation, which along with XPS characterization supports the fact that the effects result from SABRE under heterogeneous catalytic conditions. The technique can be developed further for producing catalyst‐free agents via SABRE with hyperpolarized heteronuclear spins, and thus is promising for biomedical NMR and MRI applications.     

In Situ Ternary Adduct Formation of Yttrium Polyaminocarboxylates Leads to Small Molecule Capture and Activation

In this work the chemistry of yttrium complexes is exploited for small molecule capture and activation. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and density functional theory (DFT) studies were used to investigate the in situ formation of solution state ternary yttrium-acetate, yttrium-bicarbonate, and yttrium-pyruvate adducts with a range of polyaminocarboxylate chelates. These studies reveal that [Y(DO3A)(H₂O)₂] (H₃DO3A – 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7-tricarboxylic acid) and [Y(EDTA)(H₂O)_q]⁻ (H₄EDTA – ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, q = 2 and 3) are able to form ternary adducts with bicarbonate and pyruvate. In the latter, unusual decarboxylation of pyruvate to form acetic acid and CO₂ was observed and further studied using SABRE-hyperpolarised ¹³C NMR (SABRE – signal amplification by reversible exchange) to provide information about the reaction timescale and lifetime of intermediates involved in this conversion. The work presented demonstrates that yttrium complexes can capture and activate small molecules, which may lead to novel and useful applications of this metal in catalysis and medical imaging.     

A New Ir‐NHC Catalyst for Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange in D2O

NMR signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) has been observed for pyridine, methyl nicotinate, N‐methylnicotinamide, and nicotinamide in D₂O with the new catalyst [Ir(Cl)(IDEG)(COD)] (IDEG=1,3‐bis(3,4,5‐tris(diethyleneglycol)benzyl)imidazole‐2‐ylidene). During the activation and hyperpolarization steps, exclusively D₂O was used, resulting in the first fully biocompatible SABRE system. Hyperpolarized ¹H substrate signals were observed at 42.5 MHz upon pressurizing the solution with parahydrogen at close to the Earth's magnetic field, at concentrations yielding barely detectable thermal signals. Moreover, 42‐, 26‐, 22‐, and 9‐fold enhancements were observed for nicotinamide, pyridine, methyl nicotinate, and N‐methylnicotinamide, respectively, in conventional 300 MHz studies. This research opens up new opportunities in a field in which SABRE has hitherto primarily been conducted in CD₃OD. This system uses simple hardware, leaves the substrate unaltered, and shows that SABRE is potentially suitable for clinical purposes.     

Effects of a Tridentate Pincer Ligand on Parahydrogen Induced Polarization

The role of ligands in rhodium- and iridium-catalyzed Parahydrogen Induced Polarization (PHIP) and SABRE (signal amplification by reversible exchange) chemistry has been studied in the benchmark systems, [Rh(diene)(diphos)]⁺ and [Ir(NHC)(sub)₃(H)₂]⁺, and shown to have a great impact on the degree of hyperpolarization observed. Here, we examine the role of the flanking moieties in the electron-rich monoanionic bis(carbene) aryl pincer ligand, ^ArCCC (Ar=Dipp, 2,6-diisopropyl or Mes, 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) on the cobalt-catalyzed PHIP and PHIP-IE (PHIP via Insertion and Elimination) chemistry that we have previously reported. The mesityl groups were exchanged for diisopropylphenyl groups to generate the (^DippCCC)Co(N₂) catalyst, which resulted in faster hydrogenation and up to 390-fold ¹H signal enhancements, larger than that of the (^MesCCC)Co-py (py=pyridine) catalyst. Additionally, the synthesis of the (^DippCCC)Rh(N₂) complex is reported and applied towards the hydrogenation of ethyl acrylate with parahydrogen to generate modest signal enhancements of both ¹H and ¹³C nuclei. Lastly, the generation of two (^MesCCC)Ir complexes is presented and applied towards SABRE and PHIP-IE chemistry to only yield small ¹H signal enhancements of the partially hydrogenated product (PHIP) with no SABRE hyperpolarization.     

“Direct” 13C Hyperpolarization of 13C-Acetate by MicroTesla NMR Signal Amplification by Reversible Exchange (SABRE)

Herein, we demonstrate “direct” ¹³C hyperpolarization of ¹³C-acetate via signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE). The standard SABRE homogeneous catalyst [Ir-IMes; [IrCl(COD)(IMes)], (IMes=1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl), imidazole-2-ylidene; COD=cyclooctadiene)] was first activated in the presence of an auxiliary substrate (pyridine) in alcohol. Following addition of sodium 1-¹³C-acetate, parahydrogen bubbling within a microtesla magnetic field (i.e. under conditions of SABRE in shield enables alignment transfer to heteronuclei, SABRE-SHEATH) resulted in positive enhancements of up to ≈100-fold in the ¹³C NMR signal compared to thermal equilibrium at 9.4 T. The present results are consistent with a mechanism of “direct” transfer of spin order from parahydrogen to ¹³C spins of acetate weakly bound to the catalyst, under conditions of fast exchange with respect to the ¹³C acetate resonance, but we find that relaxation dynamics at microtesla fields alter the optimal matching from the traditional SABRE-SHEATH picture. Further development of this approach could lead to new ways to rapidly, cheaply, and simply hyperpolarize a broad range of substrates (e.g. metabolites with carboxyl groups) for various applications, including biomedical NMR and MRI of cellular and in vivo metabolism.     

Order-Unity 13C Nuclear Polarization of [1-13C]Pyruvate in Seconds and the Interplay of Water and SABRE Enhancement

Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange in SHield Enabled Alignment Transfer (SABRE-SHEATH) is investigated to achieve rapid hyperpolarization of ¹³C₁ spins of [1-¹³C]pyruvate, using parahydrogen as the source of nuclear spin order. Pyruvate exchange with an iridium polarization transfer complex can be modulated via a sensitive interplay between temperature and co-ligation of DMSO and H₂O. Order-unity ¹³C (>50 %) polarization of catalyst-bound [1-¹³C]pyruvate is achieved in less than 30 s by restricting the chemical exchange of [1-¹³C]pyruvate at lower temperatures. On the catalyst bound pyruvate, 39 % polarization is measured using a 1.4 T NMR spectrometer, and extrapolated to >50 % at the end of build-up in situ. The highest measured polarization of a 30-mM pyruvate sample, including free and bound pyruvate is 13 % when using 20 mM DMSO and 0.5 M water in CD₃OD. Efficient ¹³C polarization is also enabled by favorable relaxation dynamics in sub-microtesla magnetic fields, as indicated by fast polarization buildup rates compared to the T₁ spin-relaxation rates (e. g., ∼0.2 s⁻¹ versus ∼0.1 s⁻¹, respectively, for a 6 mM catalyst-[1-¹³C]pyruvate sample). Finally, the catalyst-bound hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate can be released rapidly by cycling the temperature and/or by optimizing the amount of water, paving the way to future biomedical applications of hyperpolarized [1-¹³C]pyruvate produced via comparatively fast and simple SABRE-SHEATH-based approaches.     

Iridium α-Carboxyimine Complexes Hyperpolarized with para-Hydrogen Exist in Nuclear Singlet States before Conversion into Iridium Carbonates

The formation and hyperpolarization of an [Ir(H)₂(amine)(IMes)(η²-imine)]Cl complex that can be created in a hyperpolarized nuclear singlet state is reported. These complexes are formed when an equilibrium mixture of pyruvate, amine (benzylamine or phenylethylamine), and the corresponding imine condensation product, react with preformed [Ir(H)₂(amine)₃(IMes)]Cl. These iridium α-carboxyimine complexes exist as two regioisomers differentiated by the position of amine. When examined with para-hydrogen the hydride resonances of the isomer with amine trans to hydride become strongly hyperpolarized. The initial hydride singlet states readily transfer to the corresponding ¹³C₂ state in the labelled imine and exhibit magnetic state lifetimes of up to 11 seconds. Their ¹³C signals have been detected with up to 420 fold signal gains at 9.4 T. On a longer timescale, and in the absence of H₂, further reaction leads to the formation of neutral carbonate containing [Ir(amine)(η²-CO₃)(IMes)(η²-imine)]. Complexes are characterized by, IR, MS, NMR and X-ray diffraction.     

Hyperpolarisation of Mirfentanil by SABRE in the Presence of Heroin

Mirfentanil, a fentanyl derivative that is a μ-opioid partial agonist, is hyperpolarised via Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE), a para-hydrogen-based technique. [Ir(IMes)(COD)Cl] (IMes=1,3-bis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)imidazole-2-ylidene, COD=cyclooctadiene) was employed as the polarisation transfer catalyst. Following polarisation transfer at 6.5 mT, the pyrazine-protons were enhanced by 78-fold (polarisation, P=0.04 %). The complex [Ir(IMes)(H)₂(mirfentanil)₂(MeOH)]⁺ is proposed to form based on the observation of two hydrides at δ −22.9 (trans to mirfentanil) and −24.7 (trans to methanol). In a mixture of mirfentanil and heroin, the former could be detected using SABRE at concentrations less than 1 % w/w. At the lowest concentration analyzed, the amount of mirfentanil present was 0.18 mg (812 μM) and produced a signal enhancement of −867-fold (P=0.42 %). following polarisation transfer at 6.5 mT.     

Harnessing polarisation transfer to indazole and imidazole through signal amplification by reversible exchange to improve their NMR detectability

The signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) approach has been used to hyperpolarise the substrates indazole and imidazole in the presence of the co‐ligand acetonitrile through the action of the precataysts [IrCl(COD)(IMes)] and [IrCl(COD)(SIMes)]. ²H‐labelled forms of these catalysts were also examined. Our comparison of the two precatalysts [IrCl(COD)(IMes)] and [IrCl(COD)(SIMes)], coupled with ²H labelling of the N‐heterocyclic carbene and associated relaxation and polarisation field variation studies, demonstrates the critical and collective role these parameters play in controlling the efficiency of signal amplification by reversible exchange. Ultimately, with imidazole, a 700‐fold¹H signal gain per proton is produced at 400 MHz, whilst for indazole, a 90‐fold increase per proton is achieved. The co‐ligand acetonitrile proved to optimally exhibit a 190‐fold signal gain per proton in these measurements, with the associated studies revealing the importance the substrate plays in controlling this value. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Magnetic Resonance in Chemistry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Ligand‐Centred Reactivity of Bis(picolyl)amine Iridium: Sequential Deprotonation,Oxidation and Oxygenation of a “Non‐Innocent” Ligand

Treatment of [Ir(bpa)(cod)]⁺ complex [ 1 ]⁺ with a strong base (e.g., tBuO^?) led to unexpected double deprotonation to form the anionic [Ir(bpa?2H)(cod)]^? species [ 3 ]^?, via the mono‐deprotonated neutral amido complex [Ir(bpa?H)(cod)] as an isolable intermediate. A certain degree of aromaticity of the obtained metal–chelate ring may explain the favourable double deprotonation. The rhodium analogue [ 4 ]^? was prepared in situ. The new species [M(bpa?2H)(cod)]^? (M=Rh, Ir) are best described as two‐electron reduced analogues of the cationic imine complexes [M^I(cod)(Py‐CH₂‐N?CH‐Py)]⁺. One‐electron oxidation of [ 3 ]^? and [ 4 ]^? produced the ligand radical complexes [ 3 ]^. and [ 4 ]^.. Oxygenation of [ 3 ]^? with O₂ gave the neutral carboxamido complex [Ir(cod)(py‐CH₂‐N‐CO‐py)] via the ligand radical complex [ 3 ]^. as a detectable intermediate.     

3‐Rhoda‐1,2‐diazacyclopentanes: A Series of Novel Metallacycle Complexes Derived From CN Functionalization of Ethylene

Rh‐containing metallacycles, [(TPA)Rh^III(κ²‐(C,N)‐CH₂CH₂(NR)₂‐]Cl; TPA=N,N,N,N‐tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine have been accessed through treatment of the Rh^I ethylene complex, [(TPA)Rh(η²‐CH₂CH₂)]Cl ([ 1 ]Cl) with substituted diazenes. We show this methodology to be tolerant of electron‐deficient azo compounds including azo diesters (RCO₂N?NCO₂R; R=Et [ 3 ]Cl, R=iPr [ 4 ]Cl, R=tBu [ 5 ]Cl, and R=Bn [ 6 ]Cl) and a cyclic azo diamide: 4‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazole‐3,5‐dione (PTAD), [ 7 ]Cl. The latter complex features two ortho‐fused ring systems and constitutes the first 3‐rhoda‐1,2‐diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane. Preliminary evidence suggests that these complexes result from N–N coordination followed by insertion of ethylene into a [Rh]?N bond. In terms of reactivity, [ 3 ]Cl and [ 4 ]Cl successfully undergo ring‐opening using p‐toluenesulfonic acid, affording the Rh chlorides, [(TPA)Rh^III(Cl)(κ¹‐(C)‐CH₂CH₂(NCO₂R)(NHCO₂R)]OTs; [ 13 ]OTs and [ 14 ]OTs. Deprotection of [ 5 ]Cl using trifluoroacetic acid was also found to give an ethyl substituted, end‐on coordinated diazene [(TPA)Rh^III(κ²‐(C,N)‐CH₂CH₂(NH)₂‐]⁺ [ 16 ]Cl, a hitherto unreported motif. Treatment of [ 16 ]Cl with acetyl chloride resulted in the bisacetylated adduct [(TPA)Rh^III(κ²‐(C,N)‐CH₂CH₂(NAc)₂‐]⁺, [ 17 ]Cl. Treatment of [ 1 ]Cl with AcN?NAc did not give the Rh?N insertion product, but instead the N,O‐chelated complex [(TPA)Rh^I ( κ²‐(O,N)‐CH₃(CO)(NH)(N?C(CH₃)(OCH?CH₂))]Cl [ 23 ]Cl, presumably through insertion of ethylene into a [Rh]?O bond.     

Interaction between Anions and Cationic Metal Complexes Containing Tridentate Ligands with exo‐CH Groups: Complex Stability and Hydrogen Bonding

[Re(CO)₃([9]aneS₃)][BAr′₄] ( 1 ), prepared by reaction of ReBr(CO)₅, 1,4,7‐trithiacyclononane ([9]aneS₃) and NaBAr′₄, forms stable, soluble supramolecular adducts with chloride ( 2 ), bromide, methanosulfonate ( 3 ) and fluoride ( 4 ) anions. These new species were characterized by IR, NMR spectroscopy and, for 2 and 3 , also by X‐ray diffraction. The results of the solid state structure determinations indicate the formation of CH???X hydrogen bonds between the anion (X) and the exo‐C?H groups of the [9]aneS₃ ligand, in accord with the relatively large shifts found by ¹H NMR spectroscopy in dichloromethane solution for those hydrogens. The stability of the chloride adduct contrasts with the lability of the [9]aneS₃ ligand in allyldicarbonyl molybdenum complexes recently studied by us. With fluoride, in dichloromethane solution, a second, minor neutral dimeric species 5 is formed in addition to 4 . In 4 , the deprotonation of a C?H group of the [9]aneS₃ ligand, accompanied by C?S bond cleavage and dimerization, afforded 5 , featuring bridging thiolates. Compounds [Mo(η³‐methallyl)(CO)₂(TpyN)][BAr′₄] ( 6 ) and [Mo(η³‐methallyl)(CO)₂(TpyCH)][BAr′₄] ( 7 ) were synthesized by the reactions of [MoCl(η³‐methallyl)(CO)₂(NCMe)₂], NaBAr′₄ and tris(2‐pyridyl)amine (TpyN) or tris(2‐pyridyl)methane (TpyCH) respectively, and characterized by IR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy in solution, and by X‐ray diffraction in the solid state. Compound 6 undergoes facile substitution of one of the 2‐pyridyl groups by chloride, bromide, and methanosulfonate anions. Stable supramolecular adducts were formed between 7 and chloride, bromide, iodide, nitrate, and perrhenate anions. The solid state structures of these adducts ( 12 – 16 ) were determined by X‐ray diffraction. Binding constants in dichloromethane were calculated from ¹H NMR titration data for all the new supramolecular adducts. The signal of the bridgehead C?H group is the one that undergoes a more pronounced downfield shift when tetrabutylammonium chloride was added to 7 , whereas smaller shifts were found for the 2‐pyridyl C(3)?H groups. In agreement, both types of C?H groups form hydrogen bonds to the anions in the solid state structures.     

A modular design of metal catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones

The ability of transition metal catalysts to add or remove hydrogen from organic substrates by transfer hydrogenation is a valuable synthetic tool. Towards a series of novel metal complexes with a P―NH ligand, [Ph₂PNHCH₂―C₄H₃O] derived from furfurylamine were synthesized. Reaction of [Ph₂PNHCH₂―C₄H₃O] 1 with [Ru(η⁶‐p‐cymene)(μ‐Cl)Cl]₂, [Ru(η⁶‐benzene)(μ‐Cl)Cl]₂, [Rh(μ‐Cl)(cod)]₂ and [Ir(η⁵‐C₅Me₅)(μ‐Cl)Cl]₂ gave a range of new monodentate complexes [Ru(Ph₂PNHCH₂―C₄H₃O)(η⁶‐p‐cymene)Cl₂] 2 , [Ru(Ph₂PNHCH₂―C₄H₃O)(η⁶‐benzene)Cl₂] 3 , [Rh(Ph₂PNHCH₂‐C₄H₃O)(cod)Cl] 4 , and [Ir(Ph₂PNHCH₂‐C₄H₃0)(η⁵‐C₅Me₅)Cl₂] 5 , respectively. All new complexes were fully characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods. ³¹P‐{¹H} NMR, distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) or ¹H‐¹³C heteronuclear correlation (HETCOR) experiments were used to confirm the spectral assignments. Following activation by KOH, compounds 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 catalyzed the transfer hydrogenation of acetophenone derivatives to 1‐phenylethanol derivatives in the presence of iso‐PrOH as the hydrogen source. Notably [Ru(Ph₂PNHCH₂‐C₄H₃O)(η⁶‐benzene)Cl₂] 3 acts as an excellent catalyst, giving the corresponding alcohols in 98–99% yield in 20 min at 82°C (time of flight ≤ 297 h^?1) for the transfer hydrogenation reaction in comparison to analogous rhodium or iridium complexes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Solution Behaviour and Biomolecular Interactions of Two Cytotoxic trans‐Platinum(II) Complexes Bearing Aliphatic Amine Ligands

A novel trans‐platinum(II) complex bearing one dimethylamine (dma) and one methylamine (ma) ligand, namely trans‐[PtCl₂(dma)(ma)], recently synthesised and characterised in our laboratory, displayed relevant antiproliferative properties in vitro, being more active than the parent complex, trans‐[PtCl₂(dma)(ipa)], which has isopropylamine (ipa) in place of methylamine. We have analysed comparatively the solution behaviour of these two complexes under various experimental conditions, and investigated their reactivity with horse heart cytochrome c by mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectroscopy (ICP‐OES), 2D [¹H,¹⁵N],[¹H,¹³C] HSQC and [¹H,¹H] NOESY NMR. Some important changes that occurred in the [¹H,¹³C] HSQC NMR spectrum of cytochrome c treated with trans‐[PtCl₂(dma)(ma)] in water, after two days’ incubation, most probably arose from direct platinum coordination to the protein side chain; this was proved conclusively by [¹H,¹H] NOESY NMR and [¹H,¹⁵N] HSQC NMR measurements. Met65 was identified as the primary Pt binding site on cytochrome c. Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESIMS) results provided evidence for extensive platinum–protein adduct formation. A fragment of the [Pt(amine)(amine′)] type was established to be primarily responsible for protein metalation. ICP‐OES analysis revealed that these trans‐platinum(II) complexes bind preferentially to the serum proteins albumin and transferrin rather than to calf thymus DNA. Pt binding to DNA was found to be far lower than in the case of cisplatin. The implications of the results for the mechanism of action of novel cytotoxic trans‐platinum complexes are discussed.     

Diazirines as Potential Molecular Imaging Tags: Probing the Requirements for Efficient and Long‐Lived SABRE‐Induced Hyperpolarization

Diazirines are an attractive class of potential molecular tags for magnetic resonance imaging owing to their biocompatibility and ease of incorporation into a large variety of molecules. As recently reported, ¹⁵N₂‐diazirine can be hyperpolarized by the SABRE‐SHEATH method, sustaining both singlet and magnetization states, thus offering a path to long‐lived polarization storage. Herein, we show the generality of this approach by illustrating that the diazirine tag alone is sufficient for achieving excellent signal enhancements with long‐lasting polarization. Our investigations reveal the critical role of Lewis basic additives, including water, on achieving SABRE‐promoted hyperpolarization. The application of this strategy to a ¹⁵N₂‐diazirine‐containing choline derivative demonstrates the potential of ¹⁵N₂‐diazirines as molecular imaging tags for biomedical applications.     

Direct Monitoring of γ‐Glutamyl Transpeptidase Activity In Vivo Using a Hyperpolarized 13C‐Labeled Molecular Probe

The γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) enzyme plays a central role in glutathione homeostasis. Direct detection of GGT activity could provide critical information for the diagnosis of several pathologies. We propose a new molecular probe, γ‐Glu‐[1‐¹³C]Gly, for monitoring GGT activity in vivo by hyperpolarized (HP) ¹³C magnetic resonance (MR). The properties of γ‐Glu‐[1‐¹³C]Gly are suitable for in vivo HP ¹³C metabolic analysis since the chemical shift between γ‐Glu‐[1‐¹³C]Gly and its metabolic product, [1‐¹³C]Gly, is large (4.3 ppm) and the T₁ of both compounds is relatively long (30 s and 45 s, respectively, in H₂O at 9.4 T). We also demonstrate that γ‐Glu‐[1‐¹³C]Gly is highly sensitive to in vivo modulation of GGT activity induced by the inhibitor acivicin.     

Highly Selective and Catalytic Oxygenations of C−H and C=C Bonds by a Mononuclear Nonheme High‐Spin Iron(III)‐Alkylperoxo Species

The reactivity of a mononuclear high‐spin iron(III)‐alkylperoxo intermediate [Fe^III(t‐BuL^Urea)(OOCm)(OH₂)]²⁺( 2 ), generated from [Fe^II(t‐BuL^Urea)(H₂O)(OTf)](OTf) ( 1 ) [t‐BuL^Urea=1,1′‐(((pyridin‐2‐ylmethyl)azanediyl)bis(ethane‐2,1‐diyl))bis(3‐(tert‐butyl)urea), OTf=trifluoromethanesulfonate] with cumyl hydroperoxide (CmOOH), toward the C?H and C=C bonds of hydrocarbons is reported. 2 oxygenates the strong C?H bonds of aliphatic substrates with high chemo‐ and stereoselectivity in the presence of 2,6‐lutidine. While 2 itself is a sluggish oxidant, 2,6‐lutidine assists the heterolytic O?O bond cleavage of the metal‐bound alkylperoxo, giving rise to a reactive metal‐based oxidant. The roles of the urea groups on the supporting ligand, and of the base, in directing the selective and catalytic oxygenation of hydrocarbon substrates by 2 are discussed.