Two reversible enantiotropic phase transitions in a pentacoordinate silicon complex with an O,N,O′‐tridentate valinate ligand

Dimethyl[N‐(4‐oxidopent‐3‐en‐2‐ylidene)valinato‐κ³O,N,O′]silicon(IV), C₁₂H₂₁NO₃Si, (II), crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁. The chiral compound undergoes two sharp enantiotropic phase transitions upon cooling. The first transformation occurs at 163 K to yield a unit cell with one axis having double length. This intermediate‐temperature form has the monoclinic space group P2₁. The second transition takes place at 142 K and converts the single crystal into the low‐temperature form in the orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁. This transition proceeds under tripling of the a axis of the high‐temperature form. Both phase transitions are fully reversible and correspond to order–disorder transitions of the isopropyl group of the valine unit in the ligand backbone. The phase transitions presented here raise questions, since they do not fit into the rules of group–subgroup relationships.     

New isostructural transition metal complexes with a non‐innocent dithiolate ligand

Three new complexes with 3,6‐dichlorobenzene‐1,2‐dithiol (bdtCl₂), namely methyltriphenylphosphonium bis(3,6‐dichlorobenzene‐1,2‐dithiolato‐κ²S,S′)cobaltate(1−), (C₁₉H₁₈P)[Co(C₆H₂Cl₂S₂)₂], (I), bis(methyltriphenylphosphonium) bis(3,6‐dichlorobenzene‐1,2‐dithiolato‐κ²S,S′)cuprate(2−) dimethyl sulfoxide disolvate, (C₁₉H₁₈P)₂[Cu(C₆H₂Cl₂S₂)₂]·2C₂H₆OS, (II), and methyltriphenylphosphonium bis(3,6‐dichlorobenzene‐1,2‐dithiolato‐κ²S,S′)cuprate(1−), (C₁₉H₁₈P)[Cu(C₆H₂Cl₂S₂)₂], (III), have been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. The X‐ray structure analyses of all three complexes confirm that the four donor S atoms form a slightly distorted square‐planar coordination arrangement around the central metal atom. An interesting finding for both the Cu^II and Cu^III complexes, i.e. (II) and (III), respectively, is that the coordination polyhedra are principally the same and differ only slightly with respect to the interatomic distances.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of a Dual-Action Ligand Targeting αvβ3 Integrin and VEGF Receptors

A dual-action ligand targeting both integrin α_Vβ₃ and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs), was synthesized via conjugation of a cyclic peptidomimetic α_Vβ₃ Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) ligand with a decapentapeptide. The latter was obtained from a known VEGFR antagonist by acetylation at the Lys13 side chain. Functionalization of the precursor ligands was carried out in solution and in the solid phase, affording two fragments: an alkyne VEGFR ligand and the azide integrin α_Vβ₃ ligand, which were conjugated by click chemistry. Circular dichroism studies confirmed that both the RGD and VEGFR ligand portions of the dual-action compound substantially adopt the biologically active conformation. In vitro binding assays on isolated integrin α_Vβ₃ and VEGFR-1 showed that the dual-action conjugate retains a good level of affinity for both its target receptors, although with one order of magnitude (10/20 times) decrease in potency. The dual-action ligand strongly inhibited the VEGF-induced morphogenesis in Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs). Remarkably, its efficiency in preventing the formation of new blood vessels was similar to that of the original individual ligands, despite the worse affinity towards integrin α_Vβ₃ and VEGFR-1.     

C0-estimates and smoothness of solutions to the parabolic equation defined by Kimura operators

Kimura diffusions serve as a stochastic model for the evolution of gene frequencies in population genetics. Their infinitesimal generator is an elliptic differential operator whose second-order coefficients matrix degenerates on the boundary of the domain. In this article, we consider the inhomogeneous initial-value problem defined by generators of Kimura diffusions, and we establish $C^0$-estimates, which allows us to prove that solutions to the inhomogeneous initial-value problem are smooth up to the boundary of the domain where the operator degenerates, even when the initial data is only assumed to be continuous.     

On exceptional groups of order p5

A finite group G is exceptional if it has a quotient Q whose minimal faithful permutation degree is greater than that of G. We say that Q is a distinguished quotient.The smallest examples of exceptional p-groups have order $p^5$. For an odd prime p, we classify all pairs $(G,Q)$ where G has order $p^5$ and Q is a distinguished quotient. (The case $p=2$ has already been treated by Easdown and Praeger.) We establish the striking asymptotic result that as p increases, the proportion of groups of order $p^5$ with at least one exceptional quotient tends to 1/2.     

3‐(Pyridin‐4‐yl)acetylacetone: CdII and HgII compete for nitrogen coordination

3‐(Pyridin‐4‐yl)acetylacetone (HacacPy) acts as a pyridine‐type ligand towards Cd^II and Hg^II halides. With CdBr₂, the one‐dimensional polymer [Cd(μ‐Br)₂(HacacPy)Cd(μ‐Br)₂(HacacPy)₂]_∞ is obtained in which five‐ and six‐coordinated Cd^II cations alternate in the chain direction. Reaction of HacacPy with HgBr₂ results in [Hg(μ‐Br)Br(HacacPy)]_∞, a polymer in which each Hg^II centre is tetracoordinated. In both compounds, each metal(II) cation is N‐coordinated by at least one HacacPy ligand. Equimolar reaction between these Cd^II and Hg^II derivatives, either conducted in ethanol as solvent or via grinding in the solid state, leads to ligand redistribution and the formation of the well‐ordered bimetallic polymer catena‐poly[[bromidomercury(II)]‐μ‐bromido‐[aquabis[4‐hydroxy‐3‐(pyridin‐4‐yl)pent‐3‐en‐2‐one]cadmium(II)]‐di‐μ‐bromido], [CdHgBr₄(C₁₀H₁₁NO₂)₂(H₂O)]_n or [{HgBr}(μ‐Br){(HacacPy)₂Cd(H₂O)}(μ‐Br)₂]_∞. Hg^II and Cd^II cations alternate in the [100] direction. The HacacPy ligands do not bind to the Hg^II cations, which are tetracoordinated by three bridging and one terminal bromide ligand. The Cd^II centres adopt an only slightly distorted octahedral coordination. Three bromide ligands link them in a (2 + 1) pattern to neighbouring Hg^II atoms; two HacacPy ligands in a cis configuration, acting as N‐atom donors, and a terminal aqua ligand complete the coordination sphere. Classical O—H…Br hydrogen bonds stabilize the polymeric chain. O—H…O hydrogen bonds between aqua H atoms and the uncoordinated carbonyl group of an HacacPy ligand in a neighbouring strand in the c direction link the chains into layers in the (010) plane.     

A halide‐free pyridinium‐substituted η3‐cycloheptatrienide–Pd complex

We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel 4‐(dimethylamino)pyridinium‐substituted η³‐cycloheptatrienide–Pd complex which is free of halide ligands. Diacetonitrile{η³‐[4‐(dimethylamino)pyridinium‐1‐yl]cycloheptatrienido}palladium(II) bis(tetrafluoroborate), [Pd(C₂H₃N)₂(C₁₄H₁₆N₂)](BF₄)₂, was prepared by the exchange of two bromide ligands for noncoordinating anions, which results in the empty coordination sites being occupied by acetonitrile ligands. As described previously, exchange of only one bromide leads to a dimeric complex, di‐μ‐bromido‐bis({η³‐[4‐(dimethylamino)pyridinium‐1‐yl]cycloheptatrienido}palladium(II)) bis(tetrafluoroborate) acetonitrile disolvate, [Pd₂Br₂(C₁₄H₁₆N₂)₂](BF₄)₂·2CH₃CN, with bridging bromide ligands, and the crystal structure of this compound is also reported here. The structures of the cycloheptatrienide ligands of both complexes are analogous to the dibromide derivative, showing the allyl bond in the β‐position with respect to the pyridinium substituent. This indicates that, unlike a previous interpretation, the main reason for the formation of the β‐isomer cannot be internal hydrogen bonding between the cationic substituents and bromide ligands.     

The Quest for Mononuclear Gold(II) and Its Potential Role in Photocatalysis and Drug Action

The chemistry of gold strongly focuses on the ubiquitous oxidation states +I and +III. The intermediate oxidation state +II is generally avoided in mononuclear gold species. In recent years, gold(II) has been increasingly suggested as a key intermediate in artificial photosynthesis systems, with gold(III) moieties acting as electron acceptors, as well as in gold‐catalyzed photoredox catalysis and radical chemistry. This Minireview provides a concise summary of confirmed and characterized mononuclear open‐shell gold(II) complexes. Recent findings on structural motifs and reactivity patterns will be discussed. Exciting developments in the fields of photosynthesis, photocatalysis, and potential roles in medicinal chemistry will be outlined.     

Stabilization of High Oxidation State Upconversion Nanoparticles by N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes

The stabilization of high oxidation state nanoparticles by N‐heterocyclic carbenes is reported. Such nanoparticles represent an important subset in the field of nanoparticles, with different and more challenging requirements for suitable ligands compared to elemental metal nanoparticles. N‐Heterocyclic carbene coated NaYF₄:Yb,Tm upconversion nanoparticles were synthesized by a ligand‐exchange reaction from a well‐defined precursor. This new photoactive material was characterized in detail and employed in the activation of photoresponsive molecules by low‐intensity near‐infrared light (λ =980 nm).     

Complementary Lock‐and‐Key Ligand Binding of a Triplet Transmitter to a Nanocrystal Photosensitizer

Owing to the difficulty in comprehensively characterizing nanocrystal (NC) surfaces, clear guidance for ligand design is lacking. In this work, a series of bidentate bis(pyridine) anthracene isomers (2,3‐PyAn, 3,3‐PyAn, 2,2‐PyAn) that differ in their binding geometries were designed to find the best complementary fit to the NC surface. The efficiency of triplet energy transfer (TET) from the CdSe NC donor to a diphenylanthracene (DPA) acceptor mediated by these isomers was used as a proxy for the efficacy of orbital overlap and therefore ligand binding. 2,3‐PyAn, with an intramolecular N–N distance of 8.2 Å, provided the best match to the surface of CdSe NCs. When serving as a transmitter for photon upconversion, 2,3‐PyAn yielded the highest upconversion quantum yield (QY) of 12.1±1.3 %, followed by 3,3‐PyAn and 2,2‐PyAn. The TET quantum efficiencies determined by ultrafast transient absorption measurements showed the same trend.