Simultaneous determination of NG‐monomethyl‐l‐arginine,NG,NG‐dimethyl‐l‐arginine,NG,NG′‐dimethyl‐l‐arginine,and l‐arginine using monolithic silica disk‐packed spin columns and a monolithic silica column

We have developed and validated a high‐performance liquid chromatography method that uses monolithic silica disk‐packed spin columns and a monolithic silica column for the simultaneous determination of N^G‐monomethyl‐l ‐arginine, N^G,N^G‐dimethyl‐l ‐arginine, and N^G,N^G′‐dimethyl‐l ‐arginine in human plasma. For solid‐phase extraction, our method employs a centrifugal spin column packed with monolithic silica bonded to propyl benzenesulfonic acid as a cation exchanger. After pretreatment, the methylated arginines are converted to fluorescent derivatives with 4‐fluoro‐7‐nitro‐2,1,3‐benzoxadiazole, and then the derivatives are separated on a monolithic silica column. l ‐Arginine concentration was also determined in diluted samples. Standard calibration curves revealed that the assay was linear in the concentration range 0.2–1.0 μM for methylated arginines and 40–200 μM for l ‐arginine. Linear regression of the calibration curve yielded equations with correlation coefficients of 0.999 (r²). The sensitivity was satisfactory, with a limit of detection ranging from 3.75 to 9.0 fmol for all four compounds. The RSDs were 4.3–4.8% (intraday) and 3.0–6.8% (interday). When this method was applied to samples from six healthy donors, the detected concentrations of N^G‐monomethyl‐l ‐arginine, N^G,N^G‐dimethyl‐l ‐arginine, N^G,N^G′‐dimethyl‐l ‐arginine and l ‐arginine were 0.05 ± 0.01, 0.41 ± 0.07, 0.59 ± 0.11, and 83.8 ± 30.43 μM (n = 6), respectively.     

A convenient method for the synthesis of N-hydroxyureas

Treatment of amines with 1-(4-nitrophenol)-N-(O-benzylhydroxy)carbamate yields the O-benzyl protected N-hydroxyureas. Hydrogenation of the O-benzyl protected N-hydroxyureas over 5% Pd/BaSO₄ cleanly gives the N-hydroxyureas in good yield. In addition to primary and secondary aliphatic and aromatic amines, this method converts amino sugars to the corresponding N-hydroxyureas without extensive protecting group chemistry.     

Resolution and quantification of arginine,monomethylarginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine,and symmetric dimethylarginine in plasma using HPLC with internal calibration

N^G,N^G‐dimethyl‐l ‐arginine (asymmetric dimethylarginine, ADMA),N^G‐monomethyl‐l ‐arginine (l ‐NMMA) and N^G,N^G’‐dimethyl‐l ‐arginine (symmetric dimethylarginine, SDMA) are released during hydrolysis of proteins containing methylated arginine residues. ADMA and l ‐NMMA inhibit nitric oxide synthase by competing with l ‐arginine substrate. All three methylarginine derivatives also inhibit arginine transport. To enable investigation of methylarginines in diseases involving impaired nitric oxide synthesis, we developed a high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay to simultaneously quantify arginine, ADMA, l ‐NMMA and SDMA. Our assay requires 12 μL of plasma and is ideal for applications where sample availability is limited. We extracted arginine and methylarginines with mixed‐mode cation‐exchange columns, using synthetic monoethyl‐l ‐arginine as an internal standard. Metabolites were derivatized with ortho‐phthaldialdeyhde and 3‐mercaptopropionic acid, separated by reverse‐phase HPLC and quantified with fluorescence detection. Standard curve linearity was ≥0.9995 for all metabolites. Inter‐day coefficient of variation (CV) values were ≤5% for arginine, ADMA and SDMA in human plasma and for arginine and ADMA in mouse plasma. The CV value for l ‐NMMA was higher in human (10.4%) and mouse (15.8%) plasma because concentrations were substantially lower than ADMA and SDMA. This assay provides unique advantages of small sample volume requirements, excellent separation of target metabolites from contaminants and validation for both human and mouse plasma samples. © 2015 The Authors Biomedical Chromatography published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis,Base Pairing,and Structural Transitions of Oligodeoxyribonucleotides Containing 8-Aza-2′-deoxyguanosine

The synthesis of oligonucleotides containing 8-aza-2′-deoxyguanosine (z⁸G_d; 1 ) or its N⁸-regioisomer z⁸G_d^* ( 2 ) instead of 2′-deoxyguanosine (G_d) is described. For this purpose, the NH₂ group of 1 and 2 was protected with a (dimethylamino)methylidene residue (→ 5, 6 ), a 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl group was introduced at 5′-OH (→ 7, 8 ), and the phosphonates 3a and 4 as well as the phosphoramidite 3b were prepared. These building blocks were used in solid-phase oligonucleotide synthesis. The oligonucleotides were characterized by enzymatic hydrolysis and melting curves (T_m values). The thermodynamic data of the oligomers 12–15 indicate that duplexes were stabilized when 1 was replacing G_d. The aggregation of d(T-G-G-G-G-T) ( 18 ) was studied by RP 18 HPLC, gel electrophoresis and CD spectroscopy and compared with that of oligonucleotides containing an increasing number of z⁸G_d residues instead of G_d. Similarly to [d(C-G)]₃ ( 12a ), the hexamer d(C-z⁸G-C-z⁸G-C-G) ( 14 ) underwent salt-dependent B-Z transition.     

An Expeditious Multigram‐Scale Synthesis of Lysine Dendrigraft (DGL) Polymers by Aqueous N‐Carboxyanhydride Polycondensation

The synthesis and characterisation of new arborescent architectures of poly(L ‐lysine), called lysine dendrigraft (DGL) polymers, are described. DGL polymers were prepared through a multiple‐generation scheme (up to generation 5) in a weakly acidic aqueous medium by polycondensing N^ε‐trifluoroacetyl‐L ‐lysine‐N‐carboxyanhydride (Lys(Tfa)‐NCA) onto the previous generation G(n?1) of DGL, which was used as a macroinitiator. The first generation employed spontaneous NCA polycondensation in water without a macroinitiator; this afforded low‐molecular‐weight, linear poly(L ‐lysine) G1 with a polymerisation degree of 8 and a polydispersity index of 1.2. The spontaneous precipitation of the growing N^ε‐Tfa‐protected polymer (GnP) ensures moderate control of the molecular weight (with unimodal distribution) and easy work‐up. The subsequent alkaline removal of Tfa protecting groups afforded generation Gn of DGL as a free form (with 35–60 % overall yield from NCA precursor, depending on the DGL generation) that was either used directly in the synthesis of the next generation (G(n+1)) or collected for other uses. Unprotected forms of DGL G1–G5 were characterised by size‐exclusion chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The latter technique allowed us to assess the branching density of DGL, the degree of which (ca. 25 %) turned out to be intermediate between previously described dendritic graft poly(L ‐lysines) and lysine dendrimers. An optimised monomer (NCA) versus macroinitiator (DGL G(n?1)) ratio allowed us to obtain unimodal molecular weight distributions with polydispersity indexes ranging from 1.3 to 1.5. Together with the possibility of reaching high molecular weights (with a polymerisation degree of ca. 1000 for G5) within a few synthetic steps, this synthetic route to DGL provides an easy, cost‐efficient, multigram‐scale access to dendritic polylysines with various potential applications in biology and in other domains.     

Studies on the Base-Pairing Properties of N7-(2-Deoxy-β-D-erythro-pentofuranosyl)guanine (N7Gd)

The base-pairing properties of N⁷-(2-deoxy-β-D -erythro-pentofuranosyl)guanine (N⁷G_d; 1 ) are investigated. The nucleoside 1 was obtained by nucleobase-anion glycosylation. The glycosylation reaction of various 6-alkoxy-purin-2-amines 3a - i with 2-deoxy-3,5-di-O-(4-toluoyl)-α-D -erythro-pentofuranosyl chloride ( 8 ) was studied. The N⁹/N⁷-glycosylation ratio was found to be 1:1 when 6-isopropoxypurin-2-amine ( 3d ) was used, whereas 6-(2-methoxyethoxy)purin-2-arnine ( 3i ) gave mainly the N⁹-nucleoside (2:1). Oligonucleotides containing compound 1 were prepared by solid-phase synthesis and hybridized with complementary strands having the four conventional nucleosides located opposite to N⁷G_d. According to T_m values and enthalpy data of duplex formation, a base pair between N⁷G_d and dG is suggested. From the possible N⁷G_d dG base pair motives, Hoogsteen pairing can be excluded as 7-deaza-2′-deoxyguanosine forms the same stable base pair with N⁷G_d as dG.     

Neusynthese des rinderinsulin-b-ketten-s-sulfonates

A novel synthesis of the bovine insulin B chain in the blocked form (7) applying N^im-Trt-, Cys-SEt-, N^G-H⊕- and Benzyl-protection in the residual positions is described starting from the partial fragments 1–4. By choice the deprotection is possible by HF, HBr/TFE with C₂H₅SH addition and also under special conditions by catalytic hydrogenolysis. HBr/TFE acidolysis and hydrogenolysis lead to the best resultates in respect to yield and homogeneity of the final product. Thus Bunte salts are received in good yield related to the protected B chain and with the same insulin forming potency as such of native provenience.     

The Overall Hyper-Wiener Index

The concept of overall connectivity of a graph G was extended here to the definition of the overall hyper-Wiener index OWW(G) of a graph G, defined as the sum of the hyper-Wiener indexes in all subgraphs of G, as well as the sum of eth-order terms, ^e OWW(G), with e being the number of edges in the subgraph. The potential usefulness of the overall hyper-Wiener index in QSAR/QSPR is evaluated by its correlation with a number of properties of C3-C8 alkanes and cycloalkanes.     

Reversible release of nitric oxide from an iron(II) nitrosyl complex containing a biomimetic S4N chelate. A facile release of nitric oxide

The release of NO by [Fe(NO)(Et₂NpyS₄)], where (Et₂NpyS₄)^2? = 2,6-bis(2-mercaptophenylthiomethyl)-4-substituted pyridine(2-), has been studied in the absence and presence of a trapping agent. The results show that [Fe(NO)(Et₂NpyS₄)] releases NO spontaneously in solution with a slow rate, k_-NO = 1.7 × 10^?4 s^?1 at 23 °C, in a reversible reaction. NO release becomes faster when the reaction intermediate [Fe(Et₂ NpyS₄)] was trapped by CO, thereby preventing the back reaction. The release of NO was studied as a function of CO concentration and temperature. The reported activation parameters, especially the positive activation entropy values for the release of NO, favor the operation of a dissociative interchange (I_d) mechanism. Thus, [Fe(NO)(Et₂NpyS₄)] can serve as a NO deliverer.     

Efficient Synthesis of a Styryl Analogue of (2S,3R,4E)‐N2‐Octadecanoyl‐4‐tetradecasphingenine via Cross‐Metathesis Reaction

The first total synthesis of sphingolipid (2S,3R,4E)‐N²‐octadecanoyl‐4‐tetradecasphingenine ( 1a ), a natural sphingolipid isolated from Bombycis Corpus 101A, and of its styryl analogue 1b was achieved in good overall yield (Schemes 1 and 2). The key step involved the installation with (E) stereoselectivity of a long lipophilic chain or phenyl group on allyl alcohol derivative 3 via a cross‐metathesis reaction (→ 5a or 5b ). The N‐Boc protected 3 was easily accessible from (S)‐Garner aldehyde.     

Nucleotides. Part XLVI. The synthesis of phospholipid conjugates of antivirally active nucleosides by the improved phosphoramidite methodology

The application of the improved phosphoramidite strategy for the synthese of oligonucleotides using β-eliminating protecting groups to phospholipid chemistry offers the possibility to synthesize phospholipid conjugates of AZT ( 6 ) and cordycepin. The synthesis of 3′-azido-3′-deoxythymidine ( 6 ) was achieved by a new isolation procedure without chromatographic purification steps in an overall yield of 50%. Protected cordycepin ( = 3′-de-oxyadenosine) derivatives, the N⁶,2′-bis[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethoxycarbonyl]cordycepin ( 12 ) and the N⁶,5′-bis[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethoxycarbonyl]cordycepin ( 13 ) wre prepared by known methods and direct acylation of N⁶-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethoxycarbonyl]cordycepin ( 9 ), respectively. These protected nucleosides and the 3′-azido-3′-de-oxythymidine ( 6 ) reacted with newly synthesized and properly characterized lipid-phosphoramidites 21–25 , catalyzed by 1H-tetrazole, to the corresponding nucleoside-phospholipid conjugates 26–38 in high yield. The deprotection was accomplished via β-elimination with 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) in aprotic solvents to give analytically pure nucleoside-phospholipid diesters 39–51 as triethylammonium or sodium salts. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental analyses and UV and ¹H-NMR spectra.     

The Thermal N9/N7 Isomerization of N2‐Acylated 2′‐Deoxyguanosine Derivatives in the Melt and in Solution

The protected 2′‐deoxyguanosine derivatives 5a – c undergo N⁹→N⁷ isomerization in the melt and in solution. The rate of isomerization is much faster than in the case of the corresponding ribonucleosides and occurs even in the absence of a catalyst. In the melt (195°, 2 min), the N²,3′‐O,5′‐O‐tris(4‐toluoyl) derivative 5b and the N²‐acetyl‐3′,5′‐bis‐O‐[(tert‐butyl)dimethylsilyl] derivative 5c gave anomeric mixtures of the N⁷‐isomers 9b / 10b (43%) and 9c / 10c (55%), respectively. In addition, the N⁹‐α‐D ‐anomers 8b and 8c were obtained. Different from 5b , the isomerization of peracetylated 5a resulted in low yields. Compound 5b was also prone to isomerization performed in solution (toluene, 100°, 5 min; chlorobenzene, 120°, 5 min), furnishing the N⁷‐regioisomers in 24–53% yield. The highest yield of the N⁹→N⁷ isomerization occurred in the presence of 2‐deoxy‐3,5‐di‐O‐(4‐toluoyl)‐α‐D ‐erythro‐pentofuranosyl chloride.     

Phosphoramidites of Chiral (Rp)-and (Sp)-Configurated d(T[P-18O]-A): Synthesis,Configurational Assignment,and Use as Dimer Blocks in Oligonucleotide Synthesis

The N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidites 10a and 10b of appropriately protected chiral diastereoisomers of d(T[P-¹⁸O]-A) ( 8a and 8b , resp.), chiral by virtue of the isotope ¹⁸O at the P-atom, have been synthesized. The ¹⁸O-isotope was incorporated by oxidation of the phosphite triester 3 with H₂[¹⁸O]/I₂. Separation of the diastereoisomers was accomplished by flash chromatography of the O-3′-deprotected phosphate triesters 5a/b . The absolute configuration at the chiral P-atom was deduced from the methylation products of the fully deprotected diastereoisomers 8a and 8b . Phosphinylation of 5a and 5b yielded the configurationally pure phosphoramidites 10a and 10b , respectively, which were then employed in solid-phase synthesis to yield the self-complementary oligomers d(G-A-G-T-(R_p)-[P-¹⁸O]-A-C-T-C) ( 13 ) and d(G-A-G-T-(S_P)-[P-¹⁸O]-A-C-T-C) ( 14 ), respectively.     

The Synthesis of 1,4‐Bis[N‐(4/6‐Substituted Benzothiazole‐2‐yl)‐N′‐Glycosylguanidino]Benzenes

The starting material O‐protected glycosyl isothiocyanate ( 1?3 ) was refluxed with 1,4‐diaminobenzene in CHCl₃ under nitrogen atmosphere to give 1,4‐bis(N‐glycosyl)thioureidobenzene ( 4?6 ). Then 1,4‐bis[N‐(4/6‐substituted benzothiazole‐2‐yl)‐N′‐glycosylguanidino]benzenes ( 8a?8e , 9a?9e , 10a?10e ) were obtained in good yield by reaction of compounds ( 4?6 ) with 2‐amino‐4/6‐benzothizoles ( 7a?7e ) and HgCl₂ in the presence of TEA in DMF. The structures of all 18 new compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, LC‐MS and elemental analysis. The bioactivity of anti‐HIV‐1 protease (HIV‐1 PR) and against angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) have been evaluated.     

Synthesis of 2′‐O‐[(Triisopropylsilyl)oxy]methyl (= tom)‐Protected Ribonucleoside Phosphoramidites Containing Various Nucleobase Analogues

The first results of a study aiming at an efficient preparation of a large variety of 2′‐O‐[(triisopropylsilyl)oxy]methyl(= tom)‐protected ribonucleoside phosphoramidite building blocks containing modified nucleobases are reported. All of the here presented nucleosides have already been incorporated into RNA sequences by several other groups, employing 2′‐O‐tbdms‐ or 2′‐O‐tom‐protected phosphoramidite building blocks (tbdms = (tert‐butyl)dimethylsilyl). We now optimized existing reactions, developed some new and shorter synthetic strategies, and sometimes introduced other nucleobase‐protecting groups. The 2′‐O‐tom, 5′‐O‐(dimethoxytrityl)‐protected ribonucleosides N²‐acetylisocytidine 5 , O²‐(diphenylcarbamoyl)‐N⁶‐isobutyrylisoguanosine 8 , N⁶‐isobutyryl‐N²‐(methoxyacetyl)purine‐2,6‐diamine ribonucleoside (= N⁸‐isobutyryl‐2‐[(methoxyacetyl)amino]adenosine) 11 , 5‐methyluridine 13 , and 5,6‐dihydrouridine 15 were prepared by first introducing the nucleobase protecting groups and the dimethoxytrityl group, respectively, followed by the 2′‐O‐tom group (Scheme 1). The other presented 2′‐O‐tom, 5′‐O‐(dimethoxytrityl)‐protected ribonucleosides inosine 17 , 1‐methylinosine 18 , N⁶‐isopent‐2‐enyladenosine 21 , N⁶‐methyladenosine 22 , N⁶,N⁶‐dimethyladenosine 23 , 1‐methylguanosine 25 , N²‐methylguanosine 27 , N²,N²‐dimethylguanosine 29 , N⁶‐(chloroacetyl)‐1‐methyladenosine 32 , N⁶‐{{{(1S,2R)‐2‐{[(tert‐butyl)dimethylsilyl]oxy}‐1‐{[2‐(4‐nitrophenyl)ethoxy]carbonyl}propyl}amino}carbonyl}}adenosine 34 (derived from L ‐threonine) and N⁴‐acetyl‐5‐methylcytidine 36 were prepared by nucleobase transformation reactions from standard, already 2′‐O‐tom‐protected ribonucleosides (Schemes 2–4). Finally, all these nucleosides were transformed into the corresponding phosphoramidites 37 – 52 (Scheme 5), which are fully compatible with the assembly and deprotection conditions for standard RNA synthesis based on 2′‐O‐tom‐protected monomeric building blocks.     

Reductive Dephthalimidation: A Mild and Efficient Method for The N-Phthaumido Deprotection During Ougosaccharide Synthesis

Abstract

Synthesis of biologically active oligosaccharides, haptens and their protein conjugates is a major area of interest because of their role in antigen-antibody interaction and receptor effects¹. A number of these molecules contain α-or β-linked 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc) moieties. Most commonly, during the oligosaccharide synthesis, introduction of the β-glycosidically linked GlcNAc residue is achieved by either the oxazoline² or the phthalimido method³. Of these, the latter is preferred because 2-N-phthalimido protected glycosamine units having a halogen or a thioalkyl group at C-1 have consistently proved to be more efficient donors than are the oxazolines. However, time and again, subsequent conversion of the N-phthalimido to amine by hydrazinolysis has proved inadequate. This has often resulted in a poor overall yield after an otherwise efficient synthesis. Recently it was shown that the phthalimido function could be removed under mild conditions from a number of amino acids⁴. We now report that this technique can be efficiently used for the deprotection of the phthalimido function in suitably protected carbohydrate compounds (2,3 and 5).     

Synthesis of Long‐Chain 3‐Alkylpyrroles Bearing Terminal Carboxy or Amino Groups

Two new ω‐(1H‐pyrrol‐3‐yl)alkanoic acids 8a , b and the corresponding amines 9a , b were prepared on large scale in 41–51 and 27–39% overall yield, respectively, starting from N‐phenylsulfonyl‐protected pyrrole. The target compounds contain the desired functional groups for attachment of biomolecules such as proteins. During synthesis, an unprecedented partial reduction of the pyrrole ring with NaBH₃CN in glacial AcOH was observed, for which a plausible mechanism is proposed (Scheme 3).     

An ab initio study of an oxidative mechanism that forms nitric oxide from theN-hydroxyguanidinium ion

The free-radical nitric oxide is now considered to play an important role in mammalian physiology and pathology. Enzymatic studies have shown that nitric oxide biosynthesis is initiated by an NADPH-dependentN-hydroxlation ofl-arginine, formingN -hydroxy-l-arginine as an intermediate. However, the subsequent enzymatic steps that generate nitric oxide fromN -hydroxy-l-arginine are unknown. We have used ab initio quantum chemical calculations to investigate a mechanism that forms nitric oxide fromN-hydroxyguanidine, used as a model forN -hydroxy-l-arginine. Our calculations indicate that mechanisms of nitric oxide formation involving nucleophilic attack by hydroperoxy anion at theN-hydroxyguanidine carbon are energetically feasible.     

Mononitrosyl‐ und trans‐Dinitrosyl‐Komplexe von Phthalocyaninaten des Mangans und Rheniums

Mononitrosyl and trans ‐Dinitrosyl Complexes of Phthalocyaninates of Manganese and Rhenium Tetra(n‐butyl)ammonium or di(triphenylphosphane)iminium nitrosylacidophthalocyaninato(2–)manganate, (cat)[Mn(NO)(X)pc^2–] (X = ONO, NCO, N₃; cat = ⁿBu₄N, PNP) is prepared from acidophthalocyaninato(2–)manganese, [Mn(X)pc^2–], (cat)NO₂ and (ⁿBu₄N)BH₄ in CH₂Cl₂ or from nitrosylphthalocyaninato(2–)manganese, [Mn(NO)pc^2–] and (ⁿBu₄N)X (X = ONO, NCO, N₃, NCS) at T < 120 °C, respectively. [Mn(NO)(X)pc^2–]^– dissociates in methanol, and [Mn(NO)pc^2–] precipitates. Nitrito(O)phthalocyaninato(2–)manganese, (cat)NO₂ and hydrogensulfide yield trans‐di(nitrosyl)phthalocyaninato(2–)manganate, ^trans[Mn(NO)₂pc^2–]^–, isolated as red violet (PNP) and (ⁿBu₄N) complex salt. Nitrosyl(triphenylphosphane oxide)phthalocyaninato(2–)manganese, [Mn(NO)(OPPh₃)pc^2–] is obtained by addition of OPPh₃ to [Mn(NO)pc^2–] at 200 °C. Di(triphenylphosphane)phthalocyaninato(2–)rhenium(II) and (PNP)NO₂ in CH₂Cl₂ or in molten (PNP)NO₂ and PPh₃ at 100 °C yields green blue l‐di(triphenylphosphane)iminium nitrosylnitrito(O)phthalocyaninato(2–)rhenate, ^l(PNP)[Re(NO)(ONO)pc^2–]. Similarly, but with (ⁿBu₄N)NO₂ red plates of tetra‐(n‐butyl)ammonium trans‐di(nitrosyl)phthalocyaninato(2–)rhenate, (ⁿBu₄N)^trans[Re(NO)₂pc^2–] is isolated. Addition of (PNP)Br or (PNP)PF₆ to a concentrated solution of (ⁿBu₄N)^trans[Re(NO)₂pc^2–] in pyridine precipitates ^l(PNP)^trans[Re(NO)₂pc^2–]. (ⁿBu₄N)^trans[Re(NO)₂pc^2–] and PPh₃ at 300 °C yield blue green nitrosyl(triphenylphosphane oxide)phthalocyaninato(2–)‐ rhenium, [Re(NO)(OPPh₃)pc^2–], that is oxidised with iodine precipitating nitrosyl(triphenylphosphane oxide)phthalocyaninato(2–)rhenium triiodide, [Re(NO)(OPPh₃)pc^2–]I₃. The crystal structures of ^l(PNP)[Mn(NO)(ONO)pc^2–] ( 1 ), ^l(PNP)‐ [Mn(NO)(NCO)pc^2–] ( 2 ), ^l(PNP)^trans[Mn(NO)₂pc^2–] ( 3 ), ^l(PNP)^trans[Re(NO)₂pc^2–] ( 4 ) [Mn(NO)(OPPh₃)pc^2–] ( 5 ), [Re(NO)(OPPh₃)pc^2–] ( 6 ), and [Re(NO)(OPPh₃)pc^2–]I₃ · CH₂Cl₂ ( 7 ) have been determined. The M–N(NO) distance varies between 1.623(12) Å in 5 and 1.846(3) Å in 3 . The M–N–O moiety is almost linear. The UV‐Vis spectra with the B band at ca. 14500 cm^–1and the Q band at 30400 cm^–1 do not dependent significantly on the axial ligand and the metal atom and its oxidation state. N–O stretching vibrations are observed in the IR spectra between 1701 cm^–1 in 3 and 1753 cm^–1 in [Mn(NO)pc^2–] or for the Re series between 1571 cm^–1 in 4 and 1724 cm^–1 in 7 . M–N(NO) stretching and M–N–O deformation vibrations are assigned in the IR spectra and resonance Raman spectra between 486 cm^–1 in 4 and 620 cm^–1 in 1 .     

Understanding the Deactivation Pathways of Iridium(III) Pyridine-Carboxiamide Catalysts for Formic Acid Dehydrogenation

The degradation pathways of highly active [Cp*Ir(κ²-N,N-R-pica)Cl] catalysts (pica=picolinamidate; 1 R=H, 2 R=Me) for formic acid (FA) dehydrogenation were investigated by NMR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Under acidic conditions (1 equiv. of HNO₃), 2 undergoes partial protonation of the amide moiety, inducing rapid κ²-N,N to κ²-N,O ligand isomerization. Consistently, DFT modeling on the simpler complex 1 showed that the κ²-N,N key intermediate of FA dehydrogenation ( I_NH ), bearing a N-protonated pica, can easily transform into the κ²-N,O analogue ( I_NH2 ; ΔG^≠≈11 kcal mol⁻¹, ΔG ≈−5 kcal mol⁻¹). Intramolecular hydrogen liberation from I_NH2 is predicted to be rather prohibitive (ΔG^≠≈26 kcal mol⁻¹, ΔG≈23 kcal mol⁻¹), indicating that FA dehydrogenation should involve mostly κ²-N,N intermediates, at least at relatively high pH. Under FA dehydrogenation conditions, 2 was progressively consumed, and the vast majority of the Ir centers (58 %) were eventually found in the form of Cp*-complexes with a pyridine-amine ligand. This likely derived from hydrogenation of the pyridine-carboxiamide via a hemiaminal intermediate, which could also be detected. Clear evidence for ligand hydrogenation being the main degradation pathway also for 1 was obtained, as further confirmed by spectroscopic and catalytic tests on the independently synthesized degradation product 1 c . DFT calculations confirmed that this side reaction is kinetically and thermodynamically accessible.