Synthesis and characterization of mononuclear ruthenium(III) pyridylamine complexes and mechanistic insights into their catalytic alkane functionalization with m-chloroperbenzoic acid

A series of mononuclear RuIII complexes [RuCl2(L)]+, where L is tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) or one of four TPA derivatives as tetradentate ligand, were prepared and characterized by spectroscopic methods, X-ray crystallography, and electrochemical measurements. The geometry of a RuIII complex having a non-threefold-symmetric TPA ligand bearing one dimethylnicotinamide moiety was determined to show that the nicotine moiety resides trans to a pyridine group, but not to the chlorido ligand. The substituents of the TPA ligands were shown to regulate the redox potential of the ruthenium center, as indicated by a linear Hammett plot in the range of 200 mV for RuIII/RuIV couples with a relatively large rho value (+0.150). These complexes act as effective catalysts for alkane functionalization in acetonitrile with m-chloroperbenzoic acid (mCPBA) as terminal oxidant at room temperature. They exhibited fairly good reactivity for oxidation of cyclohexane (C--H bond energy 94 kcal mol(-1)), and the reactivity can be altered significantly by the electronic effects of substituents on TPA ligands in terms of initial rates and turnover numbers. Catalytic oxygenation of cyclohexane by a RuIII complex with 16O-mCPBA in the presence of H2 18O gave 18O-labeled cyclohexanol with 100% inclusion of the 18O atom from the water molecule. Resonance Raman spectra under catalytic conditions without the substrate indicate formation of a RuIV==O intermediate with lower bonding energy. Kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) in the oxidation of cyclohexane suggest that hydrogen abstraction is the rate-determining step and the KIE values depend on the substituents of the TPA ligands. Thus, the reaction mechanism of catalytic cyclohexane oxygenation depends on the electronic effects of the ligands.     

Antioxidant activity of the anti-inflammatory compound ebselen: a reversible cyclization pathway via selenenic and seleninic acid intermediates

A revised mechanism that accounts for the glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like catalytic activity of the organoselenium compound ebselen is described. It is shown that the reaction of ebselen with H(2)O(2) yields seleninic acid as the only oxidized product. The X-ray crystal structure of the seleninic acid shows that the selenium atom is involved in a noncovalent interaction with the carbonyl oxygen atom. In the presence of excess thiol, the Se--N bond in ebselen is readily cleaved by the thiol to produce the corresponding selenenyl sulfide. The selenenyl sulfide thus produced undergoes a disproportionation in the presence of H(2)O(2) to produce the diselenide, which upon reaction with H(2)O(2), produces a mixture of selenenic and seleninic acids. The addition of thiol to the mixture containing selenenic and seleninic acids leads to the formation of the selenenyl sulfide. When the concentration of the thiol is relatively low in the reaction mixture, the selenenic acid undergoes a rapid cyclization to produce ebselen. The seleninic acid, on the other hand, reacts with the diselenide to produce ebselen as the final product. DFT calculations show that the cyclization of selenenic acids to the corresponding selenenyl amides is more favored than that of sulfenic acids to the corresponding sulfenyl amides. This indicates that the regeneration of ebselen under a variety of conditions protects the selenium moiety from irreversible inactivation, which may be responsible for the biological activities of ebselen.     

Synthesis, structure, and glutathione peroxidase-like activity of amino acid containing ebselen analogues and diaryl diselenides

The synthesis of some ebselen analogues and diaryl diselenides, which have amino acid functions as an intramolecularly coordinating group (Se···O) has been achieved by the DCC coupling procedure. The reaction of 2,2'-diselanediylbis(5-tert-butylisophthalic acid) or the activated ester tetrakis(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) 2,2'-diselanediylbis(5-tert-butylisophthalate) with different C-protected amino acids (Gly, L-Phe, L-Ala, and L-Trp) afforded the corresponding ebselen analogues. The used precursor diselenides have been found to undergo facile intramolecular cyclization during the amide bond formation reaction. In contrast, the DCC coupling of 2,2'-diselanediyldibenzoic acid with C-protected amino acids (Gly, L/D-Ala and L-Phe) affords the corresponding amide derivatives and not the ebselen analogues. Some of the representative compounds have been structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like activities of the ebselen analogues and the diaryl diselenides have been evaluated by using the coupled reductase assay method. Intramolecularly stabilized ebselen analogues show slightly higher maximal velocity (V(max)) than ebselen. However, they do not show any GPx-like activity at low GSH concentrations at which ebselen and related diselenides are active. This could be attributed to the peroxide-mediated intramolecular cyclization of the corresponding selenenyl sulfide and diaryl diselenide intermediates generated during the catalytic cycle. Interestingly, the diaryl diselenides with alanine (L,L or D,D) amide moieties showed excellent catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(M)) with low K(M) values in comparison to the other compounds.     

Synthesis, characterization, and antioxidant activity of some ebselen analogues

Simple synthetic routes for several analogues of the anti-inflammatory organoselenium drug, ebselen, are described. The compounds are characterized by (1)H, (13)C, and (77)Se NMR spectroscopy and mass spectral techniques and, in some cases, by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidant activity has been studied by using H(2)O(2), tBuOOH, and Cum-OOH as substrates, and thiophenol (PhSH, 4-Me-C(6)H(4)SH) and glutathione (GSH) as cosubstrates. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on these systems to understand the effects of various substituents on the (77)Se NMR chemical shifts; these results have been compared with the experimental data. The experimental and theoretical results suggest that the presence of a phenyl substituent on the nitrogen atom is important for the antioxidant activity of ebselen. While ebselen and its analogues are poor catalysts in aromatic thiol assays, these compounds exhibit high GPx activity when GSH is used as the cosubstrate. The poor catalytic activity of ebselen analogues in the presence of aromatic thiols such as PhSH and 4-Me-C(6)H(4)SH can be ascribed to the undesired thiol exchange reaction that takes place at the selenium center due to SeO nonbonding interactions. To understand the effects of different peroxides on the catalytic activities, we have determined the initial rates at various concentrations of GSH and peroxides. These data suggest that the nature of peroxide has little effect on the catalytic efficiencies, although the initial reaction rates observed with hydrogen peroxide were found to be higher than that with tBuOOH and Cum-OOH. In contrast to the effect of peroxides, the nature of thiols appears to have a dramatic effect on the catalytic activity of ebselen and its related derivatives.     

PbO~2纳米粉体的固相合成及其对MnO~2电极材料的改性作用

利用固相氧化反应制备了PbO~2纳米粉体样品，借助XRD，TEM以及循环伏安测试对其性质进行了表征。同时，对反应条件的选择进行了讨论。将所得样品用于改性MnO~2电极，恒流放电测试结果表明，样品掺杂量在1.25%～5.00%间对MnO~2有良好的改性效果，可使改性MnO~2的放电容量得到极大提高。循环伏安测试结果表明，铅的掺入改变了MnO~2的放电机理。在循环扫描过程中，掺杂物与MnO~2均不再以单纯氧化物的形式存在，而是形成了一系列Pb(X)(X=0,Ⅱ)Mn(Y)(Y=Ⅳ，Ⅲ，Ⅱ)复合物的共氧化与共还原，抑制了电化学惰性物质Mn~3O~4的生成和积累，从而有望改善MnO~2的可充性能。纳米PbO~2与常粒径PbO~2与常粒径PbO~2(标记为S)对MnO~2的改性机理类似。但前者对MnO~2的改性效果明显优于后者，当恒流放电至-1.0V时，其放电容量较S样改性MnO~2的放电容量平均高出约30%。     

基于γ-环糊精的谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶模拟物的构建及催化作用

基于对天然谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)结构与功能的理解,我们利用超分子化学的方法和原理,选择γ-环糊精为骨架,通过引入催化基团硒或碲,设计并合成了7种基于γ-环糊精的新型谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)模拟物,并采用元素分析、红外光谱、核磁共振等手段对其结构进行了详细的表征和确认。运用GPX经典双酶体系法测定了它们的GPX活性,实验结果表明:6,6’双碲桥联γ-环糊精(6-diTe-γ-CD)表现出了最高的GPX活性,其催化GSH还原过氧化氢(H2O2)、叔丁基过氧化氢(t-BuOOH)和枯烯过氧化氢(CuOOH)的活力分别是传统小分子硒酶Ebselen的147.3、1897.9和663.9倍,该结果是目前报道的环糊精GPX模拟物中酶活力最高的。     

From allylic alcohols to aldols through a new nickel-mediated tandem reaction: synthetic and mechanistic studies

Nickel hydride type complexes have been successfully developed as catalysts for the tandem isomerization-aldolization reaction of allylic alcohols with aldehydes. Optimization of the reaction conditions has shown that a cocatalyst, such as MgBr2, has a very positive effect on the kinetics of the reaction and in the yields of aldols. Under such optimized conditions {[NiHCl(dppe)] + MgBr(2) at 3-5 mol %)}, this reaction affords the aldols in good to excellent yields. It is a full-atom-economy-type reaction that occurs under mild conditions. Furthermore, it has a broad scope for the allylic alcohols and it is compatible with a wide range of aldehydes, including very bulky derivatives. The reaction is completely regioselective, but it exhibits a low stereoselectivity, except for allylic alcohols with a bulky substituent at the carbinol center. The use of chiral nonracemic catalysts was not successful, affording only racemic compounds. However, it was possible to use asymmetric synthesis for the preparation of optically active aldols. Various mechanistic studies have been performed using, for instance, a deuterated alcohol or a deuterated catalyst. They gave strong support to a mechanism involving first a transition-metal-mediated isomerization of the allylic alcohol into the free enol, followed by the addition of the latter intermediate onto the aldehyde in an "hydroxyl-carbonyl-ene" type reaction. These results confirm that allylic alcohols can be considered as new and useful partners in the development of the aldol reaction.     

Some notes on the impedance method for mechanistic studies of electrode reactions

Conditions for obtaining high precision impedance data on electrochemical metal/electrolyte interfaces are discussed and some results pertaining to several electrode reactions presented. The importance of the dropping mercury electrode is stressed. Published in Elektrokhimiya in Russian, 2009, vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 28–31. Dedicated to Professor B.V. Ershler on the occasion of the Centenary of his birth. The text was submitted by author in English.     

Synthesis of new derivatized pyrazole based ligands and their catecholase activity studies

A synthesis of three new tripodal ligands: 3-[bis-(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-propan-1-ol L1, 3-[bis-(5-methyl-3-carbomethoxy-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-propan-1-ol, L2 and 3-[bis-(5-methyl-3-carboethoxy-pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)-amino]-propan-1-ol L3 is reported. The in situ-generated copper(II) complexes of three new compounds (L1–L3) were examined for their catalytic activities and were found to catalyse the oxidation reaction of catechol to o-quinone with the atmospheric dioxygen. These activities depend on the nature of the ligand and the copper salts.     

Penicillamine and captopril: mechanistic exploration of defensive actions of thiol drugs against a metal bound-superoxo complex

In acid-media ([H⁺] = 0.01–0.06 M), each of the thiol compounds, D-penicillamine (PEN, L_PH₂) and captopril (CAP, L_CH₂) exist in several proton-dependent forms which can reduce the superoxo complex [(en)(dien)Co^III(O₂)Co^III(en)(dien)]⁵⁺ (1) to the corresponding peroxo [(en)(dien)Co^III(O₂)Co^III(en)(dien)]⁴⁺ (2) or the hydroperoxo complex [(en)(dien)Co^III(OOH)Co^III(en)(dien)]⁵⁺ (3). The observed first-order rate constants, k_o,P and k_o,C for PEN and CAP increase with the increase in [T_PEN] and [T_CAP] (which are the analytical concentrations of the respective thiols) but decrease with the increase in the media-acidity ([H⁺]) and the media ionic strength (I). The protolytic equilibria in aqueous solution allow several potentially reducing forms to coexist for both PEN (L_PH₃⁺, L_PH₂, L_PH^?, and L_P^2?) and CAP (L_CH₂, L_CH^?, L_C^2?) but the kinetic analyses reveal that the order of reactivity for the species are L_PH₃⁺ ~ L_PH₂ <<< L_PH^? and L_CH₂ < L_CH^? <<< L_C^2?, respectively. The predominance and higher reactivities of the anionic species, L_PH^? and L_C^2? are supported by the negative slopes of the plots of k_o,P or k_o,C versus I. Moreover, a large value of k_H/k_D for PEN suggests an inner-sphere electroprotic reaction pathway while the absence of such effect for CAP strongly supports an outer-sphere electron transfer reaction. These propositions are supported by the structural features of L_PH^? and L_C^2?.     

Diphenic acid derivatives: Synthesis,reactions, and applications

This review describes the synthesis and reactions of simple diphenic acid derivatives and to highlight the effects of compounds containing the diphenic acid moiety in important applications.     

An efficient enzymatic synthesis of benzocispentacin and its new six- and seven-membered homologues

A very efficient enzymatic method was developed for the synthesis of new enantiomeric benzocispentacin and its six- and seven-membered homologues through the Lipolase (lipase B from Candida antarctica) catalyzed enantioselective (E > 200) ring opening of 3,4-benzo-6-azabicyclo[3.2.0]heptan-7-one, 4,5-benzo-7-azabicyclo[4.2.0]octan-8-one, and 5,6-benzo-8-azabicyclo[5.2.0]nonan-9-one with H2O in iPr2O at 60 degrees C. The (1R,2R)-beta-amino acids (ee > or = 96%, yields > or = 40%) and (1S,6S)-, (1S,7S)-, and (1S,8S)-beta-lactams (ee > 99%, yields > or = 44%) produced could be easily separated. The ring opening of racemic and enantiomeric beta-lactams with 18% HCl afforded the corresponding beta-amino acid hydrochlorides.     

系列纳米结构锰氧化物的水热合成

以KMnO₄为锰源、抗坏血酸(AA)为还原剂,采用水热法制备系列纳米结构锰氧化物。通过调节反应物的物质的量的比、水溶液的pH值、反应温度和反应时间,制备出了不同纳米结构的锰氧化物,包括Mn₃O₄纳米粒子、MnOOH、α-MnO₂和β-MnO₂纳米棒。采用XRD和TEM测试技术对合成产物进行了表征,同时对其反应机理进行了探讨。     

A simple and efficient strategy to enhance the antioxidant activities of amino-substituted glutathione peroxidase mimics

The glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities of some diaryl diselenides incorporating tertiary amino groups were studied with H(2)O(2), Cum-OOH, and tBuOOH as substrates and with PhSH as thiol co-substrate. Simple replacement of a hydrogen atom with a methoxy group dramatically enhances the GPx activity. The introduction of methoxy substituents ortho to selenium in N,N-dialkylbenzylamine-based compounds makes the basicity of the amino groups perfect for the catalysis. The presence of 6-OMe groups prevents possible SeN interactions in the selenols, increasing their zwitterionic characters. The methoxy substituents also protect the selenium in the selenenic acid intermediates from overoxidation to seleninic acids or irreversible inactivation to selenonic acid derivatives. The additional substituents also play a crucial role in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates, by preventing thiol exchange reactions-which would normally lead to an inactivation pathway-at the selenium centers. The strengths of SeN interactions in the selenenyl sulfide intermediates are dramatically reduced upon introduction of the methoxy substituents, which not only reduce the thiol exchange reactions at selenium but also enhance the nucleophilic attack of the incoming thiols at sulfur. The facile attack of thiols at sulfur in the selenenyl sulfides also prevents the reactions between the selenenyl sulfides and H(2)O(2) that can regenerate the selenenic acids (reverse-GPx cycle). These studies reveal that the simple 6-OMe groups play multiple roles in each of the catalytically active intermediates by introducing steric and electronic effects that are required for efficient catalysis.     

Theoretical mechanistic study on the radical-molecule reactions of cyanomethylidyne with PH3, H2S, and HCl

The cyanomethylidyne (CCN) has been the long-standing subject of extensive theoretical and experimental studies on its structures and spectroscopies. However, there are few investigations on its reactivity. Our very recent theoretical work indicated that even with the simplest methane, the CCN reaction faces almost zero barriers following the carbyne mechanism as CH does. This was suggestive of the powerfulness of the nonatomic and nonhydrogenated CCN radical in depleting old molecules and synthesizing new cyanogen-containing molecules in either combustion or interstellar processes. In this paper, a detailed mechanistic study at the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-311g(d,p) and G2M(CC1)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) computational levels is reported for the reactions of CCN with a series of sigma-bonded molecules of the second row H(n)X (X,n) = (P,3), (S,2), and (Cl,1). The carbenoid insertion is confirmed as the most favored entrance channel, forming H(n) (-1)XC(H)CN. Subsequently, H(n) (-1)XC(H)CN will predominantly lead to product H(n) (-2)XC(H)CN+H via the H-extrusion processes (except X = Cl). Yet, the CCN+HX (X = Cl) reaction is the exception because XC(H)CN intrinsically has no H-atoms at X for extrusion or migration. At G2M(CC1)//B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) computational level, ClC(H)CN can only dissociate back to the reactant or be stabilized with its isomers upon sufficient collisions or radiation. The carbyne character confirmed in this paper provides a useful base for future experimental and theoretical study on the chemistry of this nonatomic and nonhydrogenated reactive radical. In addition, interestingly, the complexes H(n)X-CCN (X,n) = (P,3) and (S,2) formed in the reactions are found not to be the simple (loosely bound) donor-accepter complexes as those formed in the CCN insertions into other hydrides (NH(3), H(2)O, HF, HCl).On the basis of the comparison with the qualitative features of typical ylides, H(3)P--CCN and H(2)S--CCN are considered to be similar to the ylides in nature, being "ylide-like radicals." They might be observed in some experiments, since they are in deep potential wells on the energy surface.     

Theoretical Aspects of a Surface Electrode Reaction Coupled with Preceding and Regenerative Chemical Steps: Square‐wave Voltammetry of a Surface CEC’ Mechanism

Large number of lipophilic substances, whose electrochemical transformation takes place from adsorbed state, belong to the class of so‐called “surface‐redox reactions”. Of these, especially important are the enzymatic redox reactions. With the technique named “protein‐film voltammetry” we can get insight into the chemical features of many lipophilic redox enzymes. Electrochemical processes of many redox adsorbates, occurring at a surface of working electrode, are very often coupled with chemical reactions. In this work, we focus on the application of square‐wave voltammetry (SWV) to study the theoretical features of a surface electrode reaction coupled with two chemical steps. The starting electroactive form Ox_(ads) in this mechanism gets initially generated via preceding chemical reaction. After undergoing redox transformation at the working electrode, Ox_(ads) species got additionally regenerated via chemical reaction of electrochemically generated product Red_(ads) with a given substrate Y. The theory of this so‐called surface CEC’ mechanism is presented for the first time under conditions of square‐wave voltammetry. While we present plenty of calculated voltammograms of this complex electrode mechanism, we focus on the effect of rate of regenerative (catalytic) step to simulated voltammograms. We consider both, electrochemical reactions featuring moderate and fast electron transfer. The obtained voltammetric patterns are very specific, having sometime hybrid‐like features of voltammograms as typical for CE, EC and EC’ mechanisms. We give diagnostic criteria to recognize this complex mechanism in SWV, but we also present hints to access the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters relevant to both chemical steps, and the electrochemical reaction, too. Indeed, the results presented in this work can help experimentalists to design proper experiments to study chemical features of important lipophilic systems.     

Visible‐Light Photoredox Catalysis: Direct Synthesis of Sulfonated Oxindoles from N‐Arylacrylamides and Arylsulfinic Acids by Means of a Cascade C−S/C−C Formation Process

A novel photocatalytic synthesis of sulfonated oxindoles from N‐arylacrylamides and arylsulfinic acids was developed by means of a cascade C?S/C?C bond‐formation process. This method provides mild, efficient, and atom‐economical access to various sulfonated oxindoles in water.