A Reduced-Symmetry Heterobimetallic [PdPtL4]4+ Cage: Assembly,Guest Binding,and Stimulus-Induced Switching

A strategy is presented that enables the quantitative assembly of a heterobimetallic [PdPtL₄]⁴⁺ cage. The presence of two different metal ions (Pd^II and Pt^II) with differing labilities enables the cage to be opened and closed selectively at one end upon treatment with suitable stimuli. Combining an inert Pt^II tetrapyridylaldehyde complex with a suitably substituted pyridylamine and Pd^II ions led to the assembly of the cage. ¹H and DOSY NMR spectroscopy and ESI mass spectrometry data were consistent with the quantitative formation of the cage, and the heterobimetallic structure was confirmed using single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The structure of the host–guest adduct with a 2,6-diaminoanthraquinone guest molecule was determined. Addition of N,N′-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) resulted in the formation of the open-cage [PtL₄]²⁺ compound and [Pd(DMAP)₄]²⁺ complex. This process could then be reversed, with the reformation of the cage, upon addition of p-toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH).     

Guest Exchange Mechanisms in Mono‐Metallic PdII/PtII‐Cages Based on a Tetra‐Pyridyl Calix[4]pyrrole Ligand

Planar pyridyl N‐oxides are encapsulated in mono‐metallic Pd^II/Pt^II‐cages based on a tetra‐pyridyl calix[4]pyrrole ligand. The exchange dynamics of the cage complexes are slow on both the NMR chemical shift and EXSY timescales, but encapsulation of the guests by the cages is fast on the human timescale. A “French doors” mechanism, involving the rotation of the meso‐phenyl walls of the cages, allows the passage of the planar guests. The encapsulation of quinuclidine N‐oxide, a sterically more demanding guest, is slower than pyridyl N‐oxides in the Pd^II‐cage, and does not take place in the Pt^II counterpart. A modification of the encapsulation mechanism for the quinuclidine N‐oxide is postulated that requires the partial dissociation of the Pd^II‐cage. The substrate binding selectivity featured by the cages is related to their different guest uptake/release mechanisms.     

Solvent‐Dependent Self‐Assembly Behaviour and Speciation Control of Pd6L8 Metallo‐supramolecular Cages

The C₃‐symmetric chiral propylated host‐type ligands (±)‐tris(isonicotinoyl)‐tris(propyl)‐cyclotricatechylene ( L1 ) and (±)‐tris(4‐pyridyl‐4‐benzoxy)‐tris(propyl)‐cyclotricatechylene ( L2 ) self‐assemble with Pd^II into [Pd₆L₈]¹²⁺ metallo‐cages that resemble a stella octangula. The self‐assembly of the [Pd₆( L1 )₈]¹²⁺ cage is solvent‐dependent; broad NMR resonances and a disordered crystal structure indicate no chiral self‐sorting of the ligand enantiomers in DMSO solution, but sharp NMR resonances occur in MeCN or MeNO₂. The [Pd₆( L1 )₈]¹²⁺ cage is observed to be less favourable in the presence of additional ligand, than is its counterpart, where L=(±)‐tris(isonicotinoyl)cyclotriguaiacylene ( L1 a ). The stoichiometry of reactant mixtures and chemical triggers can be used to control formation of mixtures of homoleptic or heteroleptic [Pd₆L₈]¹²⁺ metallo‐cages where L= L1 and L1 a .     

Anticancer Potencies of PtII‐ and PdII‐linked M2L4 Coordination Capsules with Improved Selectivity

Pt^II‐ and Pd^II‐linked M₂L₄ coordination capsules, providing a confined cavity encircled by polyaromatic frameworks, exhibit anticancer activities superior to cisplatin against two types of leukemic cells (HL‐60 and SKW‐3) and pronounced toxicity against cisplatin‐resistant cells (HL‐60/CDDP). Notably, the cytotoxic selectivities of the Pt^II and Pd^II capsules toward cancerous cells are up to 5.3‐fold higher than that of cisplatin, as estimated through the non‐malignant/malignant‐cells toxicity ratio employing normal kidney cells (HEK‐293). In addition, the anticancer activity of the coordination capsules can be easily altered upon encapsulation of organic guest molecules.     

Self‐assembly and Cycling of a Three‐state PdxLy Metallosupramolecular System

The use of stimuli to induce reversible structural transformations in metallosupramolecular systems is of keen interest to chemists seeking to mimic the way that Nature effects conformational changes in biological machinery. While a wide array of stimuli have been deployed towards this end, stoichiometric changes have only been explored in a handful of examples. Furthermore, switching has generally been between only two distinct states. Here we use a simple 2‐(1‐(pyridine‐4‐methyl)‐1H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)pyridine “click” ligand in combination with Pd^II in various stoichiometries and concentrations to quantitatively access and cycle between three distinct species: a [PdL₂]²⁺ monomer, a [Pd₂L₂]⁴⁺ dimer, and a [Pd₉L₁₂]¹⁸⁺ cage.     

Recognition Properties and Self‐assembly of Planar [M(2‐pyridyl‐1,2,3‐triazole)2]2+ Metallo‐ligands

Molecular recognition continues to be an area of keen interest for supramolecular chemists. The investigated [M( L )₂]²⁺ metallo‐ligands (M=Pd^II, Pt^II, L =2‐(1‐(pyridine‐4‐methyl)‐1 H‐1,2,3‐triazol‐4‐yl)pyridine) form a planar cationic panel with vacant pyridyl binding sites. They interact with planar neutral aromatic guests through π–π and/or metallophilic interactions. In some cases, the metallo‐ligands also interacted in the solid state with Ag^I either through coordination to the pendant pyridyl arms, or through metal–metal interactions, forming coordination polymers. We have therefore developed a system that reliably recognises a planar electron‐rich guest in solution and in the solid state, and shows the potential to link the resultant host–guest adducts into extended solid‐state structures. The facile synthesis and ready functionalisation of 2‐pyridyl‐1,2,3‐triazole ligands through copper(I)‐catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) “click” chemistry should allow for ready tuning of the electronic properties of adducts formed from these systems.     

Stepwise Halide‐Triggered Double and Triple Catenation of Self‐Assembled Coordination Cages

A simple self‐assembled [Pd₂ L ₄] coordination cage consisting of four carbazole‐based ligands was found to dimerize into the interpenetrated double cage [3 X@Pd₄ L ₈] upon the addition of 1.5 equivalents of halide anions (X=Cl^?, Br^?). The halide anions serve as templates, as they are sandwiched by four Pd^II cations and occupy the three pockets of the entangled cage structure. The subsequent addition of larger amounts of the same halide triggers another structural conversion, now yielding a triply catenated link structure in which each Pd^II node is trans‐coordinated by two pyridine donors and two halide ligands. This simple system demonstrates how molecular complexity can increase upon a gradual change of the relative concentrations of reaction partners that are able to serve different structural roles.     

Desymmetrization of an Octahedral Coordination Complex Inside a Self‐Assembled Exoskeleton

The synthesis of a centrally functionalized, ribbon‐shaped [6]polynorbornane ligand L that self‐assembles with Pd^II cations into a {Pd₂ L ₄} coordination cage is reported. The shape‐persistent {Pd₂ L ₄} cage contains two axial cationic centers and an array of four equatorial H‐bond donors pointing directly towards the center of the cavity. This precisely defined supramolecular environment is complementary to the geometry of classic octahedral complexes [M(XY)₆] with six diatomic ligands. Very strong binding of [Pt(CN)₆]^2? to the cage was observed, with the structure of the host–guest complex {[Pt(CN)₆]@Pd₂L₄} supported by NMR spectroscopy, MS, and X‐ray data. The self‐assembled shell imprints its geometry on the encapsulated guest, and desymmetrization of the octahedral platinum species by the influence of the D_4h‐symmetric second coordination sphere was evidenced by IR spectroscopy. [Fe(CN)₆]^3? and square‐planar [Pt(CN)₄]^2? were strongly bound. Smaller octahedral anions such as [SiF₆]^2?, neutral carbonyl complexes ([M(CO)₆]; M=Cr, Mo, W) and the linear [Ag(CN)₂]^? anion were only weakly bound, showing that both size and charge match are key factors for high‐affinity binding.     

A one‐dimensional chloride‐bridged PtII/PtIV mixed‐valence complex with a 4‐[(4‐hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl]benzenesulfonate counter‐ion

The title compound, catena‐poly[[[bis(ethylenediamine‐κ²N,N′)platinum(II)]‐ μ‐chlorido‐[bis(ethylenediamine)platinum(IV)]‐μ‐chlorido] tetrakis{4‐[(4‐hydroxyphenyl)diazenyl]benzenesulfonate} dihydrate], {[Pt^IIPt^IVCl₂(C₂H₈N₂)₄](HOC₆H₄N=NC₆H₄SO₃)₄·2H₂O}_n, has a linear chain structure composed of square‐planar [Pt(en)₂]²⁺ (en is ethylenediamine) and elongated octahedral trans‐[PtCl₂(en)₂]²⁺ cations stacked alternately, bridged by Cl atoms, along the b axis. The Pt atoms are located on an inversion centre, while the Cl atoms are disordered over two sites and form a zigzag ...Cl—Pt^IV—Cl...Pt^II... chain, with a Pt^IV—Cl bond length of 2.3140 (14) Å, an interatomic Pt^II...Cl distance of 3.5969 (15) Å and a Pt^IV—Cl...Pt^II angle of 170.66 (6)°. The structural parameter indicating the mixed‐valence state of the Pt atom, expressed by δ = (Pt^IV—Cl)/(Pt^II...Cl), is 0.643.     

A one‐dimensional iodine‐bridged PtII/PtIV mixed‐valence complex,catena‐poly[[[bis­(ethyl­ene­diamine)­platinum(II)]‐μ‐iodo‐[bis­(ethyl­ene­di­amine)platinum(IV)]‐μ‐iodo] hydrogenphosphate dihydrogenphosphate iodide trihydrate]

The title compound, {[Pt^IIPt^IVI₂(C₂H₈N₂)₄](HPO₄)(H₂PO₄)I·3H₂O}_n, has a chain structure composed of square‐planar [Pt(en)₂]²⁺ and elongated octa­hedral trans‐[PtI₂(en)₂]²⁺ cations (en is ethyl­ene­diamine) stacked alternately along the c axis and bridged by the I atoms; a three‐dimensionally valence‐ordered system exists with respect to the Pt sites. The title compound also has a unique cyclic tetra­mer structure composed of two hydrogenphosphate and two dihydrogenphosphate ions connected by strong hydrogen bonds [O⋯O = 2.522 (10), 2.567 (10) and 2.569 (11) Å]. The Pt and I atoms form a zigzag ⋯I—Pt^IV—I⋯Pt^II⋯ chain, with Pt^IV—I bond distances of 2.6997 (7) and 2.6921 (7) Å, inter­atomic Pt^II⋯I distances of 3.3239 (8) and 3.2902 (7) Å, and Pt^IV—I⋯Pt^II angles of 154.52 (3) and 163.64 (3)°. The structural parameters indicating the mixed‐valence state of platinum, expressed by δ = (Pt^IV—I)/(Pt^II—I), are 0.812 and 0.818 for the two independent I atoms.     

Catenation and Aggregation of Multi‐Cavity Coordination Cages

A series of metal‐mediated cages, having multiple cavities, was synthesized from Pd^II cations and tris‐ or tetrakis‐monodentate bridging ligands and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X‐ray methods. The peanut‐shaped [Pd₃L¹₄] cage deriving from the tris‐monodentate ligand L¹ could be quantitatively converted into its interpenetrated [5Cl@Pd₆L¹₈] dimer featuring a linear {[Pd‐Cl‐]₅Pd} stack as an unprecedented structural motif upon addition of chloride anions. Small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments showed that the cigar‐shaped assembly with a length of 3.7 nm aggregates into mono‐layered discs of 14 nm diameter via solvophobic interactions between the hexyl sidechains. The hepta‐cationic [5Cl@Pd₆L¹₈] cage was found to interact with polyanionic oligonucleotide double‐strands under dissolution of the aggregates in water, rendering the compound class interesting for applications based on non‐covalent DNA binding.     

Chiral Self‐Discrimination and Guest Recognition in Helicene‐Based Coordination Cages

Chiral nanosized confinements play a major role for enantioselective recognition and reaction control in biological systems. Supramolecular self‐assembly gives access to artificial mimics with tunable sizes and properties. Herein, a new family of [Pd₂L₄] coordination cages based on a chiral [6]helicene backbone is introduced. A racemic mixture of the bis‐monodentate pyridyl ligand L¹ selectively assembles with Pd^II cations under chiral self‐discrimination to an achiral meso cage, cis‐[Pd₂ L^1P ₂ L^1M ₂]. Enantiopure L¹ forms homochiral cages [Pd₂ L^1P/M ₄]. A longer derivative L² forms chiral cages [Pd₂ L^2P/M ₄] with larger cavities, which bind optical isomers of chiral guests with different affinities. Owing to its distinct chiroptical properties, this cage can distinguish non‐chiral guests of different lengths, as they were found to squeeze or elongate the cavity under modulation of the helical pitch of the helicenes. The CD spectroscopic results were supported by ion mobility mass spectrometry.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Metal Complexes of 2‐Formylpyrrole‐4N‐ethylthiosemicarbazone (4 EL1) and 2‐Acetylpyrrole‐4N‐ethylthiosemicarbazone (4 EL2)

The reactions of ⁴N‐ethyl‐2‐[1‐(pyrrol‐2‐yl)methylidene(hydrazine carbothioamide ( 4 EL₁ ) and ⁴N‐ethyl‐2[1‐(pyrrol‐2‐yl)ethylidene(hydrazine carbothioamide ( 4 EL₂ ) with Group 12 metal halides afforded complexes of types [M(L)₂X₂] (M = Zn, Cd; L = 4 EL₁, 4 EL₂; X = Cl, Br, I; 1 – 6 , 14 – 19 ) and [M(L)X₂] (M = Hg; L = 4 EL₁, 4 EL₂; X = Cl, Br, I; 7 – 9 , 20 – 22 ). In addition, reaction of 4 EL₁ with salts of Cu^II, Ni^II, Pd^II and Pt^II afforded compounds of type [M(4 EL₁–H)₂] ( 10 – 13 ). The new compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, FAB mass spectrometry, IR and electronic spectroscopy and, for sufficiently soluble compounds, ¹H, ¹³C and, when appropriate, ¹¹³Cd or ¹⁹⁹Hg NMR spectrometry. The spectral data suggest that in their complexes with Group 12 metal cations, both thiosemicarbazones are neutral and S‐monodentate; and for [Zn(4 EL₁)₂I₂] ( 3 ), [Cd(4 EL₁)₂Br₂] ( 5 ) and [Hg(4 EL₁)Cl₂]₂ ( 7 ) this was confirmed by X‐ray diffractometry. By contrast, in its complexes with Cu^II and Group 10 metal cations, 4 EL₁ is monodeprotonated and S,N‐bidentate, as was confirmed by X‐ray diffractometry for [Ni(4 EL₁–H)₂] ( 11 ) and [Pd(4 EL₁–H)₂] ( 12 ).     

Self‐Assembly of Water‐Soluble Platinum(II)‐Based Metallacalixarenes and Tuning Their Conformational Interconversion via Synergistic Effects between Solvents and Anions

The aqueous self‐assembly of the flexible ligand L bis(1H‐benz[d]imidazole‐1‐yl)methane and cis‐coordinated Pt^II precursors [(en)Pt²⁺, (tmeda)Pt²⁺, en=ethylenediamine, tmeda=N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylethylenediamine)] led to the formation of the metallacalixarenes with full alternative conformations (e.g., two novel water‐soluble metallacalixarenes [M₂L₂]⁴⁺ and [M₃L₃]⁶⁺ with D₂ and D₃ symmetry, respectively). Their molecular structures were determined by single crystal X‐ray analyses in solid state. The two metallacalixarenes present different cavity sizes and the [M₃L₃]⁶⁺ cavity encapsulates one NO₃⁻. NOESY NMR revealed that the conformational interconversion between 1,3‐alternate conformer in methanol and cone conformer in DMSO was tuned via the synergistic effect between solvent and anion. Guest encapsulation is also discussed.     

Exploring the Effect of Surface Functionality on the Self‐Assembly of Polyoxopalladate Macroions

The solution behavior of the two polyoxo‐13‐palladates(II) ([Pd^II₁₃As^V₈O₃₄(OH)₆]^8? and [Pd^II₁₃(As^VPh)₈O₃₂]^6?) was studied in detail. We discovered that the countercation‐mediated attraction is the driving force for their self‐assembly into larger architectures. However, the presence of phenyl groups in the periphery of [Pd^II₁₃(As^VPh)₈O₃₂]^6? results in an enhanced attraction among these polyanions through hydrophobic interactions, which leads to completely different trends of assembly size for these two very similar clusters when decreasing solvent polarity. An increase of assembly size with increasing solvent polarity was observed for [Pd^II₁₃(As^VPh)₈O₃₂]^6?, whereas for [Pd^II₁₃As ^V₈O₃₄(OH)₆]^8? it was the opposite, due to the absence of hydrophobic interactions.     

Dynamic Open Coordination Cage from Nonsymmetrical Imidazole–Pyridine Ditopic Ligands for Turn‐On/Off Anion Binding

This work demonstrates a new nonconventional ligand design, imidazole/pyridine‐based nonsymmetrical ditopic ligands ( 1 and 1 ^S ), to construct a dynamic open coordination cage from nonsymmetrical building blocks. Upon complex formation with Pd²⁺ at a 1:4 molar ratio, 1 and 1 ^S initially form mononuclear PdL₄ complexes (Pd²⁺( 1 )₄ and Pd²⁺( 1 ^S )₄) without formation of a cage. The PdL₄ complexes undergo a stoichiometrically controlled structural transition to Pd₂L₄ open cages ((Pd²⁺)₂( 1 )₄ and (Pd²⁺)₂( 1 ^S )₄) capable of anion binding, leading to turn‐on anion binding. The structural transitions between the Pd₂L₄ open cage and the PdL₄ complex are reversible. Thus, stoichiometric addition (2 equiv) of free 1 ^S to the (Pd²⁺)₂( 1 ^S )₄ open cage holding a guest anion ((Pd²⁺)₂( 1 ^S )₄?G^?) enables the structural transition to the Pd²⁺( 1 ^S )₄ complex, which does not have a cage and thus causes the release of the guest anion (Pd²⁺( 1 ^S )₄+G^?).     

Solvolysis of palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes of asymmetric ligands: Synthesis and structural characterization of [Pd(AMP)(dmso)Cl]BF4 and [Pt(AMP)(dmso)Cl]ClO4

Treatment of [M(AMP)Cl₂] (M = Pt^II, Pd^II; AMP = 2-aminomethylpyridine) with 1 mole of AgX (X = ClO₄, BF₄, PF₆) in dmso yields [M(AMP)(dmso)Cl]X. Single crystal X-ray structure determinations of the Pd^II and Pt^II complexes indicate that dmso is S-bondedtrans to the pyridyl ring in both complexes. (2-Aminomethylpyridine)chloro(dimethylsulphoxide-S) palladium(II) tetrafluoroborate.     

Near‐Infrared‐III‐Absorbing and ‐Emitting Dyes: Energy‐Gap Engineering of Expanded Porphyrinoids via Metallation

The synthesis of organometallic complexes of modified 26π‐conjugated hexaphyrins with absorption and emission capabilities in the third near‐infrared region (NIR‐III) is described. Symmetry alteration of the frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) of bis‐Pd^II and bis‐Pt^II complexes of hexaphyrin via N‐confusion modification led to substantial metal d_π–p_π interactions. This MO mixing, in turn, resulted in a significantly narrower HOMO–LUMO energy gap. A remarkable long‐wavelength shift of the lowest S₀→S₁ absorption beyond 1700 nm was achieved with the bis‐Pt^II complex, t ‐Pt₂‐3 . The emergence of photoacoustic (PA) signals maximized at 1700 nm makes t ‐Pt₂‐3 potentially useful as a NIR‐III PA contrast agent. The rigid bis‐Pd^II complexes, t ‐Pd₂‐3 and c ‐Pd₂‐3 , are rare examples of NIR emitters beyond 1500 nm. The current study provides new insight into the design of stable, expanded porphyrinic dyes possessing NIR‐III‐emissive and photoacoustic‐response capabilities.     

Size‐Selective Encapsulation of Hydrophobic Guests by Self‐Assembled M4L6 Cobalt and Nickel Cages

Subtle differences in metal–ligand bond lengths between a series of [M₄L₆]^4? tetrahedral cages, where M=Fe^II, Co^II, or Ni^II, were observed to result in substantial differences in affinity for hydrophobic guests in water. Changing the metal ion from iron(II) to cobalt(II) or nickel(II) increases the size of the interior cavity of the cage and allows encapsulation of larger guest molecules. NMR spectroscopy was used to study the recognition properties of the iron(II) and cobalt(II) cages towards small hydrophobic guests in water, and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction was used to study the solid‐state complexes of the iron(II) and nickel(II) cages.     

A Tray‐Shaped,PdII‐Clipped Au3 Complex as a Scaffold for the Modular Assembly of [3×n] Au Ion Clusters

A tray‐shaped Pd^II₃Au^I₃ complex ( 1 ) is prepared from 3,5‐bis(3‐pyridyl)pyrazole by means of tricyclization with Au^I followed by Pd^II clipping. Tray 1 is an efficient scaffold for the modular assembly of [3×n] Au^I clusters. Treatment of 1 with the Au^I₃ tricyclic guest 2 in H₂O/CH₃CN (7:3) or H₂O results in the selective formation of a [3×2] cluster ( 1 ⋅ 2 ) or a [3×3] cluster ( 1 ⋅ 2 ⋅ 1 ), respectively. Upon subsequent addition of Ag^I ions, these complexes are converted to an unprecedented Au₃–Au₃–Ag–Au₃–Au₃ metal ion cluster.