The origin of the stereochemically active Pb(II) lone pair: DFT calculations on PbO and PbS

The concept of a chemically inert but stereochemically active 6s² lone pair is commonly associated with Pb(II). We have performed density functional theory calculations on PbO and PbS in both the rocksalt and litharge structures which show anion dependence of the stereochemically active lone pair. PbO is more stable in litharge while PbS is not, and adopts the symmetric rocksalt structure showing no lone pair activity. Analysis of the electron density, density of states and crystal orbital overlap populations shows that the asymmetric electron density formed by Pb(II) is a direct result of anion-cation interactions. The formation has a strong dependence on the electronic states of the anion and while oxygen has the states required for interaction with Pb 6s, sulphur does not. This explains for the first time why PbO forms distorted structures and possesses an asymmetric density and PbS forms symmetric structures with no lone pair activity. This analysis shows that distorted Pb(II) structures are not the result of chemically inert, sterically active lone pairs, but instead result from asymmetric electron densities that rely on direct electronic interaction with the coordinated anions.     

Sonochemical synthesis and structural characterization of a nano-structure Pb(II) benzentricarboxylate coordination polymer: new precursor to pure phase nanoparticles of Pb(II) oxide

Microcrystals of a new Pb(II) coordination polymer, [Pb₂(1,3,5-HBTC)₂(H₂O)₄] · H₂O (1) (1,3,5-H₃BTC = 1,3,5-benzentricarboxylic acid), was synthesized by a sonochemical method. The structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, elemental analyses, and IR spectroscopy. Thermal stability was studied by thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analyses. After the calcination of nanosized 1 at 400°C, pure phase nanosized Pb(II) oxide has been produced.     

Influence of the anion on lone pair formation in Sn(II) monochalcogenides: a DFT study

The electronic structure of SnO, SnS, SnSe, and SnTe in the rocksalt, litharge, and herzenbergite structures has been calculated using density functional theory. Comparison of the distorted and undistorted structures allows for an explanation of the unusual experimentally observed structural transitions seen along the Sn(II) monochalcogenides. Analysis of the electronic structure shows a strong anion dependence of the Sn(II) lone pair, with the Sn(5s) and Sn(5p) states too far apart to couple directly. However, the interaction of Sn(5s) with anion states of appropriate energy produce a filled antibonding Sn(5s)-anion p combination which allows coupling of Sn(5s) and Sn(5p) to occur, resulting in a sterically active asymmetric density on Sn. While the interaction between Sn(5s) and O(2p) is strong, interactions of Sn with S, Se, and Te become gradually weaker, resulting in less high energy 5s states and hence weaker lone pairs. The stability of the distorted structures relative to the symmetric structures of higher coordination is thereby reduced, which induces the change from highly distorted litharge SnO to highly symmetric rocksalt SnTe seen along the series.     

Mixed ligand cobalt(II) picolinate complexes: synthesis, characterization, DNA binding and photocleavage

Complexes of the type [Co(pic)(2)(NN)], where pic = picolinate, NN = dipyrido[3,2-d:2',3'-f]quinoxaline (dpq) (4) and 4b,5,7,7a-tetrahydro-4b,7a-epiminomethanoimino-6H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]-phenanthroline-6,13-dione (bipyridyl-glycoluril) (bpg) (6) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-vis, NMR and ESI-MS spectroscopy and thermogravimetic analysis (TGA). Their physicochemical properties are compared with previously synthesized complexes, where NN = (H(2)O)(2) (1), 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) (2), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) (3) and dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (dppz) (5). The crystal structures of the complexes 4-6 were solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complexes 4 and 5 crystallize from a mixture of chloroform and methanol in monoclinic and orthorhombic crystal systems, respectively, whereas complex 6 crystallizes from dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in a tetragonal crystal system. The coordination sphere consists of two oxygen atoms and two nitrogen atoms from the two picolinates and two nitrogen atoms from the dpq, dppz or bpg ligand, respectively. Co(ii)/Co(iii) oxidation potentials have been determined by cyclic voltammetry. The DNA binding of complexes 1-5 has been investigated using thermal melting, fluorescence quenching and viscosity measurements, which indicate the partial intercalation of complex 5 with an apparent binding constant (k(app)) of 8.3 × 10(5) M(-1). DNA cleavage studies of complexes 1-5 have been investigated using gel electrophoresis in the presence of H(2)O(2) as an oxidizing agent and also by photoirradiation at 365 nm. The mechanistic investigations suggest that singlet oxygen ((1)O(2)) is the major species involved in the DNA cleavage by these complexes. The structures of complexes 2-6 were optimized with density functional theory (DFT) method (B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)). The low vertical ionization potential values indicate photoredox pathways for the DNA cleavage activity by complexes 4 and 5, which is corroborated by DNA cleavage experiments.     

Synthesis, characterization and structural analysis of new copper(II) complexes incorporating a pyridoxal-semicarbazone ligand

The reaction between 3-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methyl-4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde semicarbazone (pyridoxal-semicarbazone or PLSC) and appropriate chloride, sulfate, nitrate or thiocyanate Cu(II) salts in water/alcohol mixtures resulted in the formation of new copper(II) complexes: [Cu(PLSC)Cl₂] (1), [Cu(PLSC)(H₂O)(SO₄)]₂·3H₂O (2), [Cu₂(PLSC)₂(NCS)₂](NCS)₂ (3), [Cu(PLSC)(NO₃)₂(CH₃OH)] (4) and [Cu(PLSC-2H]NH₃·H₂O (5). The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, conductometric measurements and IR spectroscopy, while complexes 1, 2, 3 and 4 were further characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction.     

A new mixed ligand coordination polymer of Mn(II): structural aspect and cryomagnetic study

A new 1-D polymeric chain complex [Mn(pydc)(1,10-phen)]_n· nH₂O (pydc = pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylate, 1,10-phen = 1,10-phenanthroline) has been synthesised and characterised by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectrum, thermal analysis and variable temperature magnetic susceptibility studies. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study reveals that the central Mn(II) ion is in a distorted octahedral coordination geometry, and is coordinated to pydc and 1,10-phen. The complex shows interesting hydrogen bond modes involving the dicarboxylates and lattice water molecules. The presence of weak antiferromagnetic coupling with J = −0.72 cm⁻¹ for the complex has been concluded from the cryomagnetic susceptibility studies.     

Synthesis and characterization of some new Pb(II), Mn(II) and Ag(I) complexes with a pentaaza macrocyclic ligand containing a piperazine moiety

A pentaaza (N₅) 17-membered macrocyclic ligand (L) has been synthesized and its coordination capability toward perchlorate or nitrate salts of Mn(II), Pb(II) and Ag(I) has been investigated. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, FAB mass spectrometry, magnetic studies, conductivity measurements, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of [PbL](ClO₄)₂ has been determined and it shows the presence of a mononuclear complex, with the Pb(II) ion coordinated to the five N donor atoms of the ligand in a hemidirected structure with the presence of a stereochemically active lone pair of electrons on the Pb(II) ion.     

Femtomolar Zn(II) affinity in a peptide-based ligand designed to model thiolate-rich metalloprotein active sites

Metal-ligand interactions are critical components of metalloprotein assembly, folding, stability, electrochemistry, and catalytic function. Research over the past 3 decades on the interaction of metals with peptide and protein ligands has progressed from the characterization of amino acid-metal and polypeptide-metal complexes to the design of folded protein scaffolds containing multiple metal cofactors. De novo metalloprotein design has emerged as a valuable tool both for the modular synthesis of these complex metalloproteins and for revealing the fundamental tenets of metalloprotein structure-function relationships. Our research has focused on using the coordination chemistry of de novo designed metalloproteins to probe the interactions of metal cofactors with protein ligands relevant to biological phenomena. Herein, we present a detailed thermodynamic analysis of Fe(II), Co(II), Zn(II), and[4Fe-4S]2(+/+) binding to IGA, a 16 amino acid peptide ligand containing four cysteine residues, H2N-KLCEGG-CIGCGAC-GGW-CONH2. These studies were conducted to delineate the inherent metal-ion preferences of this unfolded tetrathiolate peptide ligand as well as to evaluate the role of the solution pH on metal-peptide complex speciation. The [4Fe-4S]2(+/+)-IGA complex is both an excellent peptide-based synthetic analogue for natural ferredoxins and is flexible enough to accommodate mononuclear metal-ion binding. Incorporation of a single ferrous ion provides the FeII-IGA complex, a spectroscopic model of a reduced rubredoxin active site that possesses limited stability in aqueous buffers. As expected based on the Irving-Williams series and hard-soft acid-base theory, the Co(II) and Zn(II) complexes of IGA are significantly more stable than the Fe(II) complex. Direct proton competition experiments, coupled with determinations of the conditional dissociation constants over a range of pH values, fully define the thermodynamic stabilities and speciation of each MII-IGA complex. The data demonstrate that FeII-IGA and CoII-IGA have formation constant values of 5.0 x 10(8) and 4.2 x 10(11) M-1, which are highly attenuated at physiological pH values. The data also evince that the formation constant for ZnII-IGA is 8.0 x 10(15) M-1, a value that exceeds the tightest natural protein Zn(II)-binding affinities. The formation constant demonstrates that the metal-ligand binding energy of a ZnII(S-Cys)4 site can stabilize a metalloprotein by -21.6 kcal/mol. Rigorous thermodynamic analyses such as those demonstrated here are critical to current research efforts in metalloprotein design, metal-induced protein folding, and metal-ion trafficking.     

Relating structural aspects of bimetallic Pt(3)Cr(1)/C nanoparticles to their electrocatalytic activity, stability, and selectivity in the oxygen reduction reaction

Two methods were used to prepare bimetallic Pt(3)Cr(1)/C nanocatalysts with similar composition but different alloying extent (structure). We investigated how these differences in alloying extent affect the catalytic activity, stability and selectivity in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). One method, based on slow thermal decomposition of the Cr precursor at a rate that matches that of chemical reduction of the Pt precursor, allows fine control of the composition of the Pt(3)Cr(1)/C alloy, whereas the second approach, using the ethylene glycol method, results in considerable deviation (>25 %) from the projected composition. Consequently, these two methods lead to variations in the alloying extent that strongly influence the Pt d-band vacancy and the Pt electroactive surface area (Pt ESCA). This relationship was systematically evaluated by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy, and electrochemical analysis. The ORR activity depends on two effects that nullify each other, namely, the number of active Pt sites and their activity. The Pt-site activity is more dominant in governing the ORR activity. The selectivity of the nanocatalyst towards the ORR and the competitive methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) depend on these two effects acting in cooperation to give enhanced ORR activity with suppressed MOR. The number of active Pt sites is associated with the Pt ESCA value, while Pt-site activity is associated with the alloying extent and Pt d-band vacancy (electronic) effects. The presence of Cr atoms in Pt(3)Cr(1)/C enhances stability during electrochemical treatment. Overall, the Pt(3)Cr(1)/C catalyst prepared by controlled-composition synthesis was shown to be superior in ORR activity, selectivity and stability owing to its favorable alloying extent, Pt d-band vacancy, and Pt ESCA.     

Removal of Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) by adsorption onto natural clay: a kinetic and thermodynamic study

In this work, we study the elimination of three bivalent metal ions (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺) by adsorption onto natural illitic clay (AM) collected from Marrakech region in Morocco. The characterization of the adsorbent was carried out by X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The influence of physicochemical parameters on the clay adsorption capacity for ions Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Pb²⁺, namely the adsorbent dose, the contact time, the initial pH imposed on the aqueous solution, the initial concentration of the metal solution and the temperature, was studied. The adsorption process is evaluated by different kinetic models such as the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and Elovich. The adsorption mechanism was determined by the use of adsorption isotherms such as Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models. Experiments have shown that heavy metals adsorption kinetics onto clay follows the same order, the pseudo-second order. The isotherms of adsorption of metal cations by AM clay are satisfactorily described by the Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacities obtained from the natural clay, using the Langmuir isotherm model equation, are 5.25, 13.41, and 15.90 mg/g, respectively for Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) ions. Adsorption of heavy metals on clay is a spontaneous and endothermic process characterized by a disorder of the medium. The values of ΔH are greater than 40 kJ/mol, which means that the interactions between clay and heavy metals are chemical in nature.     

Crystal structure,thermal and magnetic studies of a dinuclear Mn(II) complex with decadentate picolinate based ligand

The reaction of the decadentate ligand tpmen (H₄tpmen?=?N,N,N′N′-tetrakis[(6-carboxypyridin-2-yl)methyl]ethylenediamine) with MnCl₂·4H₂O in aqueous solution gives a homodinuclear complex [Mn₂(H₂O)₂(tpmen)]·16H₂O, which has been characterized by elemental analysis, thermal gravimetric and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The complex crystallizes in the orthorhombic system, space group Cmca, a?=?28.786(5) Å, b?=?11.5033(19) Å, c?=?14.437(2) Å, Z?=?8, R ₁?=?0.0432, wR ₂?=?0.0786. The tpmen ligand contains four picolinate groups, two of which bind each Mn(II) to form a dinuclear complex. The geometry around the Mn(II) is distorted octahedral with two nitrogen and two oxygen atoms from the picolinate groups and two oxygen atoms from coordinated water. The variable-temperature (2–300?K) magnetic susceptibilities shows an antiferromagnetic interaction between Mn(II) ions.     

CuAAC macrocyclization: high intramolecular selectivity through the use of copper-tris(triazole) ligand complexes

A range of multivalent heteroaryl ligands, copper sources, and solvent systems have been investigated for use in CuAAC-mediated macrocyclization reactions. These studies have revealed the key factors governing selectivity for macrocyclization versus dimerization and identified a simple but specific set of reaction conditions capable of efficiently generating a diverse series of drug-like macrocycles at modest dilution in up to 95% yield.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of a new vapochromic Pt(II) complex based on the 1-terpyridyl-2,3,4,5,6-pentaphenylbenzene (TPPPB) ligand

A novel terpyridine ligand containing a pentaphenylphenyl moiety linked to the terpyridyl core (1-terpyridyl-2,3,4,5,6-pentaphenyl-benzene (TPPPB)) has been synthesized in good yield and reacted with Pt(DMSO)2Cl2, to produce the cationic complex [Pt(TPPPB)Cl]Cl (5). 5 was studied structurally and spectroscopically. It is observed to be brightly luminescent in the solid state at room temperature and at 77 K, with no change in lambdaem(max). The complex exhibits reversible vapochromic behavior upon exposure to methylene chloride vapors, changing color from red (5-R) to green (5-G). The shift to higher energy in the emission maximum from 654 to 514 nm is the largest vapochromic shift (140 nm) yet reported. The [Pt(TPPPB)Cl]Cl complex exhibits high selectivity for certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including methylene chloride, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and acetonitrile. The crystal structures of both the green and red forms have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In both forms, the cationic Pt(II) complex possesses the anticipated square-planar coordination geometry that is distorted as a consequence of constraints from the terpyridyl binding. Analysis of the crystal packing of the green form (5-G) reveals the presence of non-interacting Pt...Pt separations with distances of 3.9092(9) and 4.5483(11) A and a zigzag arrangement between neighboring Pt(II) ions. The red form (5-R) contains complexes that are stacked with Pt...Pt separations of 3.2981(14) and 3.3427(14) A, indicative of metallophilic interaction. The change in the emitting state, as a consequence of the effect of the volatile organic compounds, results from a disruption of the d8-d8 metallophilic interactions in the red form and its metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MMLCT) excited state to a more-localized Pt(dpi)-to-tpy(pi*) metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited state in the green form.     

Hexadentate terephthalamide(bis-hydroxypyridinone) ligands for uranyl chelation: structural and thermodynamic consequences of ligand variation

Several linear, hexa- and tetradentate ligands incorporating a combination of 2,3-dihydroxy-terephthalamide (TAM) and hydroxypyridinone-amide (HOPO) moieties have been developed as uranyl chelating agents. Crystallographic analysis of several {UO(2)[TAM(HOPO)(2)]}(2-) complexes revealed a variable and crowded coordination geometry about the uranyl center. The TAM moiety dominates the bonding in hexadenate complexes, with linker rigidity dictating the equality of equatorial U-O bonding. Hexadentate TAM(HOPO)(2) ligands demonstrated slow binding kinetics with uranyl affinities on average 6 orders of magnitude greater than those of similarly linked bis-HOPO ligands. Study of tetradentate TAM(HOPO) ligands revealed that the high uranyl affinity stems primarily from the presence of the TAM moiety and only marginally from increased ligand denticity. Uranyl affinities of TAM(HOPO)(2) ligands were within experimental error, with TAM(o-phen-1,2-HOPO)(2) exhibiting the most consistent uranyl affinity at variable pH.     

Thermal stability assessment of a new energetic Ca(II) compound with ZTO ligand by DSC and ARC

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - A new energetic Ca(H2O)6·(HZTO·2H2O)2 was crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c, and its thermal characteristics and kinetics were...     

The importance of stereochemically active lone pairs for influencing Pb(II) and As(III) protein binding

The toxicity of heavy metals, which is associated with the high affinity of the metals for thiolate rich proteins, constitutes a problem worldwide. However, despite this tremendous toxicity concern, the binding mode of As(III) and Pb(II) to proteins is poorly understood. To clarify the requirements for toxic metal binding to metalloregulatory sensor proteins such as As(III) in ArsR/ArsD and Pb(II) in PbrR or replacing Zn(II) in δ-aminolevulinc acid dehydratase (ALAD), we have employed computational and experimental methods examining the binding of these heavy metals to designed peptide models. The computational results show that the mode of coordination of As(III) and Pb(II) is greatly influenced by the steric bulk within the second coordination environment of the metal. The proposed basis of this selectivity is the large size of the ion and, most important, the influence of the stereochemically active lone pair in hemidirected complexes of the metal ion as being crucial. The experimental data show that switching a bulky leucine layer above the metal binding site by a smaller alanine residue enhances the Pb(II) binding affinity by a factor of five, thus supporting experimentally the hypothesis of lone pair steric hindrance. These complementary approaches demonstrate the potential importance of a stereochemically active lone pair as a metal recognition mode in proteins and, specifically, how the second coordination sphere environment affects the affinity and selectivity of protein targets by certain toxic ions.     

Manganese(II) and palladium(II) complexes containing a new macrocyclic Schiff base ligand: antibacterial properties

Complexes of tetradentate macrocyclic Schiff base ligand, L, with Mn^II and Pd^II ions have been synthesized by the template condensation of 1,10-phenanthroline-2, 9-dicarboxaldehyde, 2,3-diamino-1,4-naphthoquinone and 1,2-dibromoethane in EtOH. The complexes were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods and an octahedral geometry is suggested for their structure. They have been screened for antibacterial activity against several bacteria, and the results are compared with the activity of penicillin.     

Synthesis,spectroscopic and structural characterization of new complex of ruthenium(II) with Hmtpo ligand

The [(PPh₃)₂RuHCl(CO)(Hmtpo)] complex has been prepared and studied by IR, NMR, UV–VIS spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The complex was prepared in reactions of [RuHCl(CO)(PPh₃)₃] with 7-hydroxy-5-methyl[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine in methanol. The electronic structure and UV–Vis spectrum of the obtained compound have been calculated using the TD–DFT method.