Metal ions and complexes as modulators of protein-interfacial electron transport at graphite electrodes

An extensive investigation of the direct (unmediated) electrochemical activity of various redox proteins at pyrolytic graphite electrodes has been undertaken. With the exception of the “blue” copper protein azurin, a profound preference for the hydrophilic “edge” over the hydrophobic “basal” plane orientation of the graphite surface is observed. This may be identified with the presence of various oxidised (CO) functionalities at the polished “edge” surface which, most probably in a random manner, constitute reversible and productive binding domains for the proteins. Conditions under which the rates and reversibility of heterogenous electron transport may be optimised depend upon the protein under examination. Well-behaved electrochemistry, indicate of diffusion-dominated heterogeneous electron transport, is modulated by electrode surface protonation (pK = 5.6) and levels of redox-inert multivalent cations, including Mg²⁺ and Cr(NH₃)³⁺₆. The electrochemistry of several proteins which have negatively charged interaction domains, including plastocyanin, and chloroplast and bacterial ferrodoxins, is promoted and stabilised by electrode surface protonation, and interfacial binding of multivalent cations which is attenuated at high ionic strength. Coversely, the electrochemistry of horse-heart cytochrome c, for which the region around the exposed heme edge carries a net positive charge, is inhibited by electrode surface protonation and destablished by the presence of multivalent cations. These patterns of behaviour may be rationalised in terms of a heterogeneous electrode surface which comprises regions of hydrophilic polar groups at which proteins may associate reversibly if resultant coulombic interactions are favourable, and regions of extensive hydrophobicity at which less reversible and (probably) degradative adsorption occurs. Within this basic model, there is considerable scope for domain selectivity which may arise from variations in medium and short range order and distribution of CO functionalities. Implications for the control of in vivo electron-transport processes are discussed.     

金属配合物作为核酸释放的载体

基因治疗是指利用一种载体将健康的基因载入细胞替换致病的基因.由基因缺陷导致的人类疾病达1200多种,最合理的选择是采用基因替换的方法进行治疗.基因治疗的关键问题是解决使用何种载体才能安全有效地将治疗基因载入靶细胞.非病毒基因载体主要是一些有机阳离子物种,一直受到极大重视;近年来,磷酸钙、纳米粒子和金属配合物释放核酸的功能也开始受到关注.本文总结了金属配合物作为非病毒基因载体使用的研究进展,希望由此理解配合物释放核酸的优势和不足之处.     

Structural study of highly halogenated dihydropyridine derivatives as potential calcium channel modulators

Two dihydropyridines endowed with fluorine atoms ( 3 ) and fluorine and chlorine atoms ( 4 ) have been synthesized and structurally characterized by experimental X‐ray analyses and theoretical calculations at the semiempirical (AMI) and ab initio (HF/6–31G*) levels. The results show that these compounds meet the required criteria to act as potential calcium channel modulators.     

Rhodium-105 complexes as potential radiotherapeutic agents

Rhodium-105 complexes have been investigated for their suitability as the basis of potential bifunctional chelating agents for therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Rhodium-105 is a reactor-produced therapeutic radionuclide that is available in high specific activity. The chemistry and biology of several six-coordinate Rh(III) complexes of the general form [RhCl2L]+, where L is a tetradentate ligand containing at least three thioethers donor atoms, is discussed. The backbone chain length of the acyclic or macrocyclic ligand determines the geometry about the Rh(III) centre (cis vs. trans), with the larger ligands preferentially forming trans-dichloro complexes. The stability of all of the 105Rh complexes is very high (>5 days) and the biological clearance properties of the complexes are consistent with their relative lipophilicities.     

Rhodium pyrazolate complexes as potential CVD precursors

Reaction of 3,5-(CF(3))(2)PzLi with [Rh(μ-Cl)(η(2)-C(2)H(4))(2)](2) or [Rh(μ-Cl)(PMe(3))(2)](2) in Et(2)O gave the dinuclear complexes [Rh(η(2)-C(2)H(4))(2)(μ-3,5-(CF(3))(2)-Pz)](2) (1) and [Rh(2)(μ-Cl)(μ-3,5-(CF(3))(2)-Pz) (PMe(3))(4)] (2) respectively (3,5-(CF(3))(2)Pz = bis-trifluoromethyl pyrazolate). Reaction of PMe(3) with [Rh(COD)(μ-3,5-(CF(3))(2)-Pz)](2) in toluene gave [Rh(3,5-(CF(3))(2)-Pz)(PMe(3))(3)] (3). Reaction of 1 and 3 in toluene (1?:?4) gave moderate yields of the dinuclear complex [Rh(PMe(3))(2)(μ-3,5-(CF(3))(2)-Pz)](2) (4). Reaction of 3,5-(CF(3))(2)PzLi with [Rh(PMe(3))(4)]Cl in Et(2)O gave the ionic complex [Rh(PMe(3))(4)][3,5-(CF(3))(2)-Pz] (5). Two of the complexes, 1 and 3, were studied for use as CVD precursors. Polycrystalline thin films of rhodium (fcc-Rh) and metastable-amorphous films of rhodium phosphide (Rh(2)P) were grown from 1 and 3 respectively at 170 and 130 °C, 0.3 mmHg in a hot wall reactor using Ar as the carrier gas (5 cc min(-1)). Thin films of amorphous rhodium and rhodium phosphide (Rh(2)P) were grown from 1 and 3 at 170 and 130 °C respectively at 0.3 mmHg in a hot wall reactor using H(2) as the carrier gas (7 cc min(-1)).     

Synthesis and insecticidal evaluation of novel sulfide-containing amide derivatives as potential ryanodine receptor modulators

With the aim of discovering new bioactive pesticides for crop protection, a series of novel sulfidecontaining amide derivatives A were efficiently synthesized via a strategy of modifying the “amide” structure of anthranilic diamide insecticides. The single-crystal structures of A2-3 and A4-5 were firstly reported. The bioassay results showed that most of the synthesized compounds display moderate to high insecticidal activities. Particularly, some sulfone-containing compounds, e.g., A2-3, A3-3 a...     

Metal alloys and carbon nanomaterials as potential hydrogen storage materials

Comparative analysis of metals (as well as their alloys and intermetallic compounds) and various carbon nanomaterials as working substances for hydrogen storage and transportation systems has been performed. It has been shown that, because of the fundamental difference in the nature of interaction with hydrogen of these two large classes of compounds, the fields of their application (as well as their performance) are certainly different. Some theoretical calculations and concepts concerning the hydrogen capacity of the materials under consideration have been critically surveyed.     

Volatile beta-ketoiminato- and beta-diketiminato-based zirconium complexes as potential MOCVD precursors

An amine elimination pathway has been used to produce a number of homo- and heteroleptic zirconium complexes, starting from tetrakis(dialkylamido)zirconium complexes and beta-diketimine or, alternatively, Schiff Base compounds. Reaction of 2 equiv of the bidentate beta-diketimine (2Z,4E)-N-methyl-4-(methylimino)pent-2-en-2-amine with Zr(NR(2))(4) (R = Me, Et) affords the six-coordinate heteroleptic compounds bis(N-methyl-4-(methylimino)pent-2-en-2-amido)bis(dialkylamido)zirconium 1 (alkyl = Me) and 2 (alkyl = Et). The dynamic behavior of these two compounds in solution has been investigated. Reaction with the isopropyl-substituted beta-diketimine (2Z)-N-isopropyl-4-(isopropylimino)pent-2-en-2-amine gives the five-coordinate mono(diketiminato)-substituted compound (N-isopropyl-4-(isoropylimino)pent-2-en-2-amido)tris(dimethylamido )zirconium, 3. With employment of the Schiff base (3Z)-4-(methylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, it was also possible to prepare the six-coordinate bis(4-(methylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium compound 4. When the bidentate ligand bearing hydrogen as substituent on the imino-nitrogen atom was employed, homoleptic tetrakis(beta-ketoiminato)- and tetrakis(beta-diketiminato)zirconium compounds 5 and 6 can be obtained. Complexes 1 and 5 have been tested for their air stability with reference to Zr(NMe(2))(4). The stability order turned out to be 1 > 5 > Zr(NMe(2))(4). The thermal properties and volatility of all the compounds are discussed in view of their potential application in metal-organic chemical vapor deposition processes (MOCVD) of zirconium nitride.     

Novel Ru-dioxolene complexes as potential electrochromic materials and NIR dyes

A series of Ru(bpy)(2)-dioxolene complexes 1-4 (bpy = 2,2'- bipyridine) and corresponding Ru(dcb)(2)-dioxolene complexes 5-8 (dcbH(2) = 2,2'-bipyridine-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid) have been prepared, and their spectroelectrochemical behavior in solution has been investigated. The complexes show reversible electrochemical behavior accompanied by a strong NIR absorption in their semiquinone forms due to a Ru(dpi) --> sq(pi) MLCT band. Complete quenching of the NIR absorption occurs both upon oxidation (to the quinone form) and upon reduction (to the catechol form) very close to 0 V. The color of the systems can be tuned by using a wide range of ligands. The complexes 5-8 can be anchored onto nanocrystalline inorganic semiconductors allowing incorporation into potential electrochromic devices. As a proof of principle, compound 8 has been adsorbed on nanocrystalline Sb-doped SnO(2) supported on FTO glass, and it displays reversibly switchable electrochromic behavior in the NIR.     

Metal complexes of ethylenediaminetetraacetamide

Summary A convenient synthesis of the ligand ethylenediaminetetraacetamide (L) is described, and a number of metal complexes of the general formula MLCl_n · xH₂O (Mⁿ⁺=Ca^II, Mn^II, Fe^II, Co^II, N^II, Cu^II, Zn^II, Mg^II, Ba^II, Cd^II, Hg^II and La^III) prepared. The deprotonated Cu(L-H)₂ · 2 H₂O complex has been characterised and the associated pK values determined. I.r., conductivity, magnetic susceptibility and electronic spectral data are discussed.     

Metal complexes of tetramethylethylenediaminetetraacetate

Summary A number of metal complexes of the ligand tetramethylethylenediaminetetraacetate [Edta(OMe)₄ = L] have been characterised. The complexes may be formulated MLCl₂ · xH₂O where M²⁺ = Mn^II, Fe^II, Co^II, Ni^II, Cu^II, Cd^II, Hg^II and Sn^II. I.r., conductivity, magnetic susceptibility and electronic spectral data are discussed.     

Metal complexes of chiral pentaazacrowns as conformational templates for beta-turn recognition

Examples of reverse turns as recognition motifs in biological systems can be found in high-resolution crystal structures of antibody-peptide complexes. Development of peptidomimetics is often based on replacing the amide backbone of peptides by sugar rings, steroids, benzodiazepines, or other hetero- and carbocycles. In this approach, the chemical scaffold of the peptide backbone can be replaced while retaining activity as long as the pharmacophoric groups of the peptide side chains stay in relatively the same place; in other words, similar functional groups must overlap in space for interaction with critical receptor sites. This study evaluates the potential of metal complexes of chiral pentaazacrowns (PAC) derived by reduction of cyclic pentapeptides as -turn mimetics. Due to the limited flexibility of the pendant chiral side groups in these metal complexes, one can potentially elicit information about the receptor-bound conformation from their binding affinities. 11 PAC crystal structures with different substitution patterns complexed with 3 different metals (Mn, Fe, Cd) as a prototypical database of potential side-chain orientations. Complexation with different metals induces subtle differences in the conformations of a particular azacrown scaffold. The lack of parameterization of transition metals for force field calculations precludes a thorough theoretical study. Thus, this study utilizes a simple geometrical comparison between the experimental data for crystalline PAC complexes and the side-chain orientations seen in classic -turns. The FOUNDATION program was used to overlap the C-C vectors of the corresponding ideal -turn side-chains to all possible leaving groups of the PAC complexes. When comparing the relative orientations of the chiral side chains, a strong overlap of the bonds (between about 0.1 Å to about 0.5 Å RMS for 3 residues and up to about 1 Å RMS for 4 residues) was observed for many of the molecules. Such metal complexes may lack complete peptidomimetic activity due to the lack of spatial overlap of all four side-chain residues, however, if only three peptide side chains are needed for receptor recognition and/or binding, the metal complexes should show biological activity.     

Metal complexes as phase transfer catalysts in the synthesis of O-acetylmandelonitrile

The asymmetric synthesis of O-acetylated mandelonitrile derivative was accomplished from PhCHO, KCN, and Ac₂O in a toluene--water system in the presence of transition metal complexes of Schiff"s bases as phase transfer catalysts.     

Metal oxo complexes as catalysts for the isomerisation of allylic alcohols

The 1,3-allylic rearrangement of allylic alcohols is an important transformation in organic synthesis and various methods for effecting such a transposition have been reported. This short review will focus on the development of transition metal oxo complexes as catalysts for the isomerisation of allylic alcohols. Mechanistic investigations are also discussed.     

Organometallic manganese complexes as scaffolds for potential molecular wires

This article reviews recent work in the area of organomanganese chemistry designing organometallic based molecular wires for potential applications in molecular electronics utilising the bottom-up approach. The field of molecular electronics has recently received much attention in the pursuit of continued miniaturization of electronics. Molecular wires that can allow a through-bridge exchange of an electron/electron hole between its remote ends/terminal groups are the basic motifs of single electron devices. Our recent work in this field has been the design and development of transition-metal complexes with a special emphasis on the half sandwich dinuclear manganese complexes and the bis dmpe dinuclear Mn(II)/Mn(II). In this review, we would like to highlight the importance of the nature of the transition metal and their significant effect on the redox process, which is of paramount importance for the design of systems that could be ultimately wired into circuits for various applications.     

Carbohydrate-appended 2,2'-dipicolylamine metal complexes as potential imaging agents

Three discrete carbohydrate-appended 2,2'-dipicolylamine ligands were complexed to the {M(CO)(3)}(+) (M = (99m)Tc/Re) core: 2-(bis(2-pyridinylmethyl)amino)ethyl-beta-d-glucopyranoside (L(1)()), 2-(bis(2-pyridinylmethyl)amino)ethyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside (L(2)()), and 2-(bis(2-pyridinylmethyl)amino)ethyl-alpha-d-mannopyranoside (L(3)). An ethylene spacer is used to separate the carbohydrate moiety and the dipicolylamine (DPA) function in all three ligands. The Re complexes [Re(L(1-3))(CO)(3)]Br were characterized by (1)H and (13)C 1D/2D NMR spectroscopies, which confirmed the pendant nature of the carbohydrate moieties in solution. NMR measurements also established the long-range asymmetric effect of the carbohydrate functions on the chelating portion of the ligand. One analogue, [Re(L(1))(CO)(3)]Cl, was characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. Further characterization was provided by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, conductivity, and mass spectrometry. Radiolabeling of L(1)-L(3) with [(99m)Tc(H(2)O)(3)(CO)(3)](+) afforded high yield compounds of identical character to the Re analogues. The radiolabeled compounds were found to be stable toward ligand exchange in the presence of a large excess of either cysteine or histidine over a 24-h period.     

Metal complexes of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole

Summary Metal complexes of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (LH) have been prepared and investigated. The metal complexes obtained were of the types ML₂ (M = Ni, Pd, Pt, Zn, Cd), CuL.LH, and AgL. The copper complex has been shown to contain copper(I). Evidence from the i.r. spectra shows that in all the complexes the ligand is coordinatedvia the thiazole nitrogen and the exocyclic sulfur atom. Adducts of both the nickel and cadmium complexes were obtained with several nitrogen heterocycles. The complex CdL₂py₂ (py = pyridine) is isostructural with the six-coordinate NiL₂py₂ and CoL₂py₂ which possess acis configuration.