Molecular Assembly Directed by Metal–Aromatic Interactions: Control of the Aggregation and Photophysical Properties of Zn–Salen Complexes by Aromatic Mercuration

There is widespread interest in non‐covalent bonding and weak interactions, such as electrostatic interactions, hydrogen bonding, solvophobic/hydrophobic interactions, metal–metal interactions, and π–π stacking, to tune the molecular assembly of planar π‐conjugated organic and inorganic molecules. Inspired by the roles of metal–aromatic interaction in biological systems, such as in ion channels and metalloproteins, herein, we report the first example of the use of Hg²⁺–aromatic interactions to selectively control the assembly and disassembly of zinc–salen complexes in aqueous media; moreover, this process exhibited significant “turn on” fluorescent properties. UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopic analysis of the titration of Hg²⁺ ions versus complex ZnL¹ revealed that the higher binding affinity of Hg²⁺ ions (compared to 13 other metal ions) was ascribed to specific interactions between the Hg²⁺ ions and the phenyl rings of ZnL¹ ; this result was also confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and HRMS (ESI). Further evidence for this type of interaction was obtained from the reaction of small‐molecule analogue L¹ with Hg²⁺ ions, which demonstrates the proximity of the N‐alkyl group to the aromatic protons during Hg²⁺‐ion binding, which led to the consequential H/D exchange reaction with D₂O. DFT modeling of such interactions between the Hg²⁺ ions and the phenyl rings afforded calculated distances between the C and Hg atoms (2.29 Å) that were indicative of C? Hg bond‐formation, under the direction of the N atom of the morpholine ring. The unusual coordination of Hg²⁺ ions to the phenyl ring of the metallosalen complexes not only strengthened the binding ability but also increased the steric effect to promote the disassembly of ZnL¹ in aqueous media.     

Binding Effect of Common Ions to Human Serum Albumin in the Presence of Norfloxacin: Investigation with Spectroscopic and Zeta Potential Approaches

In this work, the toxic influence of metallic ions (Al³⁺, Cu²⁺, Mg²⁺, Pb²⁺) on human serum albumin (HSA) in the absence and presence of norfloxacin (NRF) was studied by spectroscopic approaches [fluorescence quenching, synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, circular dichroism, resonance light scattering (RLS) and zeta potential techniques] under simulated physiological conditions. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that these metallic ions and NRF can quench the HSA fluorescence, and this quenching effect became more significant when both ion and drug are present together. The binding constants and binding sites of metal ions with HSA in the absence and presence of NRF were determined, based on the fluorescence quenching results. Ion aggregation gives rise to an enhancement of the RLS intensity for HSA and the critical induced aggregation concentration (C _CIAC) of the ions, causing HSA aggregation for binary and ternary systems. The zeta potential measurements indicate a combination of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between ion, NRF and HSA and the formed micelle-like clusters. These data illustrated that NRF has an effect on the interaction between HSA and metal ions, with relevance for various toxicological and therapeutic processes.     

Electron Capture Dissociation of Trivalent Metal Ion-Peptide Complexes

With electrospray ionization from aqueous solutions, trivalent metal ions readily adduct to small peptides resulting in formation of predominantly (peptide + M_T ? H)²⁺, where M_T = La, Tm, Lu, Sm, Ho, Yb, Pm, Tb, or Eu, for peptides with molecular weights below ~1000 Da, and predominantly (peptide + M_T)³⁺ for larger peptides. ECD of (peptide + M_T ? H)²⁺ results in extensive fragmentation from which nearly complete sequence information can be obtained, even for peptides for which only singly protonated ions are formed in the absence of the metal ions. ECD of these doubly charged complexes containing M_T results in significantly higher electron capture efficiency and sequence coverage than peptide-divalent metal ion complexes that have the same net charge. Formation of salt-bridge structures in which the metal ion coordinates to a carboxylate group are favored even for (peptide + M_T)³⁺. ECD of these latter complexes for large peptides results in electron capture by the protonation site located remotely from the metal ion and predominantly c/z fragments for all metals, except Eu³⁺, which undergoes a one electron reduction and only loss of small neutral molecules and b/y fragments are formed. These results indicate that solvation of the metal ion in these complexes is extensive, which results in the electrochemical properties of these metal ions being similar in both the peptide environment and in bulk water.      

Rational Construction of Polymeric Cadmium(II) Benzimidazole for Transition Metal Ion Exchange

A 1D double‐helical coordination polymer {[Cd(pbbm)₂]₂(ClO₄)₄(H₂O)₂}_n ( 1 ) was successfully constructed by the reaction of Cd(ClO₄)₂ · 6H₂O with 1,1′‐(1,5‐pentanediyl)bis‐1H‐benzimidazole (pbbm). Interestingly, polymer 1 exhibits highly selective capacity for the ionic exchange of Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺ over Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions in the crystalline solid state when the crystals of 1 are immersed in the aqueous solutions of the perchlorate salts of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions, respectively, which indicates that central Cd^II ion exchange might be considered as being dominated by the coordination ability of metal ions to free functional groups, ionic radii of exchanged metal ions, and the solution concentration of adsorbed metal salts. The parent material‐ and ion‐exchange‐induced products are identified by FT‐IR spectroscopy, PXRD patterns as well as SEM and EDS measurements. In addition, the thermal stability of 1 was also investigated.     

Theoretical studies on magnetic interactions between Cu(II) ions in salen nucleobases

The magnetic and other physical properties between Cu²⁺ ions coordinated by salen–base pairs (Cu²⁺–DNA) are examined by using DFT calculations. In order to consider effects of entanglement and dis-entanglement of the double helix chain, three types of structural disorders i.e. distance, rotation angle and discrepancy in XY-plane, are changed in the model dimer structure. All calculated results show that J_ab values are weak anti-ferromagnetic couplings. It is also found that the J_ab values strongly depend on the salen structure.     

Metal-Carboxyl Helical Chain Secondary Units Supported Ion-Exchangeable Anionic Uranyl–Organic Framework

As a less explored avenue, actinide-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are worth studying for the particularity of actinide nodes in coordination behaviour and assembly modes. In this work, an azobenzenetetracarboxylate-based anionic MOF supported by uranyl–carboxyl helical chain units was synthesized, incorporating linear uranyl as the metal centre. This kind of helical chain-type building unit is reported for the first time in uranyl-based MOFs. Structural analysis reveals that the formation of helical chain secondary units can be attributed to restricted equatorial coordination of rigid flat azobenzene ligand to uranyl centres. Meanwhile, this newly-synthesized anionic material has been used to remove Eu³⁺ ions, as a non-radioactive surrogate of Am³⁺ ion, through an ion-exchange process with [(CH₃)₂NH₂]⁺ ions in its open channels, as evidenced by a combination of ¹H NMR spectroscopy, EDS and PXRD.     

Multi-electron transfer process of vanadyl complexes for oxidative polymerization of diphenyl disulfide

Oligo(p-phenylene sulfide) is synthesized by oxidative polymerization of diphenyl disulfide with oxygen catalyzed by vanadyl acetylacetonate under strongly acidic conditions. The mechanistic studies reveal that the redox cycles of the vanadyl complexes give rise to catalysis through a two-electron transfer between diphenyl disulfide and molecular oxygen. The VO catalysts act as an excellent electron mediator to bridge a 1.0 V potential gap between the oxidation potential of disulfides and the reduction potential of oxygen. The VO-catalyzed oxygen-oxidative polymerization provides pure oligo(pphenylene sulfide)s containing an S–S bond. The polymeric product is of low molecular weight due to the insolubility under these conditions. (N,N′-ethylenebis(salicylideneaminato))oxovanadium-(IV), VO(salen), was used as an inert model compound to elucidate the redox chemistry of the vanadium complex. VO(salen) reacts with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (CF₃SO₃H) or triphenylmethyl tetrafluoroborate (?₃C(BF₄)) to form a deoxygenated complex, V^IV(salen)²⁺, and a μ-oxodinuclear complex, [(salen)VOV(salen)]X₂, (X = CF₃SO₃^? or BF₄^?). The dimerization of VO(salen) is initiated by deoxygenation to produce V(salen)²⁺ which enters into an equilibrium with a second VO(salen) complex to produce the μ-oxo dimer. The two-electron transfer of the μ-oxo dinuclear vanadium complex is elucidated.     

Synthesis, characterisation and complex forming ability towards ferric ions of oligo(ether-amide)s of Jeffamines ED and chelidamic acid

New chelating oligo(ether-amide)s (CA-PE)s containing chelidamic acid residues in the main chain were prepared by reacting chelidamic acid with Jeffamines ED^® in the presence of N,N^′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and 4-dimethylaminopyridine. A mixture of products having one or two polyether sequences with chelidamate end-groups was obtained. It was found spectrophotometrically that CA-PE polymers formed a complex with Fe³⁺ at pH 3-6 having a maximum absorbance in the 472-495 nm range. Fe³⁺ ion complexes of CA-PE were water soluble, except Fe³⁺-CA-PE₆₀₀. The stoichiometric ratio between chelidamic acid residues of oligo(ether-amide)s CA-PE and Fe³⁺ ions was found to be 2 at pH 5 by the method of shift of equilibrium. A hydroxypyridine structure of the chelidamic acid residues in the complex was suggested.     

Study of the binding equilibrium between Zn(II) and HSA by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A new method has been developed for following the interaction between zinc ion and human serum albumin (HSA) by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Under optimized experimental conditions, the detection limit (3σ) for free Zn²⁺ ion was found to be 1.34 μM by running 11 replicates of the reagent blank. The RSD was less than 3% and the recovery was more than 98.13%. The linear range of zinc ion concentration was between 5.1 μM and 0.3 M. The measured Zn(II)-HSA combination values of n₁ and K₁ for primary binding of Zn²⁺ to HSA were 1.09 and 2.29 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹, respectively. The measured values of n₂ and K₂ for the non-specific binding of Zn²⁺ to HSA were 8.96 and 6.65 × 10³ L mol⁻¹, respectively. This new method allows rapid analysis of a small amount of sample, simple operation, while avoiding long periods of dialysis and eliminating interference from other metal ions. This method provides a reliable and convenient new way for studying interactions between metal ions and biomolecules.     

Single Crystal‐to‐Single Crystal Site‐Selective Postsynthetic Metal Exchange in a Zn–MOF Based on Semi‐Rigid Tricarboxylic Acid and Access to Bimetallic MOFs

The metal ions in a neutral Zn–MOF constructed from tritopic triacid H₃L with inherent concave features, rigid core, and peripheral flexibility are found to exist in two distinct SBUs, that is, 0D and 1D. This has allowed site‐selective postsynthetic metal exchange (PSME) to be investigated and reactivities of the metal ions in two different environments in coordination polymers to be contrasted for the first time. Site‐selective transmetalation of Zn ions in the discrete environment is shown to occur in a single crystal‐to‐single crystal (SCSC) fashion, with metal ions such as Fe³⁺, Ru³⁺, Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, etc., whereas those that are part of 1D SBU sustain structural integrity, leading to novel bimetallic MOFs, which are inaccessible by conventional approaches. To the best of our knowledge, site‐selective postsynthetic exchange of an intraframework metal ion in a MOF that contains metal ions in discrete as well as polymeric SBUs is heretofore unprecedented.     

Microporous-structural rare-earth coordination polymers constructed by 2-bromoterephthalate

The two novel microporous rare-earth coordination polymers: La₂(C₈H₃BrO₄)₃2H₂O (1) and Pr₂(C₈H₃BrO₄)₃2H₂O (2) are yielded by the hydrothermal synthesis. Complex 1 and 2 are isomorphous. The Ln³⁺ ion center is located in the nine-coordinated environment, and both carboxyl groups of each ligand coordinate with the metal ion in the same coordination fashion. The ligands, whose carboxyl group chelates Ln³⁺ ion center in μ₁ or μ₃ fashion, alternately link Ln³⁺ ions to get the 1D chain, then the carboxyl group chelating Ln³⁺ ion center in μ₃ fashion bridges another two Ln³⁺ ion centers from the other two chains to form metal-organic layer. The layers are connected by the ligands in μ₄ fashion to furnish 1D channel-structures through b-axis. The microporous structure is well characterized by the nitrogen gas sorption and desorption. TGA and X-ray powder diffraction pattern reveal that the thermal stability of complexes is high and the open frameworks are retained upon removal of coordinated water molecules.     

Stimuli‐Responsive Polypeptide‐Based Supramolecular Hydrogels Mediated by Ca2+ Ion Cross‐Linking

Hydrogels cross‐linked with metal ions (e.g., Ca²⁺) represent a promising class of bioinspired materials for a wide range of biomedical applications. Herein, we report a facile approach to obtain cross‐linked stimuli‐responsive supramolecular polypeptide hydrogels. The hydrogel is prepared by statistical/block copoly(L‐glutamate)s based copolymers cross‐linked with calcium ions. The incorporation of both oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) and glutamic acid residues in the polymer offers thermal‐responsive property and cooperative binding sites with Ca²⁺ ions simultaneously. We present a systematic study of the influence of calcium ions on the gelation behaviors of these copolymers. It is observed that the addition of calcium ions induces the formation of hydrogels. Increasing the concentration of Ca²⁺ ions can significantly enhance the gelation ability of the samples as indicated by increased storage modulus and decreased sol‐to‐gel transition temperature (T_sol‐gel). We further demonstrate that the influence of monomer distribution on the gelation behavior is trivial, which is possibly due to similar morphology of the self‐assemblies. The obtained hydrogels exhibit thermal‐responsive gelation behavior mediated by ion cross‐linking, which enables them to be ideal smart hydrogel system for many applications.     

Probing the interaction of alkali and transition metal ions with bradykinin and its des-arginine derivatives via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and postsource decay mass spectrometry

The complexes of the peptides (Pep) bradykinin (RPPGFSPFR), des-Arg¹-bradykinin, and des-Arg⁹-bradykinin with the metal (M) ions Na⁺, K⁺, Cs⁺, Cu⁺, Ag⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Zn²⁺ are generated in the gas phase by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization and the structures of the corresponding [Pep + M⁺]⁺ or [Pep − H⁺ + M²⁺]⁺ cations are probed by postsource decay (PSD) mass spectrometry. The PSD spectra depend significantly on the metal ion attached; moreover, the various metal ions respond differently to the presence or absence of a basic arginine residue. The Na⁺ and K⁺ adducts of all three peptides mainly produce N-terminal sequence ions upon PSD; the fragments observed point out that these metal ions are anchored by the PPGF segment and not the arginine residue(s). In contrast, the adducts of Cu⁺ and Ag⁺ show a strong dependence on the position of Arg; complexes of des-Arg¹-Pep (which contains a C-terminal Arg) produce primarily y_n ions whereas those of des-Arg⁹-Pep generate exclusively a_n and b_n ions. These trends are consistent with Cu⁺ ligation by Arg’s guanidine group. The [Pep + Cs⁺]⁺ ions mainly yield Cs⁺; a second significant fragmentation occurs only if a C-terminal arginine is present and involves elimination of this arginine’s side chain plus water. This reaction is rationalized through a salt bridge mechanism. The most prominent PSD products from [Pep − H⁺ + Co²⁺]⁺ and [Pep − H⁺ + Ni²⁺]⁺ contain at least one phenylalanine residue, revealing a marked preference for these divalent metal ions to bind to aromatic rings; the fragmentation patterns of the complexes further suggest that Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ bind to deprotonated amide nitrogens. The coordination chemistry of Zn²⁺ combines features found with the divalent Co²⁺/Ni²⁺ as well as the monovalent Cu⁺/Ag⁺ transition metal ions. Generally, the structure and fragmentation behavior of each complex reflects the intrinsic coordination preferences of the corresponding metal ion.     

Trinuclear Double Helicates of Iron(II) and Nickel(II): Self-assembly and resolution into helical enantiomers

The synthesis of the linear tris[terpyridine] 1 with three tridentate binding sites is described. The reaction with metal ions of octahedral coordination geometry, such as Fe^II or Ni^II, leads to the self-assembly of trinuclear complexes [M₃( 1 )₂]⁶⁺, which display properties in agreement with a double helical structure. The trinuclear iron (II) helicate has been resolved into its enantiomers.     

Simple imine linked colorimetric and fluorescent receptor for sensing Zn ions in aqueous medium based on inhibition of ESIPT mechanism

Herein, we report the highly selective binding of Zn²⁺ ion by the salicylaldimine based Schiff base chromogenic receptor 1 [(N,N′-bis (salicylidine)-o-phenylenediamine]. Receptor 1 senses Zn²⁺ ion in aqueous medium by colorimetric and fluorescent response in the presence of other metal ions like Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, Sn²⁺, Cd²⁺. Receptor 1 on binding with Zn²⁺ ion exhibits fluorescence enhancement which is due to the inhibition of the (ESIPT) mechanism.     

Affinity capillary electrophoretic study of K+/Na+ selectivity of hexaarylbenzene-based polyaromatic receptor

Affinity capillary electrophoretic (ACE) study has proved the selectivity of hexaarylbenzene-based polyaromatic receptor (R) for K⁺ ion over Na⁺ ion. The apparent binding constants of the R complexes with K⁺ and Na⁺ ions were determined from the dependence of effective electrophoretic mobility of R on the concentration of the above alkali metal ions in the background electrolyte using a non-linear regression analysis. The apparent binding constants (K_b) of the K-R⁺ and Na–R⁺ complexes in methanolic medium were evaluated as log K_b = 3.20 ± 0.22 for the K–R⁺ complex, and log K_b??0.7 for the Na–R⁺ complex.     

Determination of orders of relative alkali metal ion affinities of crown ethers and acyclic analogs by the kinetic method

Ladders of relative alkali ion affinities of crown ethers and acyclic analogs were constructed by using the kinetic method. The adducts consisting of two different ethers bound by an alkali metal ion, (M₁ + Cat + M₂)⁺, were formed by using fast atom bombardment ionization to desorb the crown ethers and alkali metal ions, then collisionally activated to induce dissociation to (M₁ + Cat)⁺ and (M₂ + Cat)⁺ ions. Based on the relative abundances of the cationized ethers formed, orders of relative alkali ion affinities were assigned. The crown ethers showed higher affinities for specific sizes of metal ions, and this was attributed in part to the optimal spatial fit concept. Size selectivities were more pronounced for the smaller alkali metal ions such as Li⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺ than the larger ions such as Cs⁺ and Rb⁺. In general, the cyclic ethers exhibited greater alkali metal ion affinities than the corresponding acyclic analogs, although these effects were less dramatic as the size of the alkali metal ion increased.     

Binding of metal ions by polyethylenimine and its derivatives

Measurements have been made of the binding of divalent metal ions, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions, by polyethylenimine (PEI) and its acetyl or alkyl derivatives by the equilibriumdialysis technique. These metal ions, in particular the Cu²⁺ ion, exhibited tremendously remarkable binding affinity toward PEI. The extent of complexation of the polymer with the metal ions was decreased markedly by acetylation or alkylation of the polymer. PEI with no primary amine showed an appreciable decrease in its affinity for the metal ion. These results indicate the participation of the primary amine of the polymer in the formation of the complex. A cooperative binding isotherm was observed in PEI–metal ion complex formation, suggesting swelling or conformational change of the polymer induced by this coordination process. Binding of the Cu²⁺ ion by PEI was found to be essentially independent of temperature over the range 5–35°C.     

Lattice polarization effects in electrochromic switching in WO3−x films studied by pulse-nanogravimetric technique

The interactions of various types of cations with the tungsten trioxide lattice have been investigated to evaluate possible intercalation of these cations and the occurrence of lattice polarization leading to the near-surface structural lattice damage. The interactions of cations, such as the large monovalent cations (K⁺, Et₄N⁺, CtMe₃N⁺ cations), transition metal dications (Ni²⁺), heavy metal ions (Cd²⁺), and representative lanthanides (La³⁺) and actinides (Th⁴⁺), in competition with intercalation of H⁺ ions have been investigated using pulse-nanogravimetric technique. The effects of these cations in electrochromic processes of WO₃ proceeding during cathodic reduction have been assessed. For all of the metal ions studied, a large increase in the apparent mass uptake (up to eightfold) in comparison to pure H⁺ ion ingress was observed upon the film coloration induced by a cathodic potential pulse. The experiments indicate that the apparent mass gains, although large, are insufficient to confirm predominant contribution of metal ions in the ion transport along the channels in WO₃ lattice. The lower decoloration rate in the case of Ni²⁺ ions, in comparison to H⁺ and other transition metal cations (Cd²⁺), has been attributed to a slow dissociation of Ni²⁺ ions from lattice-bound oxygen atoms. For et₄N⁺ cation, which is too large to enter channels in WO₃, a dissociative reduction of the WO₃ and severe lattice damage was observed. Among the metal ions investigated, only K⁺ ions have been found to cause a dissociative reduction of WO₃ and near-surface lattice damage. Strong lattice polarization effects and irreversible binding have been found for La³⁺ and Th⁴⁺ cations.     

A Highly Copper‐Selective Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor Based on BODIPY

A new ratiometric fluorescent sensor ( 1 ) for Cu²⁺ based on 4,4‐difluoro‐4‐bora‐3a,4a‐diaza‐s‐indacene (BODIPY) with di(2‐picolyl)amine (DPA) as ion recognition subunit has been synthesized and investigated in this work. The binding abilities of 1 towards different metal ions such as alkali and alkaline earth metal ions (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺) and other metal ions ( Ba²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Hg²⁺, Ag⁺) have been examined by UV‐vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. 1 displays high selectivity for Cu²⁺ among all test metal ions and a ～10‐fold fluorescence enhancement in I₅₈₂/I₅₅₈ upon excitation at visible excitation wavelength. The binding mode of 1 and Cu²⁺ is a 1:1 stoichiometry determined via studies of Job plot, the nonlinear fitting of the fluorometric titration and ESI mass.