Effect of substituents on spin density in benzimidazole nitronyl nitroxide radicals studied by electron spin resonance

Several novel benzimidazole‐3‐oxide‐1‐oxyl radicals with substituents at 5 and/or 6 position were synthesized. The ESR analysis of nitrogen hyperfine coupling constants (hfccs) revealed that substituents at 5 and 6‐position affect the spin density to greater extent than substituents on the phenyl ring at 2‐position. Density functional theory calculations of nitrogen hfccs were performed using several different Pople type basis sets, as well as double and triple zeta quality individual gauge for localized orbital (IGLO‐II, IGLO‐III) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR‐II, EPR‐II) basis sets. Experimental and theoretical hfccs are compared. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spin crossover in polyaniline

Solutions of the basic form of polyaniline in m-cresol were studied by ESR and optical spectroscopy in the visible region. m-Cresol can slowly (during one month) protonate polyaniline. For the first time characteristic features of spin crossover were found: sharp changes in the magnetic susceptibility and the ESR line width of polyaniline at ∼200 and 250 K, a smooth decrease in the susceptibility and absorption with the temperature increase from 293 to 423 K, and the temperature hysteresis. The temperature-induced structural rearrangements of polyaniline are caused, most likely, by singlet-triplet transitions in relatively short sections of the polymer chain. The model of short sections permits to explain the origin of the temperature-independent part of susceptibility. Quantum-chemical calculations for the aniline dimers and tetramers describe correctly the singlet-triplet splitting value, thermochromism, and HFS constants in the spectrum of polyaniline. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1959–1966, October, 2007.     

Electrospray mass spectrometry of stable iminyl nitroxide and nitronyl nitroxide free radicals

Electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectra have been recorded for a range of substituted nitronyl nitroxide and iminyl nitroxide monoradicals and biradicals. Secondary species formed in the ESI source were observed as the dominant ions in both the iminyl nitroxide and nitronyl nitroxide spectra. Daughter ion spectrometry was used to establish fragmentation mechanisms for the nitronyl nitroxide and iminyl nitroxide moieties as well as the secondary species under ESI conditions.     

Interaction of a lithiated nitronyl nitroxide with polyfluorinated 1,4-naphthoquinones

A 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-3-oxide-1-oxyl lithium derivative was found to react with 2-methoxypentafluoro-1,4-naphthoquinone to form a product of addition at the carbonyl function: radical 2-(3,5,6,7,8-pentafluoro-1-hydroxy-2-methoxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydronaphthalen-1-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-3-oxide-1-oxyl. The yield of the addition product increased with temperature and reached 84% at 0?°C. The reaction of the lithium derivative with hexafluoro-1,4-naphthoquinone gave rise to a product of addition at both carbonyl groups, namely, nitronyl nitroxide diradical 2,3,5,6,7,8-hexafluoro-1,4-bis(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-3-oxide-1-oxyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole-2-yl)-1,4-dihydronaphthalene-1,4-diol in a 16% yield. The structures of both mono- and diradical were solved by X-ray diffraction analysis, which revealed formation of an intramolecular H-bond between the OH group and nitroxide oxygen. According to electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the obtained mono- and dinitroxide are prone to spontaneous deoxygenation in a toluene solution to give corresponding iminonitroxides. In water, they are much more stable.     

Synthesis and intramolecular magnetic interaction of triphenylamine derivatives with nitronyl nitroxide radicals

Two triphenylamine derivatives bearing nitronyl nitroxide radicals, tris[4-(1-oxyl-3-oxide-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolin-2-yl)phenyl]amine (1) and N,N-bis[4-(1-oxyl-3-oxide-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolin-2-yl)phenyl]-4-methoxyphenylamine (2) were synthesized. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements showed the weak antiferromagnetic interactions in the powder samples of 1 and 2. The electrochemical and ESR measurements revealed that the first oxidation process of 1 and 2 corresponds to the oxidation of nitronyl nitroxide moieties.     

Molecular design,synthesis, and magnetic characterization of poly(phenylacetylene) with pi-toporegulated pendant nitronyl nitroxide radicals as models for organic superpara- and ferromagnets

The present article describes the synthesis and magnetic properties of poly(phenylacetylene) ( 3 ) with pi-toporegulated pendant stable 4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolin-3-oxide-1-yloxyl radicals topologically participating in the pi-conjugated system of poly(phenylacetylene). Polyradical 3 was prepared by the condensation reaction of poly(p-ethynylbenzaldehyde) with 2,3-bis(hydroxylamino)-2,3-dimethylbutane followed by oxidation with lead dioxide. The spin concentration of 3 determined by the ESR spectroscopic method was 1.1 × 10²¹ spins/g. This value approximately corresponds to 0.5 unpaired electron spin per the repeating unit. A powder ESR spectrum of 3 gave a 100% Lorentzian single line showing spin-exchange narrowing. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) measurement of 3 afforded a straight line with a positive slope, suggesting that 3 has predominant paramagnetic properties within an experimental error.     

Site‐Directed Spin‐Labeling of DNA by the Azide–Alkyne ‘Click’ Reaction: Nanometer Distance Measurements on 7‐Deaza‐2′‐deoxyadenosine and 2′‐Deoxyuridine Nitroxide Conjugates Spatially Separated or Linked to a ‘dA‐dT’ Base Pair

Nucleobase‐directed spin‐labeling by the azide‐alkyne ‘click’ (CuAAC) reaction has been performed for the first time with oligonucleotides. 7‐Deaza‐7‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyadenosine ( 1 ) and 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine ( 2 ) were chosen to incorporate terminal triple bonds into DNA. Oligonucleotides containing 1 or 2 were synthesized on a solid phase and spin labeling with 4‐azido‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine 1‐oxyl (4‐azido‐TEMPO, 3 ) was performed by post‐modification in solution. Two spin labels ( 3 ) were incorporated with high efficiency into the DNA duplex at spatially separated positions or into a ‘dA‐dT’ base pair. Modification at the 5‐position of the pyrimidine base or at the 7‐position of the 7‐deazapurine residue gave steric freedom to the spin label in the major groove of duplex DNA. By applying cw and pulse EPR spectroscopy, very accurate distances between spin labels, within the range of 1–2 nm, were measured. The spin–spin distance was 1.8±0.2 nm for DNA duplex 17 ( dA*^7,10 ) ?11 containing two spin labels that are separated by two nucleotides within one individual strand. A distance of 1.4±0.2 nm was found for the spin‐labeled ‘dA‐dT’ base pair 15 ( dA*⁷ ) ?16 ( dT*⁶ ). The ‘click’ approach has the potential to be applied to all four constituents of DNA, which indicates the universal applicability of the method. New insights into the structural changes of canonical or modified DNA are expected to provide additional information on novel DNA structures, protein interaction, DNA architecture, and synthetic biology.     

Reactivity of esters of 2-cyanoacrylic acid toward some free radicals

The rate constants for the addition of ^·CH(Ph)CH₂CCl₃, ^·CH₂Ph, ^·CH₂Prⁿ, and ^·CCl₃ radicals to the ethyl 2-cyanoacrylate molecule were determined by ESR spectroscopy using the spin trapping technique.     

Two tri-spin complexes based on gadolinium and nitronyl nitroxide radicals: Structure and ferromagnetic interactions

Three Radical-Ln(III)-Radical complexes based on nitronyl nitroxide radicals have been synthesized, structurally and magnetically characterized: [Gd(hfac)₃(NITPhOEt)₂] (1) (hfac=hexafluoroacetylacetonate, and NITPhOEt=4′-ethoxy-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide), [Gd(hfac)₃(NITPhOCH₂Ph)₂] (2) (NITPhOCH₂Ph=4′-benzyloxy-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) and [Lu(hfac)₃(NITPhOCH₂Ph)₂] (3). The X-ray crystal structure analyses show that the structures of the three compounds are similar and all consist of the isolated molecules, in which central ions Gd^III or Lu^III are coordinated by six oxygen atoms from three hfac and two oxygen atoms from nitronyl radicals. The magnetic studies show that in both of the two Gd^III complexes, there are ferromagnetic Gd^III-Rad interactions and antiferro-magnetic Rad-Rad interactions in the molecules (with J_Rad−Gd=0.27 cm⁻¹, j_Rad-Rad=−2.97 cm⁻¹ for 1: and J_Rad−Gd=0.62 cm⁻¹, j_Rad-Rad=−7.01 cm⁻¹ for 2). An analogous complex of [Lu(hfac)₃ (NITPhOCH₂Ph)₂] (3) containing diamagnetic Lu^III ions has also been introduced for further demonstrating the nature of magnetic coupling between radicals.     

DNA modification by cis-diaminoplatinum(ii) complexes with aminonitroxide ligands

The mixed-ligand complexes cis-Pt^II[R(CH₂)_nNH₂](NH₃)X₂, where R = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-oxylpiperidin-4-yl, X₂ = ClI or Cl₂, n = 1 or 2, and binuclear complexes trans-3,4-bis[cis-ammine(iodochloro or dichloro)platinum(ii)amino]-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyls were synthesized. The reactivity of the aminonitroxide complexes toward DNA, the destabilizing effect of the adducts on DNA structure, and the distribution of the Pt adducts along the DNA duplex were studied. The platination activity of the complexes is affected by the natures of both the leaving ligands X and the carrying amino ligands. The decrease in the platination activity of the complexes with an increase in the amino ligand sizes is probably caused by steric hindrance. The complexes that effectively platinate isolated DNA and cause a moderate destabilizition of DNA duplex possess high antitumor activities.     

Magnetism of metal-nitroxide compounds involving bis-chelating imidazole and benzimidazole substituted nitronyl nitroxide free radicals

Coordination compounds based on imidazole and benzimidazole substituted nitronyl nitroxide radicals with transition metal ions and trivalent lanthanide ions are described from the perspective of their magnetic properties.For the transition metal compounds the crystal structures show various metal-nitroxide dimensionalities including mononuclear (0D), one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) complexes. The mononuclear complexes were isolated with most metal ions of the first transition series. One copper(II) complex shows a copper(II)-radical ferromagnetic coupling (J = +75 cm⁻¹) while for the other mononuclear compounds, mainly with manganese(II), the metal-radical interactions are antiferromagnetic. The one-dimensional and two-dimensional complexes are manganese(II) compounds which show canting effects leading to weak ferromagnetism.For the trivalent lanthanide ions [La(III), Gd(III) and Eu(III)], three series of mononuclear complexes were obtained in which the metal center is bound to four, two or one nitroxide radicals depending on the counter ions and ancillary ligands. Unexpectedly, in most gadolinium(III) complexes, the Gd(III)-radical interactions were found to be antiferromagnetic in contradiction with other foundings and previous theoretical models. In support to the magnetic studies, the optical properties of the lantanide complexes have also been investigated and are briefly described.     

Electron donor-bridge-acceptor molecules with bridging nitronyl nitroxide radicals: influence of a third spin on charge- and spin-transfer dynamics

Appending a stable radical to the bridge molecule in a donor-bridge-acceptor system (D-B-A) is potentially an important way to control charge- and spin-transfer dynamics through D-B-A. We have attached a nitronyl nitroxide (NN*) stable radical to a D-B-A system having well-defined distances between the components: MeOAn-6ANI-Ph(NN*)-NI, where MeOAn = p-methoxyaniline, 6ANI = 4-(N-piperidinyl)naphthalene-1,8-dicarboximide, Ph = phenyl, and NI = naphthalene-1,8:4,5-bis(dicarboximide). MeOAn-6ANI, NN*, and NI are attached to the 1, 3, and 5 positions of the Ph bridge. Using both time-resolved optical and EPR spectroscopy, we show that NN* influences the spin dynamics of the photogenerated triradical states (2,4)(MeOAn(+)*-6ANI-Ph(NN*)-NI(-)*), resulting in slower charge recombination within the triradical compared to the corresponding biradical lacking NN*. The observed spin-spin exchange interaction between the photogenerated radicals MeOAn(+)(*) and NI(-)(*) is not altered by the presence of NN*, which only accelerates radical pair intersystem crossing. Charge recombination within the triradical results in the formation of (2,4)(MeOAn-6ANI-Ph(NN*)-(3)NI), in which NN* is strongly spin-polarized. Normally, the spin dynamics of correlated radical pairs do not produce a net spin polarization; however, net spin polarization appears on NN* with the same time constant as describes the photogenerated radical ion pair decay. This effect is attributed to antiferromagnetic coupling between NN* and the local triplet state (3)NI, which is populated following charge recombination. This requires an effective switch in the spin basis set between the triradical and the three-spin charge recombination product having both NN* and (3)NI present.     

Templated self-assembly of wedge-shaped DNA arrays

We demonstrate the use of a one-dimensional template to control the shape of a two-dimensional array self-assembled from a minimal set of DNA tiles. A periodic single-stranded template seeds tile assembly. A unique vertex tile at the 5′ end of the template controls the positioning of edge and body tiles to create a wedge-shaped array. The vertex angle of the array is approximately 12°; edge lengths are of the order of 1 μm.     

Programmable Engineering of a Biosensing Interface with Tetrahedral DNA Nanostructures for Ultrasensitive DNA Detection

Self‐assembled DNA nanostructures with precise sizes allow a programmable “soft lithography” approach to engineer the interface of electrochemical DNA sensors. By using millimeter‐sized gold electrodes modified with several types of tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (TDNs) of different sizes, both the kinetics and thermodynamics of DNA hybridization were profoundly affected. Because each DNA probe is anchored on an individual TDN, its lateral spacing and interactions are finely tuned by the TDN size. By simply varying the size of the TDNs, the hybridization time was decreased and the hybridization efficiency was increased. More significantly, the detection limit for DNA detection was tuned over four orders of magnitude with differentially nanostructured electrodes, and achieved attomolar sensitivity with polymeric enzyme amplification.     

Synthesis,structure and magnetic properties of a Pr(III) complex with chelating nitronyl nitroxide radicals

The synthesis and structure of Pr(III) complex with chelating nitronyl nitroxide radicals of formula [Pr(III)(NIT2Py)₂(NO₃)₃] (NIT2Py?=?2-(2′-pyridyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) is reported. Pr(III) is ten-coordinate with three bidentate nitrate anions and two radicals. The radical behaves as a bidentate chelating ligand through one oxygen atom of the nitronyl nitroxide group and one nitrogen atom of a pyridine ring. The electronic spectrum for the complex in THF and magnetic susceptibilities from 77–300?K are reported.