Reaktionen von Nickel(0)-Komplexen mit p-Chinonen. Bildung phosphinsubstituierter Radikalanionen

(dipy)Ni(COD) react with duroquinone (Dch) or anthraquinone (Ach) to yield the complexes (dipy)Ni(η⁴ -Dch) or (dipy)Ni(η⁴ -Ach). Chloranil (CA), however, reacts as an oxidant and depending on the temperature (dipy)Ni^II(CA^2-) or following an oxidative addition (dipy)Ni^II(Cl)(CAH^-)(THF) are formed.By substitution of (Cy₃P)₂Ni(C₂H₄) the complexes (Cy₃P)Ni(η⁴-Dch) or (Cy₃P)₂Ni(η⁴ -Ach) are obtained, whereas a 1,1-coupling of quinone and the coordinated phosphine proceeds during the reaction between p-benzoquinone of chloranil and (Cy₃P)₂Ni(C₂H₄). By ESR studies it was demonstrated that with Ni(Cy₃P?Ch)₂ or Ni(Cy₃P?CA)₂, resp., complexes are obtained, in which radical anions, which are derived from the product of this 1,1-coupling, are coordinated to low-spin nickel (II). There is a significant difference between (Cy₃P)₂Ni(C₂H₄) and the analogous platinum or palladium complexes, which are substituted by p-benzoquinone while an oxidative addition proceeds with chloranil.     

The reaction of the group-13 alkyls ER3 (E = Al, Ga, In; R = CH2t-Bu, CH2 SiMe3) with the platinum-complex [(dcpe)Pt(H)(CH2t-Bu)]

The reactions of the sterically demanding group-13 alkyls ER₃ (E = Al, Ga, In; R = CH₂t-Bu, CH₂SiMe₃) with the platinum-complex [(dcpe)Pt(H)(CH₂t-Bu)] were re-investigated. The bimetallic compounds [(dcpe)Pt(ER₂)(R)] (3: E = Ga, R = CH₂SiMe₃; 5: E = In, R = CH₂t-Bu; dcpe = bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)ethane) with direct σ(Pt-E) bonds were obtained by oxidative addition of an E-C bond to the coordinatively unsaturated fragment [(dcpe)Pt] produced in situ by thermolysis of the starting complex [(dcpe)Pt(CH₂t-Bu)(H)]. The single crystal structure determination reveals a Pt-Ga bond length of 2.376(2) Å and a Pt-In bond length of 2.608(1) Å. All new compounds were characterised by elemental analysis, ³¹P and ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR spectroscopy. Interestingly, the Pt-Ga compound 3 slowly transforms into the platinum alkyl/hydride isomer {(dcpe)Pt(μ₂-H)[CH₂Si(CH₃)₂ CH₂Ga(CH₂SiMe₃)₂]} (4) during crystallization from solution at room temperature. The X-ray single crystal structure analysis revealed both complexes 3 and 4 coexisting in the unit cell in a 1:1 relation. The inaccessibility of analytically pure samples of the Pt-Al complex {(dcpe)Pt[Al(CH₂t-Bu)₂](CH₂t-Bu)} (6), postulated as intermediate of the reaction of [(dcpe)Pt(H)(CH₂t-Bu)] with Al(CH₂t-Bu) on the basis of ³¹P and ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR data, is attributed to an enhanced tendency to isomerisation into the alkyl/hydride Pt/Al congener of 4. A brief DFT analysis of the bonding situation of the model complex [(dhpe)Pt(GaMe₂)(Me)] (1M) revealed, that the contribution of π(Pt-Ga) back-bonding is negligible.     

Key role of electrostatic interactions in bacteriorhodopsin proton transfer

The first proton transport step following photon absorption in bacteriorhodopsin is from the 13-cis retinal Schiff base to Asp85. Configurational and energetic determinants of this step are investigated here by performing quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical minimum-energy reaction-path calculations. The results suggest that retinal can pump protons when in the 13-cis, 15-anti conformation but not when 13-cis, 15-syn. Decomposition of the proton transfer energy profiles for various possible pathways reveals a conflict between the effect of the intrinsic proton affinities of the Schiff base and Asp85, which favors the neutral, product state (i.e., with Asp85 protonated), with the mainly electrostatic interaction between the protein environment with the reacting partners, which favors the ion pair reactant state (i.e., with retinal protonated). The rate-limiting proton-transfer barrier depends both on the relative orientations of the proton donor and acceptor groups and on the pathway followed by the proton; depending on these factors, the barrier may arise from breaking and forming of hydrogen bonds involving the Schiff base, Asp85, Asp212, and water w402, and from nonbonded interactions involving protein groups that respond to the charge rearrangements in the Schiff base region.     

Heterobi‐ and ‐trinuclear Complexes with an Amino(ethynyl)carbene as Bridging Ligand

The sequential reaction of the amino(trimethylsilyl)carbene complex [(CO)₅W=C(NH₂)C≡CSiMe₃] ( 1 ) with nBuLi and [I‐Fe(CO)₂Cp] affords the C(carbene)‐N bridged heterobinuclear complex [(CO)₅W=C{NHFe(CO)₂Cp}C≡CSiMe₃] ( 2 ). Desilylation of 1 is achieved by treatment with KF in THF/MeOH. From the reaction of the resulting complex [(CO)₅W=C(NH₂)C≡CH] ( 3 ) with nBuLi and [I‐Fe(CO)₂Cp] two binuclear WFe compounds in a ratio of approximately 1:1 are obtained: the C(carbene)‐C≡C bridged complex 4 and the C(carbene)‐N bridged complex 5 . Repetition of the deprotonation/metallation sequence yields the trinuclear WFe₂ complex 6 . One Fe(CO)₂Cp fragment in 6 is bonded to the amino group and the other one to the terminal carbon atom of the ethynyl substituent. The analogous reaction of 3 with nBuLi and [Br‐Ni(PMe₂Ph)₂Mes] gives a ca. 1:1 mixture of two heterobinuclear complexes ( 7 and 8 ). Complex 7 is bridged by the C(carbene)‐C≡C and complex 8 by the C(carbene)‐N fragment. Subsequent reaction of 7 with BuLi and [Br‐Ni(PMe₂Ph)₂Mes] finally affords the trinuclear WNi₂ complex 9 related to 6 . The solid‐state structure of 2 is established by an X‐ray diffraction analysis. The spectroscopic data of the bi‐ and trinuclear complexes indicate electronic communication between the metal centers through the bridging group.     

Ammonium 1‐hydroxy‐2‐(2‐pyridinio)ethane‐1,1‐diyldiphosphonate dihydrate and potassium 1‐hydroxy‐2‐(2‐pyridinio)ethane‐1,1‐diyldiphosphonate dihydrate

The crystal structures of the title compounds, ammonium risedronate dihydrate, NH₄⁺·C₇H₁₀NO₇P₂⁻·2H₂O, (I), and potassium risedronate dihydrate, K⁺·C₇H₁₀NO₇P₂⁻·2H₂O, (II), have been determined from single‐crystal X‐ray data collected at 120 K. Compound (I) forms a three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded network which connects the ammonium and risedronate ions and the water mol­ecules. In compound (II), the K⁺ ions are seven‐coordinated in a capped distorted trigonal prism. The coordination polyhedra form chains by corner‐sharing, and these chains are connected by phosphon­ate groups into layers in the ac plane. The layers are stacked and connected by hydrogen bonds in the b direction. The risedronate conformation is determined by intra­molecular inter­actions fine‐tuned by crystal packing effects. All H‐atom donors in both structures are involved in hydrogen bonding, with D⋯A distances between 2.510 (2) and 3.009 (2) Å.     

Enhanced low-temperature CO oxidation on a stepped platinum surface for oxygen pressures above 10(-5) Torr

The rate of CO oxidation has been characterized on the stepped Pt(411) surface for oxygen pressures up to 0.002 Torr, over the 100-1000 K temperature range. CO oxidation was characterized using both temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) and in situ soft X-ray fluorescence yield near-edge spectroscopy (FYNES). New understanding of the important role surface defects play in accelerating CO oxidation for oxygen pressure above 10(-5) Torr is presented in this paper for the first time. For saturated monolayers of CO, the oxidation rate increases and the activation energy decreases significantly for oxygen pressures above 10(-5) Torr. This enhanced CO oxidation rate is caused by a change in the rate-limiting step to a surface reaction limited process above 10(-5) Torr oxygen from a CO desorption limited process at lower oxygen pressure. For example, in oxygen pressures above 0.002 Torr, CO(2) formation begins at 275 K even for the CO saturated monolayer, which is well below the 350 K onset temperature for CO desorption. Isothermal kinetic measurements in flowing oxygen for this stepped surface indicate that activation energies and preexponential factors depend strongly on oxygen pressure, a factor that has not previously been considered critical for CO oxidation on platinum. As oxygen pressure is increased from 10(-6) to 0.002 Torr, the oxidation activation energies for the saturated CO monolayer decrease from 24.1 to 13.5 kcal/mol for reaction over the 0.95-0.90 ML CO coverage range. This dramatic decrease in activation energy is associated with a simple increase in oxygen pressure from 10(-5) to 10(-3) Torr. Activation energies as low as 7.8 kcal/mol were observed for oxidation of an initially saturated CO layer reacting over the 0.4-0.25 ML coverage range in oxygen pressure of 0.002 Torr. These dramatic changes in reaction mechanism with oxygen pressure for stepped surfaces are consistent with mechanistic models involving transient low activation energy dissociation sites for oxygen associated with step sites. Taken together these experimental results clearly indicate that surface defects play a key role in increasing the sensitivity of CO oxidation to oxygen pressure.     

Design, synthesis, and biochemical evaluation of 1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-6,7-dioxo-9-D-ribitylaminolumazines bearing alkyl phosphate substituents as inhibitors of lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase

The last two steps in the biosynthesis of riboflavin, an essential metabolite that is involved in electron transport, are catalyzed by lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase. To obtain structural probes and inhibitors of these two enzymes, two ribityllumazinediones bearing alkyl phosphate substituents were synthesized. The synthesis involved the generation of the ribityl side chain, the phosphate side chain, and the lumazine system in protected form, followed by the simultaneous removal of three different types of protecting groups. The products were designed as intermediate analogue inhibitors of lumazine synthase that would bind to its phosphate-binding site as well as its lumazine binding site. Both compounds were found to be effective inhibitors of Bacillus subtilislumazine synthase as well as Escherichia coli riboflavin synthase. Molecular modeling of the binding of one of the two compounds provided a structural explanation for how these compounds are able to effectively inhibit both enzymes. In phosphate-free buffer, the phosphate moieties of the inhibitors were found to contribute positively to their binding to Mycobacterium tuberculosis lumazine synthase, resulting in very potent inhibitors with Ki values in the low nanomolar range. The additional carbonyl in the dioxolumazine system versus the purinetrione system was found to make a positive contribution to its binding to E. coli riboflavin synthase.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of novel neutral hexacoordinate silicon(IV) complexes with SiO2N4 skeletons containing cyanato-N or thiocyanato-N ligands

A series of novel hexacoordinate silicon(IV) complexes with an SiO2N4 skeleton (compounds (OC-6-12)-3, (OC-6-12)-4, (OC-6-12)-5, (OC-6-12)-6, and (OC-6-2'2)-7) were synthesized, starting from Si(NCO)4 or Si(NCS)4. These compounds contain (i) two bidentate O,N-chelate ligands (or one tetradentate O,N,N,O-chelate ligand) derived from 4-aminopent-3-en-2-ones of the formula type Me-C(NRH)=CH-C(O)-Me (R = organyl) and (ii) two monodentate cyanato-N or thiocyanato-N ligands. Formally, the bidentate singly negatively charged O,N-chelate ligands (tetradentate 2-fold negatively charged O,N,N,O-chelate ligand) behave as ligands of the imino-enolato type. In addition, the adduct trans-8 was synthesized by reaction of Si(NCS)4 with 2 molar equiv of Me-C(Ni-PrH)=CH-C(O)-Me. This hexacoordinate silicon(IV) complex contains (i) four monodentate thiocyanato-N ligands and (ii) two neutral monodentate ligands of the iminio-enolato type. All compounds synthesized were structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and solid-state and solution NMR spectroscopy. To get more information about the stereochemistry of these compounds, the experimental investigations were complemented by computational studies.     

A mixed adiabatic—diabatic representation for the vibronic coupling problem of polyatomic molecules

A model consisting of two electronic states with different symmetries and an arbitrary number of vibrational modes which couple these states is considered. After a series of canonical transformations the hamiltonian is brought into a form suited to study effects of anharmonic and vibronic couplings. Divergences typical for non-adiabatic coupling terms are avoided.