Effect of metal ionic radius and chelate ring alternation motif on stabilization of trivalent nickel and copper in binuclear complexes with double cis-oximato bridges

Oxime ligands are able to form stable binuclear species with copper(II) ions in aqueous solution. They also have a strong tendency to decrease the Mn+/(n-1)+ redox potentials of the central ions. Ligands possessing the hydroxyimino groups together with other powerful sigma-donor groups can be very efficient chelating agents able to facilitate the stabilisation of high oxidation states of 3d-metals. Here we report the synthesis, structural characterization and redox behaviour of mononuclear and binuclear complexes based on hydroxyiminoamide tetradentate open-chain ligands. In all mononuclear anionic complexes the central atom is situated in a square-planar surrounding of four nitrogen atoms. This pseudo-macrocyclic conformation is due to the presence of short intramolecular hydrogen bonds uniting the cis-oximate oxygen atoms. The square-planar surrounding of the strong sigma-donors facilitates efficient stabilization of the trivalent state of copper and nickel ions. In cyclic voltammetry studies the quasi-reversible processes M2+-->M3+ can be observed. In the binuclear complexes the coordinatively saturated octahedral ion M[prime or minute] is bound to the two oxygen atoms of the bridging oximate groups and the four nitrogen atoms of the tetradentate ligand tren. Two metal ions (M and M') are linked by the double cis-oximate bridge and are incorporated in a six-membered bimetallic chelate ring. Metallamacrocycle formation leads to certain changes in the structural parameters of the binuclear complexes as compared to those observed in the mononuclear species. Also the study of the electrochemical activity of binuclear complexes has shown important differences in their redox behaviour as compared to their mononuclear precursors.     

Identification of aromatic sulphonic acids by reaction electrophoresis on paper

A method was elaborated to establish the number of sulphonic groups bound to the aromatic ring of aromatic acids by means of a paper electrophoretic separation of the original compound from the derivative. The difference between the mobilities is directly proportional to the number of substituted sulphonic groups.     

Electronic Structure and Magnetic Anisotropy of an Unsaturated Cyclopentadienyl Iron(I) Complex with 15 Valence Electrons

The 15 valence-electron iron(I) complex [Cp^ArFe(IiPr₂Me₂)] ( 1 , Cp^Ar=C₅(C₆H₄-4-Et)₅; IiPr₂Me₂=1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethylimidazolin-2-ylidene) was synthesized in high yield from the Fe^II precursor [Cp^ArFe(μ-Br)]₂. ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopic data, magnetic measurements, and ab initio ligand-field calculations indicate an S= 3/2 ground state with a large negative zero-field splitting. As a consequence, 1 features magnetic anisotropy with an effective spin-reversal barrier of U_eff=64 cm⁻¹. Moreover, 1 catalyzes the dehydrogenation of N,N-dimethylamine–borane, affording tetramethyl-1,3-diaza-2,4-diboretane under mild conditions.     

Structural variety and magnetic properties of tetranuclear nickel(II) complexes with a central mu4-azide

Using a set of pyrazolate-based dinucleating ligands with thioether sidearms and a set of different carboxylates, seven tetranuclear nickel(II) complexes of types [L2Ni4(N3)3(O2CR)2](ClO4) (1) and [L2Ni4(N3)(O2CR)4](ClO4) (2) featuring an unprecedented central mu4-1,1,3,3-azide could be isolated and fully characterized. X-ray crystal structures are discussed for 1a,b,e and 2b. The mu4-1,1,3,3-azide is symmetric in all cases except 1a but exhibits distinct binding modes with significantly different Ni-N(azide)-Ni angles and Ni-NNN-Ni torsions in type 1 and 2 complexes, which indicates high structural flexibility of this novel bridging unit. Also, IR-spectroscopic signatures and magnetic properties are distinct for type 1 and 2 complexes. Magnetic data for 1a,b,d,e and 2a,b were investigated and analyzed in a three-J approach. The only model that gave a satisfactory fit for all type 1 complexes includes one dominant antiferromagnetic coupling and two ferromagnetic interactions (one large and one smaller), indicating some degree of frustration. On the basis of magneto-structural correlations for end-on and end-to-end azide linkages, it is reasonable to assign the antiferromagnetic interaction to the intradimer exchange along the pyrazolate and the end-to-end linkage of the mu4-azide. Overall, the magnitude of the coupling constants differs significantly for the two distinct types of compounds, 1 or 2, and depends on the individual geometric details of the Ni4 array and the mu4-1,1,3,3-azide.     

Ru–bis(pyridine)pyrazolate (bpp)‐Based Water‐Oxidation Catalysts Anchored on TiO2: The Importance of the Nature and Position of the Anchoring Group

Three distinct functionalisation strategies have been applied to the in,in‐[{Ru^II(trpy)}₂(μ‐bpp)(H₂O)₂]³⁺ (trpy=2,2′:6′,2′′‐terpyridine, bpp=bis(pyridine)pyrazolate) water‐oxidation catalyst framework to form new derivatives that can adsorb onto titania substrates. Modifications included the addition of sulfonate, carboxylate, and phosphonate anchoring groups to the terpyridine and bis(pyridyl)pyrazolate ligands. The complexes were characterised in solution by using 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and UV/Vis spectroscopic analysis and electrochemical techniques. The complexes were then anchored on TiO₂‐coated fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) films, and the reactivity of these new materials as water‐oxidation catalysts was tested electrochemically through controlled‐potential electrolysis (CPE) with oxygen evolution detected by headspace analysis with a Clark electrode. The results obtained highlight the importance of the catalyst orientation with respect to the titania surface in regard to its capacity to catalytically oxidize water to dioxygen.     

Effect of Zn...Zn separation on the hydrolytic activity of model dizinc phosphodiesterases

From the study of highly preorganized model systems, experimental support has been obtained for a possible functional role of the Zn-(H)O...HO(H)-Zn motif in oligozinc hydrolases. The mechanistic relevance of such an array, which may be described as a hydrated form of a pseudo-terminal Zn-bound hydroxide, has recently been supported by DFT calculations on various metallohydrolase active sites. In the present targeted approach, the Zn...Zn distance in two related dizinc complexes has been controlled through the use of multifunctional pyrazolate-based ligand scaffolds, giving either a tightly bridged Zn-O(H)-Zn or a more loosely bridged Zn-(H)O...HO(H)-Zn species in the solid state. Zn-bound water has been found to exhibit comparable acidity irrespective of whether the resulting hydroxide is supported by strong hydrogen-bonding in the O(2)H(3) moiety or is in a bridging position between two zinc ions, indicating that water does not necessarily have to adopt a bridging position in order for its pK(a) to be sufficiently lowered so as to provide a Zn-bound hydroxide at physiological pH. Comparative reactivity studies on the cleavage of bis(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate (BNPP) mediated by the two dizinc complexes have revealed that the system with the larger Zn...Zn separation is hydrolytically more potent, both in the hydrolysis and the transesterification of BNPP. The extent of active site inhibition by the reaction products has also been found to be governed by the Zn...Zn distance, since phosphate diester coordination in a bridging mode within the clamp of two zinc ions is only favored for Zn...Zn distances well above 4 A. Different binding affinities are rationalized in terms of the structural characteristics of the product-inhibited complexes for the two different ligand scaffolds, with dimethyl phosphate found as a bridging ligand within the bimetallic pocket.