Ion spray-tandem mass spectrometry of supramolecular coordination complexes

Double-helical [M₂L₂] ⁿ⁺, triple-helical [M₂L₃] ⁿ⁺, and toroidal [M₃L₃] ⁿ⁺ (M = Cu, Co, Fe, Ni, La, Eu, Gd, Tb, or Lu) supramolecular complexes have been fully characterized by ion spray mass spectrometry (IS-MS). The IS-MS spectra from pure acetonitrile solutions reflect the nature of the cations present in solution with conservation of the charge state and allow an efficient qualitative speciation of the compounds. The mass spectrometry results can be correlated with other powerful techniques (nuclear magnetic resonance and electronic spectroscopy) for the characterization of supramolecular complexes in solution, Structural information is obtained by collision-induced dissociation, which strongly depends on the metal ions used in the supramolecular complexes and on the various connectivities and topologies of the ligands. When the ligand contains 3,5dimethoxybenzyl groups bound to the benzimidazole rings, the partial fragmentation of the complexes is associated with a decrease of the total charge of the complexes and the appearance of the characteristic fragment at m/z 151 that corresponds to the 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl cation. A detailed analysis of the fragmentation pathways of these supramolecular complexes suggests that the metal-nitrogen coordination bonds are very strong in the gas phase.     

New rhenium-tin cluster adds palladium phosphine groups across Re-Sn bonds

The new rhenium-tin complex Re2(CO)8(mu-SnPh2)2, 1 was obtained in 52% yield from the reaction of Re2(CO)8(mu-H)[mu-C(H)C(H)Bu] with Ph3SnH. Compound 1 contains two SnPh2 groups bridging a long Re-Re single bond, Re-Re = 3.1971(4) A [3.1902(4) A], Re-Sn = 2.7429(4) A [2.7445(4) A], and 2.7675(4) [2.7682(5) A]. A bis-Pd(PBut3) adduct of 1, Pd2Re2(CO)8(mu-SnPh2)2(PBut3)2, 2 was obtained from the reaction of 1 with Pd(PBut3)2. Compound 2 contains Pd(PBut3) groups bridging two of its four Re-Sn bonds. The Re-Re bond and the unbridged Re-Sn bonds in 2 are significantly longer than those in 1, 3.245(1) A and 2.8167(14) A, respectively. Fenske-Hall molecular orbital calculations on 1 and 2 have been performed to explain the metal-metal bonding in these unusual mixed-metal polynuclear metal complexes.     

High-nuclearity iridium carbonyl clusters containing phenylgermyl ligands: synthesis, structures, and reactivity

The reaction of Ir4(CO)12 with Ph3GeH at 97 degrees C has yielded the new tetrairidium cluster complexes Ir4(CO)7(GePh3)(mu-GePh2)2[mu3-eta3-GePh(C6H4)](mu-H)2 (10) and Ir4(CO)8(GePh3)2(mu-GePh2)4 (11). The structure of 10 consists of a tetrahedral Ir4 cluster with seven terminal CO groups, two bridging GePh2) ligands, an ortho-metallated bridging mu3-eta3-GePh(C6H4) group, a terminal GePh3 ligand, and two bridging hydrido ligands. Compound 11 consists of a planar butterfly arrangement of four iridium atoms with four bridging GePh2 and two terminal GePh3 ligands. The same reaction at 125 degrees C yielded the two new triiridium clusters Ir3(CO)5(GePh3)(mu-GePh2)3(mu3-GePh)(mu-H) (12) and Ir3(CO)6(GePh3)3(mu-GePh2)3 (13). Compound 12 contains a triangular Ir3 cluster with three bridging GePh2), one triply bridging GePh, and one terminal GePh3 ligand. The compound also contains a hydrido ligand that bridges one of the Ir-Ge bonds. Compound 13 contains a triangular Ir3 cluster with three bridging GePh2 and three terminal GePh3 ligands. At 151 degrees C, an additional complex, Ir4H4(CO)4(mu-GePh2)4(mu4-GePh)2 (14), was isolated. Compound 14 consists of an Ir4 square with four bridging GePh2, two quadruply bridging GePh groups, and four terminal hydrido ligands. Compound 12 reacts with CO at 125 degrees C to give the compound Ir3(CO)6(mu-GePh2)3(mu3-GePh) (15). Compound 15 is formed via the loss of the hydrido ligand and the terminal GePh3 ligand and the addition of one carbonyl ligand to 12. All compounds were fully characterized by IR, NMR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and elemental analysis.     

The resolution of racemic 2-alkyl-1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acids

Practical procedures for the resolution of racemic modification of (1$\text{R}$, 2$\text{S}$)-and (1$\text{S}$, 2$\text{R}$)-1-amino-2-ethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid $\text{1a}$,$\text{b}$,(1$\text{R}$, 2$\text{S}$)- and (1$\text{S}$, 2$\text{R}$)-1-amino-2-methylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid $\text{2a}$,$\text{b}$, and (1$\text{R}$, 2$\text{R}$)- and (1$\text{S}$, 2$\text{S}$)-1-amino-2-methylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid $\text{3a}$,$\text{b}$ are described; the structures as $\text{1a}$,$\text{2a}$, and $\text{3a}$ were confirmed by X-ray-crystallographic methods.     

Calculated electronic spectra of model ferric cytochrome P450 complexes

Restricted open-shell ground state properties and electronic spectra of two closely related low-spin, ferric, 6-coordinate, model cytochrome P450 complexes, one with a methyl mercaptide and the other a mercaptan as the second axial ligands, have been calculated with a newly modified, semiempirical INDO-SCF-CI method. The sensitivity of the calculated spectra to protonation of the sixth axial ligand, and the ability of the method to predict characteristic spectral features for the complexes investigated, are determined. Assignment of transitions, including xy- and z-polarized transitions, are made and compared with experimental observations where available. In particular, the origin of the anomalous split Soret spectrum observed in low-spin ferric complexes with mercaptide but not a mercaptan is investigated. Finally, a two part hypothesis is presented which provides a general explanation for the origin of both the observed split Soret and the red-shifted normal Soret in various ferrous and ferric P450 complexes in terms of the ground state orbital characters and simple symmetry considerations.     

Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals and Cl atoms with n-alkyl nitrites at atmospheric pressure and 298 K

Rate constants for the reactions of OH radicals and Cl atoms with CH₃ONO, C₂H₅ONO, n-C₃H₇ONO, n-C₄H₉ONO, and n-C₅H₁₁ONO have been determined at 298 ± 2 K and a total pressure of approximately 1 atm. The OH rate data were obtained using both the absolute rate technique of pulse radiolysis combined with kinetic spectroscopy and a relative rate method involving simultaneous measurement of the loss of the nitrite and the reference compound. The Cl rate constants were measured using the relative rate method. Values of the rate constants in units of 10^?13 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1 are:

Oxidation of coordinated olefins: the reactions of Cl2 with trichloro(ehtylene)platinate(II)

The oxidation of [PtCl₃(C₂H₄)]- by Cl₂ in aqueous solution, to yield CH₂ClCH₂OH and [PtCl₄]^2-, has been shown to proceed through the following sequence of steps: [PtCl₃(C₂H₄)] Cl₂Cl [PtCl₅(CH₂CH₂Cl)]^2-$\text{H}{}_2\text{O}\text{(HCl)}$ [PtCl₅(CH₂CH₂OH)]^2- → [PtCl₄^2- + CH₂ClCH₂OHEach of the steps and intermediates in this mechanistic sequence has been identified and characterized.     

DNA polymerase-mediated DNA synthesis on a TNA template

TNA, or threose nucleic acid, is capable of Watson-Crick base pairing with DNA, RNA, and TNA; coupled with its chemical simplicity, this suggests that TNA is a possible progenitor of RNA. As an initial step toward developing the molecular tools necessary to investigate the functional capabilities of TNA by in vitro selection, we have screened a variety of DNA polymerases for activity on a TNA template. We report that despite having a repeating unit that is one atom shorter than that of DNA, several polymerases showed surprisingly good ability to copy limited stretches of TNA.     

Ammonium cyanate shows N-H...N hydrogen bonding, not N-H...O

The transformation of ammonium cyanate into urea, first studied over 170 years ago by W?hler and Liebig, has an important place in the history of chemistry. To understand the nature of this solid state reaction, knowledge of the crystal structure of ammonium cyanate is a prerequisite. Employing neutron powder diffraction, we demonstrate conclusively that, in the structure of ammonium cyanate, the NH(4)(+) cation forms N-H...N hydrogen bonds to four cyanate N atoms at alternate corners of a distorted cube, rather than our previously proposed alternative arrangement with N-H...O hydrogen bonds to cyanate O atoms at the other four corners.     

Systems-based design of bi-ligand inhibitors of oxidoreductases: filling the chemical proteomic toolbox

Genomics-driven growth in the number of enzymes of unknown function has created a need for better strategies to characterize them. Since enzyme inhibitors have traditionally served this purpose, we present here an efficient systems-based inhibitor design strategy, enabled by bioinformatic and NMR structural developments. First, we parse the oxidoreductase gene family into structural subfamilies termed pharmacofamilies, which share pharmacophore features in their cofactor binding sites. Then we identify a ligand for this site and use NMR-based binding site mapping (NMR SOLVE) to determine where to extend a combinatorial library, such that diversity elements are directed into the adjacent substrate site. The cofactor mimic is reused in the library in a manner that parallels the reuse of cofactor domains in the oxidoreductase gene family. A library designed in this manner yielded specific inhibitors for multiple oxidoreductases.