Xenophilic complexes bearing a Tp(R) Ligand, [Tp(R)M--M'Ln] [Tp(R) = Tp(iPr2), Tp(#) (Tp(Me2,4-Br)); M=Ni, Co, Fe, Mn; M'Ln = Co(CO)4, Co(CO)3(PPh3), RuCp(CO)2]: the two metal centers are held together not by covalent interaction but by electrostatic attraction

A series of dinuclear complexes, [Tp(R)M--M'L(n)] [Tp(iPr(2) )M--Co(CO)(4) (1; M=Ni, Co, Fe, Mn); Tp(#)M--Co(CO)(4) (1'; M=Ni, Co); Tp(#)Ni--RuCp(CO)(2) (3')] (Tp(iPr(2) )=hydrotris(3,5-diisopropylpyrazolyl)borato; Tp(#) (Tp(Me(2),4-Br))=hydrotris(3,5-dimethyl-4-bromopyrazolyl)borato), has been prepared by treatment of the cationic complexes [Tp(iPr(2) )M(NCMe)(3)]PF(6) or the halo complexes [Tp(#)M--X] with the appropriate metalates. Spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization of 1-3' reveals that the tetrahedral, high-spin Tp(R)M fragment and the coordinatively saturated carbonyl-metal fragment (M'L(n)) are connected only by a metal-metal interaction and, thus, the dinuclear complexes belong to a unique class of xenophilic complexes. The metal-metal interaction in the xenophilic complexes is polarized, as revealed by their nu(CO) vibrations and structural features, which fall between those of reference complexes: covalently bonded species [R--M'L(n)] and ionic species [M'L(n)](-). Unrestricted DFT calculations for the model complexes [Tp(H(2) )Ni--Co(CO)(4)], [Tp(H(2) )Ni--Co(CO)(3)(PH(3))], and [Tp(H(2) )Ni--RuCp(CO)(2)] prove that the two metal centers are held together not by covalent interactions, but by electrostatic attractions. In other words, the obtained xenophilic complexes can be regarded as carbonylmetalates, in which the cationic counterpart interacts with the metal center rather than the oxygen atom of the carbonyl ligand. The xenophilic complexes show divergent reactivity dependent on the properties of donor molecules. Hard (N and O donors) and soft donors (P and C donors) attack the Tp(R)M part and the ML(n) moiety, respectively. The selectivity has been interpreted in terms of the hard-soft theory, and the reactions of the high-spin species 1-3' with singlet donor molecules should involve a spin-crossover process.     

Furopyridines. V. A simple synthesis of furo[2,3-c]pyridine and its 2-and 3-methyl derivatives

A simple synthesis of furo[2,3-c]pyridine and its 2- and 3-methyl derivatives from ethyl 3-hydroxyisonicotinate ( 2 ) is described. The hydroxy ester 2 was O-alkylated with ethyl bromoacetate or ethyl 2-bromopropionate to give the diester 3a or 3b . Cyclization of compound 3a afforded ethyl 3-hydroxyfuro [2,3-c]pyridine-2-carboxylate ( 4 ) which was hydrolyzed and decarboxylated to give furo[2,3-c]pyridin-3(2H)-one ( 5a ). Cyclization of 3b gave the 2-methyl derivative 5b . Reduction of 5a and 5b with sodium borohydride yielded the corresponding hydroxy derivative 6a and 6b , respectively, which were dehydrated with phosphoric acid to give furo[2,3-c]pyridine ( 7a ) and its 2-methyl derivative 7b . 4-Acetylpyridin-3-ol ( 8 ) was O-alkylated with ethyl bromoacetate to give ethyl 2-(4-acetyl-3-pyridyloxy) acetate ( 9 ). Saponification of compound 9 , and the subsequent intramolecular Perkin reaction gave 3-methylfuro[2,3-c]pyridine ( 10 ). Cyclization of 9 with sodium ethoxide gave 3-methylfuro[2,3-c]pyridine-2-carboxylic acid, which in turn was decarboxylated to give compound 10 .     

Efficient eosin y dye-sensitized solar cell containing Br-/Br3- electrolyte

We found that Br-/Br3- is more suitable than an I-/I3- couple in dye-sensitized solar cells in terms of higher open-circuit photovoltage (Voc) production and higher overall energy conversion efficiency (eta) if the dye sensitizer has a more positive potential than that of Br-/Br3-. Under simulated AM1.5 one sun, an eosin Y dye-sensitized solar cell containing 0.4 M LiBr + 0.04 M Br2 electrolyte in acetonitrile yielded a short-circuit photocurrent (Jsc) of 4.63 mA cm(-2), Voc of 0.813 V, and fill factor (FF) of 0.693, corresponding to 2.61% of eta. Under the same conditions except for the electrolyte 0.4 M LiI + 0.04 M I2 in acetonitrile instead, the device produced 1.67% of eta (Jsc = 5.15 mA cm(-2), Voc = 0.451 V, FF = 0.721). Replacement of I-/I3- with Br-/Br3- in eosin Y dye-sensitized solar cells yielded a significant increase in Voc offset by slight decreases in Jsc and FF, leading to an increase in eta by 56%. The significant gain in Voc was attributed to the enlarged energy level difference between the redox potential of the electrolyte and the Fermi level of TiO2 and the suppressed charge recombination as well. The rate for charge recombination between bromine and the injected electrons was determined to be first order in bromine.     

Solvent effect on the radical polymerization of di-n-butyl itaconate

Solvent effect on the polymerization of di-n-butyl itaconate (DBI) with dimethyl azobisisobutyrate (MAIB) was investigated at 50 and 61°C. The solvents used were found to affect significantly the polymerization. The polymerization rate (R_p) and the molecular weight of the resulting polymer are lower in more polar solvents. The initiation rate (R_i) by MAIB, however, shows a trend of being rather higher in polar solvents. The stationary state concentration of propagating poly(DBI) radical was determined by ESR in seven solvents. The rate constants of propagation (k_p) and termination (k_t) were evaluated by using R_p, R_i, and the polymer radical concentration observed. The k_p value decreases fairly with increasing polarity of the solvent used, whereas k_t is not so influenced by the solvents. The solvent effect on k_p is explained in terms of a difference in the environment around the terminal radical center of the growing chain. Copolymerization of DBI with styrene (St) was also examined in three solvents with different physical properties. The poly(DBI) radical shows a lower reactivity toward St in a more polar solvent.     

Influence of the Coordination of Donor Solvent Molecules to 1,4,7,10-Tetramethyl-1,4,7,10- tetraazacyclododecanenickel(II) and Analogous Nickel(II) Complexes on Their Steric Factors

Coordination equilibrium constants (K _NiS) of some donor solvent molecules to 1,4,7,10-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecanenickel(II) ([Ni(Me₄[12]aneN₄)]²⁺) were determined in nitrobenzene (a noncoordinating bulk solvent). The first (K _NiS1) and second stepwise coordination equilibrium constants (K _NiS2) for 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecanenickel(II) ([Ni([12]aneN₄)]²⁺), 1,4,8,11-tetraazac yclotetradecane- nickel(II) ([Ni([14] aneN₄)]²⁺), 1,4,8,11-tetrathiacyclotetra-decanenickel(II) ([Ni([14]aneS₄)]²⁺) were also reinvestigated. The K _NiS values for [Ni(Me₄[12]aneN₄)]²⁺ were compared to those of [Ni([12]aneN₄)]²⁺, (1R,4S, 8R,11S)-1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecanenickel(II) (R,S,R,S-[Ni(Me₄[14]aneN₄)]²⁺), R,R,S,S-[Ni(Me₄[14]aneN₄)]²⁺, [Ni([14]aneN₄)]²⁺, and [Ni([14]aneS₄)]²⁺. Coordination of pyridine (Py), N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylurea (TMU), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) to [Ni(Me₄[12]aneN₄)]²⁺ was observed, although these donor solvent molecules did not coordinate to R,S,R,S-[Ni(Me₄[14]aneN₄)]²⁺. The K _NiS values for Py, TMU, and DMA are 7.9, 2.8, and 9.0 dm³⋅mol⁻¹, respectively. Some hydrogen-bonding waters were coordinated to R,S,R,S-[Ni(Me₄[14]aneN₄)]²⁺, but such waters did not coordinate to [Ni(Me₄[12] aneN₄)]²⁺. Also, the K _NiS2 values were larger than the corresponding K _NiS1 values for [Ni([14]aneS₄)]²⁺. Furthermore, the K _NiS1 values for [Ni([12]aneN₄)]²⁺ were the largest among these nickel(II) complex cations. The K _NiS, K _NiS1, and K _NiS2 values are discussed in terms of properties of the donor solvents and steric strains of these nickel(II) complex cations.     

Marginal electron density and density-difference functions

Summary For visual analysis of the density reorganization and distortion, the one-dimensional cut (x, y ₀,z ₀) and the two-dimensional cut (x, y, z ₀) of the three-dimensional electron density difference function (x, y, z) are frequently employed. However, these cut functions do not satisfy any sum rules in contrast to the original difference function (x, y, z). To avoid this difficulty, the use of the marginal electron density functions _x (x) and _xy (x, y) and their difference functions _x (x) and _xy (x, y) is proposed. The marginal densities are condensation of the three-dimensional density onto a particular plane or line of our interest, and they satisfy the sum rule (i.e., the conservation of the number of electrons) exactly. Some basic properties of the marginal electron density are clarified for typical diatomic molecular orbitals. An illustrative application is given for the bonding and antibonding processes in the H₂ system.     

Metal-complex assemblies constructed from the flexible hinge-like ligand H2bhnq: structural versatility and dynamic behavior in the solid state

Novel metal-complex assemblies constructed from the flexible hinge-like ligand H(2)bhnq (H(2)bhnq=2,2'-bi(3-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone)) have been synthesized. The X-ray crystal structures of these compounds reveal that four types of architectures are accessible by variation of the metal ions. In copper(II) compounds 1-3, the chelating bhnq(2-) ions bridge copper(II) centers to form one-dimensional zigzag chains. The chains of 1-3 are arranged by hydrogen-bonding interactions and stacking interactions to produce porous structures. Cobalt(II) and zinc(II) compounds 4 and 5 form one-dimensional helical chains. In 4 and 5, the crystal packing induces spontaneous resolution of the helical chains with chiral cavities formed perpendicular to the helices. Nickel(II) compounds 6 and 7 form cyclic tetramers. The fourth architecture, a dimer (compound 8), is obtained by the reaction of zinc(II) and bhnq(2-) in MeOH. In these compounds, changes of the dihedral angles and the metal-coordination mode of the bhnq(2-) ion induce the structural versatility. The assemblies of the zigzag chains of the copper(II) compounds exhibit reversible vapochromic behavior. UV/Vis, powder X-ray diffraction, EPR, and adsorption isotherm measurements indicate that this vapochromic behavior is based on the hinge-like flexibility of the bhnq(2-) ion.     

Modification of Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding protein with gold nanoparticles for electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization

The unique binding event between Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding protein (SSB) and single-stranded oligonucleotides conjugated to gold (Au) nanoparticles is utilized for the electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization. SSB was attached onto a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of single-stranded oligonucleotide modified Au nanoparticle, and the resulting Au-tagged SSB was used as the hybridization label. Changes in the Au oxidation signal was monitored upon binding of Au tagged SSB to probe and hybrid on the electrode surface. The amplified oxidation signal of Au nanoparticles provided a detection limit of 2.17 pM target DNA, which can be applied to genetic diagnosis applications. This work presented here has important implications with regard to combining a biological binding event between a protein and DNA with a solid transducer and metal nanoparticles.     

Reactive oligomers. II. Polymerization of glycol bis(allyl phthalate)s and glycol bis(allyl succinate)s

Seven glycol bis(allyl phthalate)s (GBAP) and four glycol bis(allyl succinate)s (GBASu) as reactive oligomers were prepared and their polymerization behaviors were investigated in detail in terms of cyclopolymerization and gelation as compared with diallyl dicarboxylates. Thus, the rates of polymerization of GBAPs were reduced compared to diallyl phthalate, being attributed to the steric effect on the intermolecular propagation of the uncyclized radical, whereas those of GBASus were enhanced as a consequence of intermolecular association by dipole–dipole interaction in polar GBASu monomers. Cyclization was enhanced in the following order: diallyl aliphatic dicarboxylates series < GBASu series < GBAP series. Gelation was discussed according to Gordon's theory; the actual gel-point conversions increased with an increase in the molecular weight of monomers, although the discrepancy between actual and theoretical gel-point conversion inversely tended to be decreased. The decreased delay in gelation with an increase of the molecular weight of monomers is ascribed to the reduction of excluded volume effects on crosslinking.