Structural investigation of high-valent manganese-salen complexes by UV/Vis,Raman, XANES,and EXAFS spectroscopy

XANES and EXAFS spectroscopic studies at the Mn-K- and Br-K-edge of reaction products of (S,S)-(+)-N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediaminomanganese(III) chloride ([(salen)Mn(III)Cl], 1) and (S,S)-(+)-N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediaminomanganese(III) bromide ([(salen)Mn(III)Br], 2) with 4-phenylpyridine N-oxide (4-PPNO) and 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (MCPBA) are reported. The reaction of the Mn(III) complexes with two equivalents of 4-PPNO leads to a hexacoordinated compound, in which the manganese atom is octahedrally coordinated by four oxygen/nitrogen atoms of the salen ligand at an average distance of approximately 1.90 A and two additional, axially bonded oxygen atoms of the 4-PPNO at 2.25 A. The oxidation state of this complex was determined as approximately +IV by a comparative study of Mn(III) and Mn(V) reference compounds. The green intermediate obtained in reactions of MCPBA and solutions of 1 or 2 in acetonitrile was investigated with XANES, EXAFS, UV/Vis, and Raman spectroscopy, and an increase of the coordination number of the manganese atoms from 4 to 5 and the complete abstraction of the halide was observed. A formal oxidation state of IV was deduced from the relative position of the pre-edge 1s-->3d feature of the X-ray absorption spectrum of the complex. The broad UV/Vis band of this complex in acetonitrile with lambda(max)=648 nm was consistent with a radical cation structure, in which a MCPBA molecule was bound to the Mn(IV) central atom. An oxomanganese(V) or a dimeric manganese(IV) species was not detected.     

Oxidative addition of the ethane C-C bond to Pd. An ab initio benchmark and DFT validation study

We have computed a state-of-the-art benchmark potential energy surface (PES) for the archetypal oxidative addition of the ethane C-C bond to the palladium atom and have used this to evaluate the performance of 24 popular density functionals, covering LDA, GGA, meta-GGA, and hybrid density functionals, for describing this reaction. The ab initio benchmark is obtained by exploring the PES using a hierarchical series of ab initio methods [HF, MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T)] in combination with a hierarchical series of five Gaussian-type basis sets, up to g polarization. Relativistic effects are taken into account either through a relativistic effective core potential for palladium or through a full four-component all-electron approach. Our best estimate of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters is -10.8 (-11.3) kcal/mol for the formation of the reactant complex, 19.4 (17.1) kcal/mol for the activation energy relative to the separate reactants, and -4.5 (-6.8) kcal/mol for the reaction energy (zero-point vibrational energy-corrected values in parentheses). Our work highlights the importance of sufficient higher angular momentum polarization functions for correctly describing metal-d-electron correlation. Best overall agreement with our ab initio benchmark is obtained by functionals from all three categories, GGA, meta-GGA, and hybrid DFT, with mean absolute errors of 1.5 to 2.5 kcal/mol and errors in activation energies ranging from -0.2 to -3.2 kcal/mol. Interestingly, the well-known BLYP functional compares very reasonably with a slight underestimation of the overall barrier by -0.9 kcal/mol. For comparison, with B3LYP we arrive at an overestimation of the overall barrier by 5.8 kcal/mol. On the other hand, B3LYP performs excellently for the central barrier (i.e., relative to the reactant complex) which it underestimates by only -0.1 kcal/mol.     

Genome-based proteomics

Protein-protein interactions play crucial roles in various biological pathways and functions. Therefore, the characterization of protein levels and also the network of interactions within an organism would contribute considerably to the understanding of life. The availability of the human genome sequence has created a range of new possibilities for biomedical research. A crucial challenge is to utilize the genetic information for better understanding of protein distribution and function in normal as well as in pathological biological processes. In this review, we have focused on different platforms used for systematic genome-based proteome analyses. These technologies are in many ways complementary and should be seen as various ways to elucidate different functions of the proteome.     

Polymorphism in mercury(I) selenite(IV): preparation, crystal structures of α-, β-and γ-Hg2SeO3, and thermal behavior of the α- and β-modification

Mercury(I) selenite(IV) is polymorphic and crystallizes at least in three modifications, named α-, β-and γ-Hg₂SeO₃. Polycrystalline β-Hg₂SeO₃ was prepared by precipitation of a concentrated mercurous nitrate solution with selenous acid. Hydrothermal treatment of the colorless β-Hg₂SeO₃ powder in demineralized water at 250°C (10 days) yields light-yellow single crystals of α-Hg₂SeO₃ which show the highest density of the three modifications. Colorless needle-shaped single crystals of β-Hg₂SeO₃ and very few single crystals of γ-Hg₂SeO₃ co-crystallize from strongly diluted Hg₂(NO₃)₂ and H₂SeO₃ solutions and were grown by a diffusion technique. All crystal structures were solved and refined from single crystal diffractometer data sets and are based on Hg₂²⁺ dumbbells and trigonal pyramidal SeO₃²⁻ anions as the main building units. A common structural feature of all modifications is the formation of open channels extending parallel to the shortest crystallographic axis. The non-bonding orbitals of the Se^IV atoms are stereochemically active and protrude into the channels. Upon heating in an open system under N₂ atmosphere, both α- and β-Hg₂SeO₃ decompose in a well-separated three-step mechanism. The first step (T > 250°C) involves disproportionation into elementary mercury and α-HgSeO₃ which at ca. 400°C subsequently transforms into β-HgSeO₃. The second step between T = 400 and 500°C is accompanied by a loss of Hg and SeO₂ and the formation of the basic salt Hg₃SeO₆. In the third step, at temperatures between T = 500° and 600°C, this material decomposes completely. Upon heating in a closed system (sealed silica capillaries), β-Hg₂SeO₃ transforms between 320-340°C into the more dense α-Hg₂SeO₃ which on further heating likewise converts into elementary mercury and β-HgSeO₃.     

Multicomponent coupling reactions for organic synthesis: chemoselective reactions with amide-aldehyde mixtures

The acid-catalyzed condensation chemistry of simple amides and aldehydes provides a highly prolific source of diverse reactants for irreversible follow-up reactions. Amide-aldehyde mixtures have been successfully employed in multicomponent syntheses of N-acyl alpha-amino acids (via palladium-catalyzed amidocarbonylation) and various cyclohexene, cyclohexadiene, and benzene derivatives (via the amide-aldehyde-dienophile (AAD) reaction).     

2,2-Dioxo-1H-thieno[3,4-c][1,2]thiazines. Synthesis and some reactions of a new heterocycle

The first synthesis of substituted 2,2-dioxo-1-phenyl-1H-thieno[3,4-c][1,2]thiazines 2 and some of their reactions are achieved. Compounds 2 were prepared from the 3,5-dimethyl-1,1-dioxo-1,2-thiazine-4-carbaldehydes 1 by reaction with sulfur and triethyl amine in dimethylformamide under mild conditions. They were characterized spectroscopically and by X-ray structure analysis. The formylation, chlorination and oxidation of 2 are reported.     

Organoelement Compounds with Al?Al,Ga?Ga,and In?In Bonds

In the attempt to synthesize compounds with aluminum in a low oxidation state and an Al Al bond, by the reduction of alkylaluminum halides with alkali metals, analogous to a Wurtz coupling, in general the deposition of elemental aluminum and the formation of the corresponding trialkylaluminum compounds is observed. Thus, tetrasubstituted dialuminum compounds R₂Al AlR₂, apart from a few poorly characterized examples, were for a long time considered part of an unverified class of substances. Only with the sterically very highly shielded tetrakis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]dialuminum did we achieve the synthesis of the first completely characterized organoelement compound with unlimited stability, which shows aluminum in the oxidation state + II and has an Al Al bond. In the meantime, corresponding compounds for the elements gallium and indium have been obtained. With the simple access to tetrasubstituted dimetal compounds, a fascinating new research area has opened for preparative chemistry, in which the particular interest will naturally lie in the reactive properties of the metal-metal bond.     

Chemistry of polyfunctional molecules-123. Reactions of BiBr3, SbI3 and AsI3 with LiN(PPh2)2; X-ray structure of a cyclophosphazene salt containing arsenic(I)

BiBr₃ or SbI₃ react at 20°C with LiN(PPh₂)₂ (1) to give elementary Bi or Sb and the P---P coupled phosphazene ligand Ph₂P---N=PPh₂---PPh₂=N---PPh₂ (2). The reaction of AsI₃ with 1 at room temperature formed yellow needles of the eight-membered heterocycle (3), whereas AsI₃ interacted at 80°C with 1 in the molar ratio of 1:3 to give elementary arsenic and 2. Treatment of AsI₃ and 1 at 20°C in a 1:2 stoichiometry yielded the seven-membered, cyclic arsenium(I) salt

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I·4THF (5·4THF), which was characterized by elemental analysis, conductivity, mass, IR and NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray structural analysis.