Microwave-assisted regioselective N-alkylation of cyclic amidines

A simple and efficient methodology for regioselective alkylation of exocyclic nitrogen of cyclic amidines was developed by microwave-assisted heating in the presence of amines. Novel N-alkylated 3,4-dihydropyrazino[2,1-b]quinazolin-6-ones were prepared in good yields. The reaction occurred via a transamination (addition-elimination) process involving a first attack of the amine on the electrophilic carbon of the amidine function.     

Core-Modified Coelenterazine Luciferin Analogues: Synthesis and Chemiluminescence Properties

In this work on the design and studies of luciferins related to the blue-hued coelenterazine, the synthesis of heterocyclic analogues susceptible to produce a photon, possibly at a different wavelength, is undertaken. Here, the synthesis of O-acetylated derivatives of imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazin-3(5 H)-one, imidazo[2,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-7(1 H)-one, imidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-3-ol, imidazo[1,2-a]quinoxalin-1(5 H)-one, benzo[f]imidazo[1,2-a]quinoxalin-3(11 H)-one, imidazo[1′,2′:1,6]pyrazino[2,3-c]quinolin-3(11 H)-one, and 5,11-dihydro-3 H-chromeno[4,3-e]imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3-one is described thanks to extensive use of the Buchwald–Hartwig N-arylation reaction. The acidic hydrolysis of these derivatives then gave solutions of the corresponding luciferin analogues, which were studied. Not too unexpectedly, even if these were “dressed” with substituents found in actual substrates of the nanoKAZ/NanoLuc luciferase, no bioluminescence was observed with these compounds. However, in a phosphate buffer, all produced a light signal, by chemiluminescence, with extensive variations in their respective intensity and this could be increased by adding a quaternary ammonium salt in the buffer. This aspect was actually instrumental to determine the emission spectra of many of these luciferin analogues.     

Production of l-menthyl acetate through kinetic resolution by Candida cylindracea lipase: effects of alkaloids as additives

Research on Chemical Intermediates - Enzymatic transesterification of dl-menthol with vinyl acetate in tert-Butyl methyl ether (TBME) catalyzed by Candida cylindracea lipase (CCL) was carried out...     

Counterion influence on the N–I–N halogen bond

A detailed investigation of the influence of counterions on the [N–I–N]⁺ halogen bond in solution, in the solid state and in silico is presented. Translational diffusion coefficients indicate close attachment of counterions to the cationic, three-center halogen bond in dichloromethane solution. Isotopic perturbation of equilibrium NMR studies performed on isotopologue mixtures of regioselectively deuterated and nondeuterated analogues of the model system showed that the counterion is incapable of altering the symmetry of the [N–I–N]⁺ halogen bond. This symmetry remains even in the presence of an unfavorable geometric restraint. A high preference for the symmetric geometry was found also in the solid state by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Molecular systems encompassing weakly coordinating counterions behave similarly to the corresponding silver(i) centered coordination complexes. In contrast, systems possessing moderately or strongly coordinating anions show a distinctly different behavior. Such silver(i) complexes are converted into multi-coordinate geometries with strong Ag–O bonds, whereas the iodine centered systems remain linear and lack direct charge transfer interaction with the counterion, as verified by ¹⁵N NMR and DFT computation. This suggests that the [N–I–N]⁺ halogen bond may not be satisfactorily described in terms of a pure coordination bond typical of transition metal complexes, but as a secondary bond with a substantial charge-transfer character.     

Multiple N—H...NC,C—H...NC and nitrile...π interactions in 4,4′‐bipyridine‐1,1′‐diium bis(1,1,3,3‐tetracyano‐2‐ethoxypropenide): structure determination and DFT calculations of anion...π cation interaction energies

Polynitrile anions are important in both coordination chemistry and molecular materials chemistry, and are interesting for their extensive electronic delocalization. The title compound crystallizes with two symmetry‐independent half 4,4′‐bipyridine‐1,1′‐diium (bpyH₂²⁺) cations and two symmetry‐independent 1,1,3,3‐tetracyano‐2‐ethoxypropenide (tcnoet⁻) anions in the asymmetric unit. One of the bpyH₂²⁺ ions is located on a crystallographic twofold rotation axis (canted pyridine rings) and the other is located on a crystallographic inversion center (coplanar pyridine rings). The ethyl group of one of the tcnoet⁻ anions is disordered over two sites with equal populations. The extended structure exhibits two separate N—H...NC hydrogen‐bonding motifs, which result in a sheet structure parallel to (010), and weak C—H...NC hydrogen bonds form joined rings. Two types of multicenter CN...π interactions are observed between the bpyH₂²⁺ rings and tcnoet⁻ anions. An additonal CN...π interaction between adjacent tcnoet⁻ anions is observed. Using density functional theory, the calculated attractive energy between cation and anion pairs in the tcnoet⁻...π(bipyridinediium) interactions were found to be 557 and 612 kJ mol⁻¹ for coplanar and canted bpyH₂²⁺ cations, respectively.     

Guidelines to design new spin crossover materials

This review focuses on new families of spin crossover (SCO) complexes based on polynitrile anions as new anionic ligands or on polyazamacrocycles as neutral macrocyclic ligands. We have shown that the structural and electronic characteristics (original coordination modes and high electronic delocalization) of the polynitrile anions can be tuned by slight chemical modifications such as substitution of functional groups or variation of the negative charge to design new discrete or polymeric SCO systems.In our ongoing work on the design of new molecular systems based on new ligands that can be fine-tuned via chemical modifications, another promising way which has been recently developed in our group concerns the use of new neutral polydentate ligands which are able to tune the ligand field energy around the metal centre. Here we report some recent original Fe(II) SCO complexes based on such polydentate ligands.