A Comprehensive Study on Tetraaryltetrabenzoporphyrins

Tetraaryltetrabenzoporphyrins (TATBPs) show, due to their optoelectronic properties, rising potential as dyes in various fields of physical and biomedical sciences. However, unlike in the case of porphyrins, the potential structural diversity of TATBPs has been explored only to little extent, owed mainly to synthetic hurdles. Herein, we prepared a comprehensive library of 30 TATBPs and investigated their fundamental properties. We elucidated structural properties by X-ray crystallography and found explanations for physical properties such as solubility. Fundamental electronic aspects were studied by optical spectroscopy as well as by electrochemistry and brought in context to the stability of the molecules. Finally, we were able to develop a universal synthetic protocol, utilizing a readily established isoindole synthon, which gives TATBPs in high yields, regardless of the nature of the used arylaldehyde and without meticulous chromatographic purifications steps. This work serves as point of orientation for scientists, that aim to utilize these molecules in materials, nanotechnological, and biomedical applications.     

Synthesis and conformational analysis of naphth[1′,2′:5,6][1,3]oxazino[3,2-c][1,3]benzoxazine and naphth[1′,2′:5,6][1,3]oxazino[3,4-c][1,3]benzoxazine derivatives

A new functional group, the hydroxy group, was inserted into a Betti base by reaction with salicylaldehyde, and the naphthoxazine derivatives thus obtained were converted by ring-closure reactions with formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde or phosgene to the corresponding naphth[1′2′:5,6][1,3]oxazino[3,2-c][1,3]benzoxazine derivatives. Further, the conformational analysis of these polycyclic compounds by NMR spectroscopy and an accompanying molecular modelling are reported; especially, both quantitative anisotropic ring current effects of the aromatic moieties in these compounds and steric substituent effects were employed to determine the stereochemistry of the naphthoxazinobenzoxazine derivatives.     

MRI-guided neutron capture therapy by use of a dual gadolinium/boron agent targeted at tumour cells through upregulated low-density lipoprotein transporters

The upregulation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) transporters in tumour cells has been exploited to deliver a sufficient amount of gadolinium/boron/ligand (Gd/B/L) probes for neutron capture therapy, a binary chemio-radiotherapy for cancer treatment. The Gd/B/L probe consists of a carborane unit (ten B atoms) bearing an aliphatic chain on one side (to bind LDL particles), and a Gd(III)/1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane monoamide complex on the other (for detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). Up to 190 Gd/B/L probes were loaded per LDL particle. The uptake from tumour cells was initially assessed on cell cultures of human hepatoma (HepG2), murine melanoma (B16), and human glioblastoma (U87). The MRI assessment of the amount of Gd/B/L taken up by tumour cells was validated by inductively coupled plasma-mass-spectrometric measurements of the Gd and B content. Measurements were undertaken in vivo on mice bearing tumours in which B16 tumour cells were inoculated at the base of the neck. From the acquisition of magnetic resonance images, it was established that after 4-6 hours from the administration of the Gd/B/L-LDL particles (0.1 and 1 mmol kg(-1) of Gd and (10)B, respectively) the amount of boron taken up in the tumour region is above the threshold required for successful NCT treatment. After neutron irradiation, tumour growth was followed for 20 days by MRI. The group of treated mice showed markedly lower tumour growth with respect to the control group.     

Tridentate ionic hydrogen-bonding interactions of the 5-fluorocytosine cationic dimer and other 5-fluorocytosine analogues characterized by IRMPD spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations

Ionic hydrogen-bonding interactions have been found in several clusters formed by 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). The chloride and trimethylammonium cluster ions, along with the cationic (proton-bound) dimer have been characterized by infrared multiple-photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations performed at the B2PLYP/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. IRMPD action spectra, in combination with calculated spectra and relative energetics, indicate that it is most probable that predominantly a single isomer exists in each experiment. For the 5-FC-trimethylammonium cluster specifically, the calculated spectrum of the lowest-energy isomer convincingly matches the experimental spectrum. Interestingly, the cationic dimer of 5-FC was found to have a single energetically relevant isomer (Cationic-IV) involving a tridentate ionic hydrogen-bonding interaction. The three sites of intermolecular ionic hydrogen bonds in this isomer interact very efficiently, leading to a significant calculated binding energy of 180 kJ/mol. The magnitude of the calculated binding energy for this species, in combination with the strong correlation between the simulated and IRMPD spectra, suggests that a tridentate-proton-bound dimer was observed predominantly in the experiments. Comparison of the calculated relative Gibbs free energies (298 K) for this species and several of the other isomers considered also supports the likelihood of the dominant protonated dimer existing as Cationic-IV.     

Influence of microgel architecture and oil polarity on stabilization of emulsions by stimuli-sensitive core-shell poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) microgels: Mickering versus Pickering behavior?

Charged poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) [P(NiPAM-co-MAA)] microgels can stabilize thermo- and pH-sensitive emulsions. By placing charged units at different locations in the microgels and comparing the emulsion properties, we demonstrate that their behaviors as emulsion stabilizers are very different from molecular surfactants and rigid Pickering stabilizers. The results show that the stabilization of the emulsions is independent of electrostatic repulsion although the presence and location of charges are relevant. Apparently, the charges facilitate emulsion stabilization via the extent of swelling and deformability of the microgels. The stabilization of these emulsions is linked to the swelling and structure of the microgels at the oil-water interface, which depends not only on the presence of charged moieties and on solvent polarity but also on the microgel (core-shell) morphology. Therefore, the internal soft and porous structure of microgels is important, and these features make microgel-stabilized emulsions characteristically different from classical, rigid-particle-stabilized Pickering emulsions, the stability of which depends on the surface properties of the particles.     

Atomistic surface erosion and thin film growth modelled over realistic time scales

We present results of atomistic modelling of surface growth and sputtering using a multi-time scale molecular dynamics-on-the-fly kinetic Monte Carlo scheme which allows simulations to be carried out over realistic experimental times. The method uses molecular dynamics to model the fast processes and then calculates the diffusion barriers for the slow processes on-the-fly, without any preconceptions about what transitions might occur. The method is applied to the growth of metal and oxide materials at impact energies typical for both vapour deposition and magnetron sputtering. The method can be used to explain growth processes, such as the filling of vacancies and the formation of stacking faults. By tuning the variable experimental parameters on the computer, a parameter set for optimum crystalline growth can be determined. The method can also be used to model sputtering where the particle interactions with the surface occur at a higher energy. It is shown how a steady state can arise in which interstitial clusters are continuously being formed below the surface during an atom impact event which also recombine or diffuse to the surface between impact events. For fcc metals the near surface region remains basically crystalline during the erosion process with a pitted topography which soon attains a steady state roughness.     

Elucidating the origin of diastereoselectivity in a self-replicating system: selfishness versus altruism

We have investigated a diastereoselective self‐replicating system based on a cycloaddition of a fulvene derivative and a maleimide using a two‐pronged approach of combining NMR spectroscopy with computational modelling. Two diastereomers are formed with identical rates in the absence of replication. When replication is enabled, one diastereomer takes over the resources as a “selfish” autocatalyst, while exploiting the competitor as a weak “altruist”, resulting in a diastereoselectivity of 16:1. We applied 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic techniques supported by ab initio chemical shifts as well as ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to study the structure and dynamics of the underlying network. This powerful combination allowed us to decipher the energetic and structural rationale behind the observed behaviour, while static computational methods currently used in the field did not.     

2-difluoromethylene-4-methylenepentanoic acid, a paradoxical probe able to mimic the signaling role of 2-oxoglutaric acid in cyanobacteria

2-Difluoromethylene-4-methylenepentanoic acid (DFMPA), a seemingly deviated analog of 2-oxoglutaric acid (2-OG), could surprisingly mimic its signaling function in cyanobacteria. Computer modeling revealed the favorable binding of DFMPA toward the 2-OG receptor, NtcA, via mutual conformational changes, suggesting that structural alteration of 2-OG is tolerated for it to exercise its signaling role. This extremely useful finding could be exploited for the design of affinity probes with which to study new 2-OG receptors in related signaling pathways.     

Intramolecular d10-d10 interactions in heterometallic clusters of the transition metals

Weak attractive interactions between closed shell metal ions have been increasingly studied in the last few years and are generally designated as metallophilic interactions. They are best evidenced in the solid state where structural data obtained by X-ray diffraction provide precise information about the distance between the metals involved. The strength of such metal-metal interactions has been compared to that of hydrogen bonding (ca. 7-11 kcal mol(-1)) and is clearly sufficient to bring about novel bonding and structural features and confer interesting physical properties such as luminescence, polychromism, magnetism or one-dimensional electrical conductivity. The Cu(I)-Cu(I), Ag(I)-Ag(I) and Au(I)-Au(I) interactions have been increasingly observed and the latter have certainly been the most studied. Early qualitative analyses of the aurophilic attraction focused on Au-Au bonding originating from 6s, 6p and 5d orbital mixing. Numerous theoretical studies on metallophilic interactions continue to be carried out at various levels of sophistication which take into account relativistic and correlation effects to describe these van der Waals-type interactions. In this critical review, we would like to focus on the synthesis and structures of heterometallic clusters of the transition metals in which intra- rather than intermolecular d(10)-d(10) interactions are at work, in order to limit the role of packing effects. We wish to provide the reader with a comparative overview of the metal core structures resulting from or favoring metallophilic interactions but do not intend to provide a comprehensive coverage of the literature. We will first examine heterometallic clusters displaying homometallic and then heterometallic d(10)-d(10) interactions. Although the focus of this review is on d(10)-d(10) interactions involving metals from the group 11, we shall also briefly examine for comparison some complexes displaying intramolecular d(10)-d(10) interactions involving metals from other groups (188 references).     

Three different β‐cyclodextrins direct the emulsion copolymerization of a highly fluorinated methacrylate toward distinctive nanostructured particle morphologies

Stable colloidal dispersions of nanostructured semifluorinated acrylic particles with an unfluorinated core and an outer layer consisting of copolymers of the highly hydrophobic and lipophobic heptadecafluorodecyl methacrylate (FMA) were successfully synthesized with the assistance of three different cyclodextrins as phase‐transfer catalysts: β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD), hydroxypropyl β‐cyclodextrin (HpCD), and methyl β‐cyclodextrin (MeCD). While all the cyclodextrins form a stable inclusion complex (IC) with FMA, only the ICs with the more hydrophilic HpCD and MeCD are soluble in water. Nevertheless, incorporation of FMA in the particle shell copolymer could be achieved also when using β‐CD. On the other hand, the morphology of the nanostructured particles was characterized by a “patchy” fluorinated shell dependent on the cyclodextrin used, the best results being obtained with MeCD. A monomer‐starved semicontinuous emulsion polymerization procedure was essential to favor the CD‐mediated incorporation of FMA into the copolymer structure and to achieve a stable colloidal dispersion even in the presence of small amounts of mixed anionic–nonionic surfactants. The thermal and surface properties of the latex films showed a good correlation with the shell composition and patchy nanostructured morphology of the particles. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011