Aryl-aryl coupling reaction using a novel and highly active palladium reagent prepared from Pd(OAc)2, 1,3-bis[diphenylphosphino]propane (DPPP), and Bu3P

A palladium-assisted coupling reaction of aryl triflate with arene was investigated, and a novel Pd reagent prepared from equimolar Pd(OAc)2, 1,3-Bis[diphenylphosphino]propane (DPPP), and Bu3P was developed. This method is useful for intramolecular biaryl coupling reactions, not only between aryl triflate and arene (triflate-amide), but also between aryl halide and arene (halo-amide).     

Smiles-type free radical rearrangement of aromatic sulfonates and sulfonamides: syntheses of arylethanols and arylethylamines

Smiles-type free radical rearrangements of arenesulfonates and arenesulfonamides are exploited for synthetic purposes. 4-Substituted benzenesulfonates cause Smiles-type rearrangement only when substituted by an electron withdrawing group. Therefore, ipso-attack by an alkyl radical on arenesulfonates takes place in an electrophilic manner. Arenesulfonamides rearrange only when the amide nitrogen is substituted by an alkoxycarbonyl group, due to the electron withdrawing nature of this group. Sulfonates and the N-ethoxycarbonylsulfonamide derivatives of naphthalene, quinoline, and thiophene cause more rearrangement and show synthetic utility. Aromatic amino acid analogues were synthesized by Smiles-type rearrangement with moderate yields. The radical Smiles-type rearrangement of sulfonate and sulfonamide derivatives can be a useful synthetic route when we understand the electronic character of these reactions.     

Conversion of antennapedia homeodomain to zinc finger-like domain: Zn(II)-induced change in protein conformation and DNA binding

From the standpoint of protein dynamics and metalloprotein design, it is interesting to create an artificial protein which induces structural change and regulates its function by metal-ion binding. We engineered a novel protein, "Antennafinger (Ant-F)", whose structure and function can be controlled with Zn(II), by introducing the consensus sequence of a Cys(2)His(2)-type zinc finger protein into a non-metalloprotein scaffold, an Antennapedia homeodomain mutant (Ant-wt), selected using a motif-searching system. The circular dichroism studies demonstrate that Ant-F has secondary structures similar to Ant-wt and also changes its conformation due to Zn(II)-binding. The optical absorption spectra of the Co(II) complexes of Ant-F and its derivative proteins suggest that the geometry of the metal center of holo-Ant-F is tetrahedral and that the mutated Cys(2)His(2) residues are involved in the complex formation. In addition, the gel mobility shift assay reveals that the DNA binding activity of Ant-F can be regulated through Zn(II)-induced structural alteration. These results provide valuable information about the dynamic properties of proteins and a novel concept for metalloprotein design.     

Side chain type ionic liquid crystalline polymers having high Preliminary communication molecular weight

Side chain type ionic liquid crystalline polymers having a 4-(1,3-dioxan-2-yl)pyridinium structure in their mesogenic side chain were synthesized. These polymers exhibited the smectic A phase. The molecular weights of these ionic liquid crystalline polymers are very high, e.g. for compound 7 - 2 M _w = 486 000.     

Room-Temperature Phosphorescence from a Series of 3-Pyridylcarbazole Derivatives

Exploration of pure metal-free organic molecules that exhibit strong room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is an emerging research topic. In this regard, unveiling the design principles for an efficient RTP molecule is an essential, but challenging, task. A small molecule is an ideal platform to precisely understand the fundamental role of each functional component because the parent molecule can be easily derivatized. Here, the RTP behaviors of a series of 3-pyridylcarbazole derivatives are presented. Experimental studies in combination with theoretical calculations reveal the crucial role of the n orbital on the central pyridine ring in the dramatic enhancement of the intersystem crossing between the charge-transfer-excited singlet state and the locally excited triplet states. Single-crystal X-ray crystallographic studies apparently indicate that both the pyridine ring and fluorine atom contribute to the enhancement of the RTP because of the restricted motion owing to weak C−H⋅⋅⋅N and H⋅⋅⋅F hydrogen-bonding interactions. The single crystal of the fluorine-substituted derivative shows an ultra-long phosphorescent lifetime (τ_P) of 1.1 s and a phosphorescence quantum yield (Φ_P) of 1.2 %, whereas the bromine-substituted derivative exhibits τ_P of 0.15 s with a Φ_P of 7.9 %. We believe that this work provides a fundamental and universal guideline for the generation of pure organic molecules exhibiting strong RTP.     

Star-Shaped Ruthenium Complexes as Prototypes of Molecular Gears

The design and synthesis of two families of molecular-gear prototypes is reported, with the aim of assembling them into trains of gears on a surface and ultimately achieving controlled intermolecular gearing motion. These piano-stool ruthenium complexes incorporate a hydrotris(indazolyl)borate moiety as tripodal rotation axle and a pentaarylcyclopentadienyl ligand as star-shaped cogwheel, equipped with five teeth ranging from pseudo-1D aryl groups to large planar 2D paddles. A divergent synthetic approach was followed, starting from a pentakis(p-bromophenyl)cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) complex as key precursor or from its iodinated counterpart, obtained by copper-catalyzed aromatic Br/I exchange. Subsequent fivefold cross-coupling reactions with various partners allowed high structural diversity to be reached and yielded molecular-gear prototypes with aryl-, carbazole-, BODIPY- and porphyrin-derived teeth of increasing size and length.     

Synthesis and Systematic Structural Analysis of Cationic Half-Sandwich Ruthenium Chalcogenocarbonyl Complexes

Although the chemistry of transition-metal complexes with carbonyl (CO) and thiocarbonyl (CS) ligands has been well developed, their heavier analogues, namely selenocarbonyl (CSe) and tellurocarbonyl (CTe) complexes remain scarce. The limited availability of such CSe and CTe complexes has so far hampered our understanding of the differences between such chalcogenocarbonyl (CE: E=O, S, Se, Te) ligands. Herein, we report the synthesis and properties of a series of cationic half-sandwich ruthenium CE complexes of the type [CpRu(CE)(H₂IMes)(CNCH₂Ts)][BAr^F₄] (Cp=η⁵-C₅H₅⁻; H₂IMes=1,3-dimesitylimidazolin-2-ylidene; Ar^F=3,5-(CF₃)₂C₆H₃). A combination of X-ray diffraction analyses, NMR spectroscopic analyses, and DFT calculations revealed an increasing π-accepting ability of the CE ligands in the order O<S<Se<Te. A variable-temperature NMR analysis of the thus obtained chiral-at-metal CE complexes indicated high stereochemical stability.