Syntheses and Crystal Structures of Di‐ and Trimercury Chlorogallates

Mercury(I) chloride reacts with gallium(III) chloride in benzene/1, 2‐dichlorobenzene solution to give the binuclear compound Hg₂(GaCl₄)₂ ( 1 ). Reduction of mercury(I) chloride with mercury in gallium(III) chloride‐benzene mixture leads to the trinuclear compound Hg₃(GaCl₄)₂ ( 2 ). The crystal structures of 1 and 2 were determined by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction {Hg₂(GaCl₄)₂: triclinic, P1¯, a = 645.21(3), b = 654.44(3), c = 927.17(7) pm, α = 83.526(2)°, β = 74.915(2)°, γ = 61.863(3)°; Hg₃(GaCl₄)₂: monoclinic, P2₁/c, a = 715.79(1), b = 1501.59(4), c = 1421.43(4) pm, β = 98.9798(9)°}.     

An automated high performance capillary liquid chromatography-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer for high-throughput proteomics

We describe a fully automated high performance liquid chromatography 9.4 tesla Fourier transform ion resonance cyclotron (FTICR) mass spectrometer system designed for proteomics research. A synergistic suite of ion introduction and manipulation technologies were developed and integrated as a high-performance front-end to a commercial Bruker Daltonics FTICR instrument. The developments incorporated included a dual-ESI-emitter ion source; a dual-channel electrodynamic ion funnel; tandem quadrupoles for collisional cooling and focusing, ion selection, and ion accumulation, and served to significantly improve the sensitivity, dynamic range, and mass measurement accuracy of the mass spectrometer. In addition, a novel technique for accumulating ions in the ICR cell was developed that improved both resolution and mass measurement accuracy. A new calibration methodology is also described where calibrant ions are introduced and controlled via a separate channel of the dual-channel ion funnel, allowing calibrant species to be introduced to sample spectra on a real-time basis, if needed. We also report on overall instrument automation developments that facilitate high-throughput and unattended operation. These included an automated version of the previously reported very high resolution, high pressure reversed phase gradient capillary liquid chromatography (LC) system as the separations component. A commercial autosampler was integrated to facilitate 24 h/day operation. Unattended operation of the instrument revealed exceptional overall performance: Reproducibility (1-5% deviation in uncorrected elution times), repeatability (<20% deviation in detected abundances for more abundant peptides from the same aliquot analyzed a few weeks apart), and robustness (high-throughput operation for 5 months without significant downtime). When combined with modulated-ion-energy gated trapping, the dynamic calibration of FTICR mass spectra provided decreased mass measurement errors for peptide identifications in conjunction with high resolution capillary LC separations over a dynamic range of peptide peak intensities for each spectrum of 10(3), and >10(5) for peptide abundances in the overall separation.     

Modification of binuclear Pt-Tl bonded complexes by attaching bipyridine ligands to the thallium site

Complex formation of monomeric thallium(III) species with 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) in dimethyl sulfoxide (dmso) and acetonitrile solutions was studied by means of multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, and (205)Tl) NMR spectroscopy. For the first time, NMR signals of the individual species [Tl(bipy)(m)(solv)](3+) (m = 1-3) were observed despite intensive ligand and solvent exchange processes. The tris(bipy) complex was crystallized as [Tl(bipy)(3)(dmso)](ClO(4))(3)(dmso)(2) (1), and its crystal structure determined. In this compound, thallium is seven-coordinated; it is bonded to six nitrogen atoms of the three bipy molecules and to an oxygen atom of dmso. Metal-metal bonded binuclear complexes [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(CN)(n)(solv)](n)(-) (n = 0-3) have been modified by attaching bipy molecules to the thallium atom. A reaction between [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(dmso)(4)](s) and 2,2'-bipyridine in dimethyl sulfoxide solution results in the formation of a new complex, [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(bipy)(solv)]. The presence of a direct Pt-Tl bond in the complex is convincingly confirmed by a very strong one-bond (195)Pt-(205)Tl spin-spin coupling ((1)J((195)Pt-(205)Tl) = 64.9 kHz) detected in both (195)Pt and (205)Tl NMR spectra. In solutions containing free cyanide, coordination of CN(-) to the thallium atom occurs, and the complex [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(bipy)(CN)(solv)](-) ((1)J((195)Pt-(205)Tl) = 50.1 kHz) is formed as well. Two metal-metal bonded compounds containing bipy as a ligand were crystallized and their structures determined by X-ray diffractometry: [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(bipy)(dmso)(3)] (2) and [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(bipy)(2)] (3). The Pt-Tl bonding distances in the compounds, 2.6187(7) and 2.6117(5) A, respectively, are among the shortest reported separations between these two metals. The corresponding force constants in the molecules, 1.38 and 1.68 N/cm, respectively, were calculated using Raman stretching frequencies of the Pt-Tl vibrations and are characteristic for a single metal-metal bond. Electronic absorption spectra were recorded for the [(NC)(5)Pt-Tl(bipy)(m)(solv)] compounds, and the optical transition was attributed to the metal-metal bond assigned.     

Naphthalene derivatives of a conformationally locked GFP chromophore with large stokes shifts

The active development of fluorescence microscopy requires an increase in the variety of the dyes and their characteristics. Compounds with a large Stokes shift, i.e., a large difference between the positions of the absorption and emission maxima, have attracted the interest of researchers as a tool that can be used for multicolor labeling. One of the known approaches to increase the Stokes shift is the introduction of additional polycyclic fragments. Herein, we report novel derivatives of a conformationally locked GFP chromophore containing the naphthalene ring. The proposed modification leads not only to the enhancement of the Stokes shift up to 100 nm but also leads to the noticeable red-shift of the emission and absorption spectra in contrast with the corresponding derivatives with one benzene ring.     

The ferrous verdoheme-heme oxygenase complex is six-coordinate and low-spin

A biosynthetic and enzymatic method was developed for the preparation of 13C-labeled verdoheme, which permits the 13C NMR spectroscopic characterization of this elusive intermediate in the heme oxidation path catalyzed by the enzyme heme oxygenase. The 13C NMR data indicate that the ferrous verdoheme complex of Neisseria meningitides heme oxygenase is hexacoordinate and diamagnetic, with a proximal histidine and likely a distal hydroxide as axial ligands. The coordination number and spin state of the ferrous verdoheme-heme oxygenase complex is in stark contrast to the pentacoordinate and paramagnetic nature of the heme-heme oxygenase complex and heme centers in general.     

Fully stereocontrolled total syntheses of the prostacyclin analogues 16S-iloprost and 16S-3-oxa-iloprost by a common route, using alkenylcopper-azoalkene conjugate addition, asymmetric olefination, and allylic alkylation

In this article we describe fully stereocontrolled total syntheses of 16S-iloprost (16S-2), the most active component of the drugs Ilomedin and Ventavis, and of 16S-3-oxa-iloprost (16S-3), a close analogue of 16S-2 having the potential for a high oral activity, by a new and common route. The key steps of this route are (1) the establishment of the complete C13-C20 omega side chain of the target molecules through a stereoselective conjugate addition of the alkenylcopper derivative 9 to the bicyclic C6-C12 azoalkene 10 with formation of hydrazone 8, (2) the diastereoselective olefination of ketone 7 with the chiral phosphoryl acetate 39, and (3) the regio- and stereoselective alkylation of the allylic acetate 43 with cuprate 42. These measures allowed the 5E,15S,16S-stereoselective synthesis of 16S-2 and 16S-3, a goal which had previously not been achieved. Azoalkene 10 was obtained from the achiral bicyclic C6-C12 ketone 11 as previously described by using as key step an enantioselective deprotonation. The configuration at C16 of omega-side chain building block 9 has been installed with high stereoselectivity by the oxazolidinone method and that at C15 by a diastereoselective oxazaborolidine-catalyzed reduction of the C13-C20 ketone 23 with catecholborane. Surprisingly, a high diastereoselectivity in the reduction of 23 was only obtained by using 2 equiv of oxazaborolidine 24. Application of substoichiometric amounts of 24 resulted in irreproducible diastereoselectivities ranging from very high to nil.     

Reductive Elimination at Pb(II) Center of an (Amino)plumbylene-Substituted Phosphaketene: New Pathway for Phosphinidene Synthesis

A stable (amino)plumbylene-substituted phosphaketene 3 was synthesized by the successive reactions of PbCl₂ with two anionic reagents (lithium amidophosphine and NaPCO). Of particular interest, the thermal evolution of 3 , at 80 °C, leads to the transient formation of corresponding amino- and phosphanylidene-phosphaketenes ( 6 and 7 ), via a reductive elimination at the Pb^II center forming new N−P and P−P bonds. Further evolution of 6 gives a new cyclic (amino)phosphanylidene phosphorane 4 , which shows a unique reactivity as a phosphinidene. This result provides a new synthetic route to phosphinidenes, extending and facilitating further their access.