(51)V solid-state NMR investigations and DFT studies of model compounds for vanadium haloperoxidases

Three cis-dioxovanadium(V) complexes with similar N-salicylidenehydrazide ligands modeling hydrogen bonding interactions of vanadate relevant for vanadium haloperoxidases are studied by (51)V solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Their parameters describing the quadrupolar and chemical shift anisotropy interactions (quadrupolar coupling constant C(Q), asymmetry of the quadrupolar tensor eta(Q), isotropic chemical shift delta(iso), chemical shift anisotropy delta(sigma), asymmetry of the chemical shift tensor eta(sigma) and the Euler angles alpha, beta and gamma) are determined both experimentally and theoretically using DFT methods. A comparative study of different methods to determine the NMR parameters by numerical simulation of the spectra is presented. Detailed theoretical investigations on the DFT level using various basis sets and structural models show that by useful choice of the methodology, the calculated parameters agree to the experimental ones in a very good manner.     

On the trace problem for Lizorkin–Triebel spaces with mixed norms

The subject is traces of Sobolev spaces with mixed Lebesgue norms on Euclidean space. Specifically, restrictions to the hyperplanes given by x₁ = 0 and x_n = 0 are applied to functions belonging to quasi‐homogeneous, mixed norm Lizorkin–Triebel spaces ; Sobolev spaces are obtained from these as special cases. Spaces admitting traces in the distribution sense are characterised up to the borderline cases; these are also covered in case x₁ = 0. For x₁ the trace spaces are proved to be mixed‐norm Lizorkin–Triebel spaces with a specific sum exponent; for x_n they are similarly defined Besov spaces. The treatment includes continuous right‐inverses and higher order traces. The results rely on a sequence version of Nikol'skij's inequality, Marschall's inequality for pseudodifferential operators (and Fourier multiplier assertions), as well as dyadic ball criteria. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Back Cover: Bio-Inspired Bimetallic Cooperativity Through a Hydrogen Bonding Spacer in CO2 Reduction (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 8/2023)

At the core of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH) active site two metal ions together with hydrogen bonding scheme from amino acids orchestrate the interconversion between CO₂ and CO. We have designed a molecular catalyst implementing a bimetallic iron complex with an embarked second coordination sphere with multi-point hydrogen-bonding interactions. We found that, when immobilized on carbon paper electrode, the dinuclear catalyst enhances up to four fold the heterogeneous CO₂ reduction to CO in water with an improved selectivity and stability compared to the mononuclear analogue. Interestingly, quasi-identical catalytic performances are obtained when one of the two iron centers was replaced by a redox inactive Zn metal, questioning the cooperative action of the two metals. Snapshots of X-ray structures indicate that the two metalloporphyrin units tethered by a urea group is a good compromise between rigidity and flexibility to accommodate CO₂ capture, activation, and reduction.     

The Highly Controlled and Efficient Polymerization of Ethylene

The highly controlled and efficient polymerization of ethylene is a very attractive but challenging target. Herein we report on a Coordinative Chain Transfer Polymerization catalyst, which combines a high degree of control and very high activity in ethylene oligo- or polymerization with extremely high chain transfer agent (triethylaluminum) to catalyst ratios (catalyst economy). Our Zr catalyst is long living and temperature stable. The chain length of the polyethylene products increases over time under constant ethylene feed or until a certain volume of ethylene is completely consumed to reach the expected molecular weight. Very high activities are observed if the catalyst elongates 60 000 or more alkyl chains and the polydispersity of the strictly linear polyethylene materials obtained are very low. The key for the combination of high control and efficiency seems to be a catalyst stabilized by only one strongly bound monoanionic N-ligand.     

Neutralizing the Impact of the Virulence Factor LecA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Human Cells with New Glycomimetic Inhibitors

Bacterial adhesion, biofilm formation and host cell invasion of the ESKAPE pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa require the tetravalent lectins LecA and LecB, which are therefore drug targets to fight these infections. Recently, we have reported highly potent divalent galactosides as specific LecA inhibitors. However, they suffered from very low solubility and an intrinsic chemical instability due to two acylhydrazone motifs, which precluded further biological evaluation. Here, we isosterically substituted the acylhydrazones and systematically varied linker identity and length between the two galactosides necessary for LecA binding. The optimized divalent LecA ligands showed improved stability and were up to 1000-fold more soluble. Importantly, these properties now enabled their biological characterization. The lead compound L2 potently inhibited LecA binding to lung epithelial cells, restored wound closure in a scratch assay and reduced the invasiveness of P. aeruginosa into host cells.     

Chiral tetranuclear mu3-alkoxo-bridged copper(II) complex with 2 + 4 cubane-like Cu4O4 core framework and ferromagnetic ground state

The sugar-modified Schiff base ligand benzyl 2-deoxy-2-salicylideneamino-alpha-D-glucopyranoside H 2L, prepared by condensation of salicylaldehyde and the monomeric chitosan analogue benzyl 2-deoxy-2-amino-alpha-D-glucopyranoside, reacts with copper(II) acetate to form a self-assembled, alkoxo-bridged tetranuclear homoleptic copper(II) complex [{Cu(L)}4] (4) with Cu4O4 heterocubane core. The chiral complex 4 crystallizes in the space group P2 12 12 1. The tetranuclear complex 4 is composed of two dinuclear {Cu(L)}2 entities linked by the four mu 3-bridging C-3 alkoxide oxygen atoms of the sugar backbone. The preorganization of the dimeric {Cu(L)}2 entities is enforced by strong hydrogen bonds between the phenolate oxygen atom and the C-4 hydroxy group of the two constituting chiral monomeric building blocks. Therefore the Cu4O4 core can be classified as a type I or 2 + 4 cubane. The chirality of the structure is confirmed by circular dichroism (CD) spectra, which reveal a significant dichroism associated with the copper centered transitions at around 600 nm. Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate ferromagnetic exchange interactions in complex 4. Fitting of the experimental data with a two J model based on the 2 + 4 topology ( H = - J1(S1S3 + S2S4) - J2(S1 + S3)(S2 + S4)) leads to exchange coupling constants of J1 = 64 and J2 = 4 cm(-1). The observed ferromagnetic coupling can be attributed to the very small Cu-O-Cu bridging angles within the Cu2O2 core of the constituting dimeric entities, which are a result of the conformational requirements introduced by the sugar backbone. 4 is not only the first example of an alkoxo-bridged tetranuclear copper(II) complex with Cu4O4 core representing the 2 + 4 cubane class with ferromagnetic ground state but also a rare example for the class of molecules combining a ferromagnetic ground state with optical activity. The ferromagnetic S = 2 ground state of 4 is confirmed by magnetization measurements and ESR spectroscopy.     

Dinuclear amine-thiophenolate complexes coligated by ferrocenemonocarboxylate and 1,1'-ferrocenedicarboxylate anions: preparation, characterization and structures of trinuclear [LMII 2(O2CC5H4FeCp)]+ and Pentanuclear [(LMII 2)2(O2CC5H4)2Fe]2+ complexes (M=Co, Ni, Zn)

A series of novel tri- and pentanuclear complexes composed of dinuclear LM(2) units (M=Co, Ni, Zn; L=24-membered macrocyclic hexaazadithiophenolate ligand) and ferrocenecarboxylate ([CpFeC(5)H(4)CO(2)](-)) or 1,1'-ferrocenedicarboxylate ([Fe(C(5)H(4)CO(2))(2)](2-)) groups is reported. The complexes [LM(II) (2)(O(2)CC(5)H(4)FeCp)](+) (M=Co (6), Ni (7), Zn (8)) and [(LM(II) (2))(2)(O(2)CC(5)H(4))(2)Fe](2+) (M=Co (9), Ni (10)) have been prepared by substitution reactions from labile [LM(II) (2)L'](+) precursors (L'=Cl, OAc) and the respective ferrocenecarboxylate anions in methanol. Mixed-valent [(LCo(II)Co(III))(2)(O(2)CC(5)H(4))(2)Fe](4+) (11) was prepared by oxidation of 9 with bromine. Complexes 7[BPh(4)], 8[BPh(4)], 9[BPh(4)](2), 10[BPh(4)](2), and 11[ClO(4)](4) have been characterized by X-ray crystallography; showing that the ferrocenyl carboxylates act as bidentate (7, 8) or bis-bidentate (9-11) bridging ligands towards one or two bioctahedral LM(2) subunits, respectively. The structures are retained in solution as indicated by NMR spectroscopic studies on the diamagnetic Zn(2)Fe complex 8[ClO(4)]. Electrochemical studies reveal significant anodic potential shifts for the oxidation potential of the ferrocenyl moieties upon complexation and the magnitude of the potential shift appears to correlate with the charge of the LM(2) subunits. This is qualitatively explained in terms of destabilizing electrostatic (Coulomb) interactions between the M(2+) ions of the LM(2) unit and the proximate ferrocenium fragment. An analysis of the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility data for 10[BPh(4)](2) shows the presence of weak ferromagnetic magnetic exchange interactions between the Ni(II) ions in the LNi(2) units. The exchange coupling across the ferrocenedicarboxylate bridge is negligible.     

Highly active/selective and adjustable zirconium polymerization catalysts stabilized by aminopyridinato ligands

This paper describes a substantial enhancement of the aminopyridinato ligand stabilized early transition metal chemistry by introducing the sterically very demanding 2,6-dialkylphenyl substituted aminopyridinato ligands derived from (2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-[6-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-pyridin-2-yl]-amine (1a-H, ApH) and (2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-[6-(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-pyridin-2-yl]- amine (1b-H, Ap^∗H). The corresponding bis aminopyridinato zirconium dichloro complexes, [Ap₂ZrCl₂] (3a) and [Ap₂^∗ZrCl₂] (3b) and the dimethyl analogues, [Ap₂ZrMe₂] (4a) and [Ap₂^∗ZrMe₂] (4b) (Me = methyl) were synthesized, using standard salt metathesis routes. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction was carried out for the dichloro derivatives. Both zirconium metal centers have a distorted octahedral environment with a cis-orientation of the chloride ligands in 3a and a closer to trans-arrangement in 3b. The dimethyl derivatives are proven to be highly active ethylene polymerization catalysts after activation with [R₂N(Me)H][B(C₆F₅)₄] (R = C₁₆H₃₃-C₁₈H₃₇). During attempted co-polymerizations of α-olefins (propylene) and ethylene high activity and selectivity for ethylene and nearly no co-monomer incorporation was observed. Increasing the steric bulk of the ligand going from (2,6-dimethylphenyl) to (2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl) substituted pyridines, switches the catalyst system from producing long chain α-olefins to polymerization of ethylene in a living fashion. In contrast to the dimethyl complexes only [Ap₂^∗ZrCl₂] in the presence of MAO at elevated temperature gave decent polymerization activity. NMR investigations of the reaction of dichloro complexes with 25 equiv. of MAO or AlMe₃ at room temperature revealed, that [Ap₂ZrCl₂] decomposes under ligand transfer to aluminum and formation of [ApAlMe₂], while [Ap₂^∗ZrCl₂] remains almost unreacted under the same conditions. The aminopyridinato dimethyl aluminum complexes, [ApAlMe₂] (5a) and [Ap^∗AlMe₂] (5b) were synthesized independently and structurally characterized. The aluminum complexes 5a and b show no catalytic activity towards ethylene, when “activated” with[R₂N(Me)H][B(C₆F₅)₄].