Lewis acid promoted reaction of tetraalkynylstannanes with acyl chlorides: An effective approach towards alkynyl ketones

Tetraalkynylstannanes were found to be atom-economical nucleophilic reagents for the synthesis of α,β-acetylenic ketones. The scope and some limitations of the method are discussed.     

Carbon-rich organometallics: synthesis and characterization of new ferrocenyl end-capped bis(butadiynyl) fluorene derivatives

A new series of ferrocenyl end-capped bis(butadiynyl) fluorene complexes [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄)CCCCRCCCC(η⁵-C₅H₄)Fe(η⁵-C₅H₅)] (R = fluoren-9-one-2,7-diyl, 1; 9,9-dihexylfluorene-2,7-diyl, 2; 9-ferrocenylmethylenefluorene-2,7-diyl, 3; 9-ferrocenylphenylmethylenefluorene-2,7-diyl, 4) have been synthesized in moderate yields by the oxidative coupling reactions of ethynylferrocene with half equivalents of the appropriate diethynylfluorene derivatives. All the new complexes have been characterized by FTIR, NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The molecular structures of selected molecules have been determined by X-ray crystallographic techniques. The electronic absorption and redox properties of these carbon-rich molecules were investigated and the data were compared with those for the corresponding 2,7-bis(ferrocenylethynyl)fluorene counterparts. Cyclic voltammetry indicates that the half-wave potential of the terminal ferrocenyl moieties becomes more anodic when the number of ethynyl units increases and when the 9-substituent of the central fluorene ring changes from an electron-donating group to an electron-deficient group.     

An effective method for the preparation of mono N-alkyl derivatives of 1,1′-bis(6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline)

The condensation of 1,1′-bis(6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline) with alkyl, aralkyl and aryl aldehydes, but not ketones, in ethanol or chloroform provides useful cyclic aminal [8-substituted 5,6,10,11,15b,15c-hexahydro-2,3,13,14-tetramethoxy-8H-imidazo[5,1-a:4,3-a′]diisoquinoline] intermediates that when subsequently treated with sodium cyanoborohydride in ethanol, followed by the addition of 2 M hydrochloric acid, gave monosubstituted N-alkyl 1,1′-bis(6,7-dimethoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline) derivatives in very high yields. The rates of the initial condensation with four different aldehydes were measured, and the entire sequence was successfully applied in one example to a ‘one-pot’ process; this signals a versatile route to differentially N-substituted 1,1′-bis(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline) derivatives.     

Synthesis of novel platinum-silver and platinum-copper complexes with bridging alkynyl ligands

The study of the reactivity of [Pt₂M₄(CCR)₈] (M=Ag or cu; R=Ph or ^tBu) towards different neutral and anionic ligands is reported. This study reveals that reactions of the phenylacetylide derivatives [Pt₂M₄(CCPh)₈] with anionic, X⁻ (X=Cl or Br) or neutral donors (CN^tBu or py) in a molar ratio 1:4 (m/donor ratio 1:1) yield the trinuclear anionic (NBu₄)₂[{Pt(CCPh)₄ (MX)₂] (M=Ag or Cu, X =Cl or Br) or neutral [{Pt(CCPh0₄=sAGL)₂] (L=CN^tBu or py) complexes, respectively. The crystal structure of (NBu₄)₂[{Pt(CCPh)₄}(CuBr)₂](4) shows that the anion is formed by a dianionic Pt(CCPh)₄ fragment and two neutral CuBr units joined through bridging alkynyl ligands. All the alkynyl groups are σ bonded to Pt and η²-coordinated to a Cu atom which have an approximately trigonal-planar geometry. By contrast, similar reactions with [Pt₂M₄(CC^tBu)₈] (molar ratio M/donor 1:1) afford hexanuclear dianionic (NBu₄)₂[Pt₂M₄(CC^tBu)₈X₂] or neutral [Pt₂Ag₄(CC^tBu0₈Py₂]. Only by treatment with a large exces of Br ⁻ (molar ratio M/Br⁻ 1:2) are the trinuclear complexes (NBu₄)₂[{Pt(CC^tBu₄ (MBr)₂] (M=Ag, Cu) obtained. Attempted preparations of analogous complexes with phosphines (L′=PPh₃ or PEt₃) by reactions of [Pt₂M₄(CCR₈] with L′ leads to displacement of alkynyl ligands from platinum and formation of neutral mononuclear complexes [trans-Pt(CCR)₂L′₂].     

Regioselective cleavage of cis- and trans-2-methyl-3,4-epoxy alcohols with diethylpropynyl aluminum

The regioselectivity of the reaction of diethylpropynyl aluminum with diastereomeric 2-methyl-3,4-epoxy alcohols was studied. The preferred side of attack (1,3-diol vs 1,4-diol product) depends on the stereochemical disposition of the substituents. NMR studies showed that the regiochemistry of this reaction is governed by the aluminum coordination pattern. Protection of the alcohol with MEM provides the 1,3-diol product in systems where the free alcohol produced the 1,4-diols.     

Ligand based virtual screening using SVM on GPU

In silico methods play an essential role in modern drug discovery methods. Virtual screening, an in silico method, is used to filter out the chemical space on which actual wet lab experiments are need to be conducted. Ligand based virtual screening is a computational strategy using which one can build a model of the target protein based on the knowledge of the ligands that bind successfully to the target. This model is then used to predict if the new molecule is likely to bind to the target. Support vector machine, a supervised learning algorithm used for classification, can be utilized for virtual screening the ligand data. When used for virtual screening purpose, SVM could produce interesting results. But since we have a huge ligand data, the time taken for training the SVM model is quite high compared to other learning algorithms. By parallelizing these algorithms on multi-core processors, one can easily expedite these discoveries. In this paper, a GPU based ligand based virtual screening tool (GpuSVMScreen) which uses SVM have been proposed and bench-marked. This data parallel virtual screening tool provides high throughput by running in short time. The proposed GpuSVMScreen can successfully screen large number of molecules (billions) also. The source code of this tool is available at http://ccc.nitc.ac.in/project/GPUSVMSCREEN.     

Titan(IV)-Komplexe mit dreizähnigen diaciden Liganden. Kristallstruktur von Bis[2,6-diphenacylpyridinato(2 –)]titan(IV)

Titanium(IV) Complexes with Tridentate Diacidic Ligands. Crystal Structure of Bis[2,6-diphenacylpyridinato(2–)]titanium(IV) The titanium(IV) chelates with 2,2′-dihydroxy-azobenzene, salicylaldehyde-2-hydroxyanil, 2-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)-8-quinolinol, 2,6-diphenacylpyridine as well as with aroylhydrazones of salicylaldehyde, benzoylacetone and thenoyltrifluoroacetone were synthesized by ligand exchange reactions of titanium(IV)-isopropoxide. The compounds are red or black in colour and were identified by distinct molecular peaks in the mass spectra. The crystal and molecular structure was determined for bis[2,6-diphenacylpyridinato(2–)] titanium(IV). Crystallographic data see “Inhaltsübersicht”.     

Alkynyl Boosted High-Performance Lithium Storage and Mechanism in Covalent Phenanthroline Framework

The poor conductivity of the pristine bulk covalent organic material is the main challenge for its application in energy storage. The mechanism of symmetric alkynyl bonds (C≡C) in covalent organic materials for lithium storage is still rarely reported. Herein, a nanosized (≈80 nm) alkynyl-linked covalent phenanthroline framework (Alkynyl-CPF) is synthesized for the first time to improve the intrinsic charge conductivity and the insolubility of the covalent organic material in lithium-ion batteries. Because of the high degree of electron conjugation along alkynyl units and N atoms from phenanthroline groups, the Alkynyl-CPF electrodes with the lowest HOMO–LUMO energy gap (ΔE=2.629 eV) show improved intrinsic conductivity by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. As a result, the pristine Alkynyl-CPF electrode delivers superior cycling performance with a large reversible capacity and outstanding rate properties (1068.0 mAh g⁻¹ after 300 cycles at 100 mA g⁻¹ and 410.5 mAh g⁻¹ after 700 cycles at 1000 mA g⁻¹). Moreover, by Raman, FT-IR, XPS, EIS, and theoretical simulations, the energy-storage mechanism of C≡C units and phenanthroline groups in the Alkynyl-CPF electrode has been investigated. This work provides new strategies and insights for the design and mechanism investigation of covalent organic materials in electrochemical energy storage.     

Partial Deoxygenative CO Homocoupling by a Diiron Complex

One route to address climate change is converting carbon dioxide to synthetic carbon-neutral fuels. Whereas carbon dioxide to CO conversion has precedent in homo- and heterogeneous catalysis, deoxygenative coupling of CO to products with C−C bonds—as in liquid fuels—remains challenging. Here, we report coupling of two CO molecules by a diiron complex. Reduction of Fe₂(CO)₂ L ( 2 ), where L ²⁻ is a bis(β-diketiminate) cyclophane, gives [K(THF)₅][Fe₂(CO)₂ L ] ( 3 ), which undergoes silylation to Fe₂(CO)(COSiMe₃) L ( 4 ). Subsequent C-OSiMe₃ bond cleavage and C=C bond formation occurs upon reduction of 4 , yielding Fe₂(μ-CCO) L . CO derived ligands in this series mediate weak exchange interactions with the ketenylidene affording the smallest J value, with changes to local metal ion spin states and coupling schemes (ferro- vs. antiferromagnetism) based on DFT calculations, Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopy. Finally, reaction of 5 with KEt₃BH or methanol releases the C₂O²⁻ ligand with retention of the diiron core     

Metal-Mediated Oligomerization Reactions of the Cyaphide Anion

The cyaphide anion, CP⁻, is shown to undergo three distinct oligomerization reactions in the coordination sphere of metals. Reductive coupling of Au(IDipp)(CP) (IDipp=1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene) by Sm(Cp*)₂(OEt₂) (Cp*=1,2,3,4,5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl), was found to afford a tetra-metallic complex containing a 2,3-diphosphabutadiene-1,1,4,4-tetraide fragment. By contrast, non-reductive dimerization of Ni(SIDipp)(Cp)(CP) (SIDipp=1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-imidazolidin-2-ylidene; Cp=cyclopentadienyl), gives rise to an asymmetric bimetallic complex containing a 1,3-diphosphacyclobutadiene-2,4-diide moiety. Spontaneous trimerization of Sc(Cp*)₂(CP) results in the formation of a trimetallic complex containing a 1,3,5-triphosphabenzene-2,4,6-triide fragment. These transformations show that while cyaphido transition metal complexes can be readily accessed using metathesis reactions, many such species are unstable to further oligomerization processes.