Surface tension measurements in the study of molecular complexes

Surface tension measurements can be used to investigate molecular complex formation in liquid solutions for strong and weak complexes. The association constant and epthalpy for triethylamine-iodine, hexamethylbenzene-tetracyanoethylene and ethanol-iodine in cyclohexane are 4·55×10³, 218 and 0.93M⁻¹ at 25° C and 12·5, 7·7 and 5·1 kcal/mol respectively. These values compare well with those reported in the literature by other methods.     

Titanosilicates as Supports for an Enzymatic Alcoholysis Reaction

Novel [Cr^III(amp)(bipy)(Cl)] (1) (H₂amp = N-(hydroxyphenyl)salicyldimine; bipy = 2,2-bipyridyl) and [Cr^III(app)(bipy)(Cl)]⁺ (2) (H₂app = N-(hydroxyphenyl)pyridine-2-carboxaldimine; bipy = 2,2-bipyridyl) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by physico-chemical methods. Complexes 1 and 2 have been employed as catalysts in the oxidation of both saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons using tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BuOOH). The significance of the results with respect to oxo-functionalization of C-H bonds both in unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbons is noted.     

Diastereoselective allylation of planar chiral substituted ferrocenecarboxaldehyde: an efficient entry to chiral ferrocenyl ligands

2,2′-Disubstituted ferrocenecarboxaldehydes are subjected to zinc-mediated allylation to form homoallylic ferrocenyl alcohols. The effects of ortho-substituted functional groups on facial selectivities of planar chiral aldehydes were studied and it was found that the corresponding homoallylic alcohols were obtained as single diastereomers in excellent yields.     

Bifunctional pyridyl alcohols with the bicyclo[3.3.0]octane scaffold in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

Some new pyridyl alcohols with the cis-bicyclo[3.3.0]octane scaffold were synthesized and used as chiral ligands for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. Ligands 4 were found to be far superior to the C₂-symmetric ligands 2 in terms of enantioselectivities. Quantitative yields and enantiomeric excesses of up to 92% were obtained when the ligand 4 was used. The carbonyl function in 4 proved to be beneficial for the high enantioselectivities in the addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes. Conversion of the carbonyl group into oxime or oxime ether group led to a sort of more active ligands, which catalyzed the same reaction with rate acceleration.     

Structure and Dynamics of Methyl-substituted Beryllocene: [Be(C5Me5)2]

In this paper we study theoretically the molecular structure of [Be(C₅Me₅)₂], with special interest in similarities and differences found in the computed geometric parameters, depending on the treatment of the electron correlation used. Given the low energy differences found between the different configurations studied (less than 4 kcal mol⁻¹), and the high fluxionality found in experimental studies for this compound, we analyzed the dynamics of the system by means of first principles molecular dynamics calculations. A complex dynamics is found and analyzed in terms of two molecular rearrangement processes: 1,2-sigmatropic intraring rearrangement and a ring inversion mechanism that interchanges the roles (with regard to their coordination to the central Be atom) of the two rings.Dedicated to Dr. Jeal Paul Malrieu on occasion of his 65th birthday.     

Microcalorimetry, energetics and binding studies of DNA-dimethyltin dichloride complexes

The interaction of dimethyltin dichloride (Me₂SnCl₂) with calf thymus DNA was studied at 27 °C, pH 7.6 using various techniques including isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and UV-Vis, fluorescence and IR spectrophotometries. The binding isotherm and enthalpy curve for Me₂SnCl₂-DNA interaction was a biphasic transition process. This was determined by the analysis of the binding data with the Hill equation. The first phase of the enthalpy curve (exothermic process) was consistent with the first set of binding site, the second phase (endothermic process, less exothermicity) was consistent with second set of binding site from the cited interactions. Our results showed that the first set of binding sites is occupied by one mole of ligand bound per near 1 base pair of DNA. The DNA-ethidium bromide (EB) complex, in the presence of Me₂SnCl₂, caused the quenching of the fluorescence emission. The Scatchard plots illustrated a non-intercalating manner for such quenching. The DNA-EB complex results indicated that the binding of Me₂SnCl₂ is with the phosphate groups of DNA at low ligand concentrations (<9 mM). This was confirmed with the IR spectrophotometric spectra. However, the binding at higher ligand concentrations (>9 mM) was with the base groups of DNA. Therefore, these results suggest that the Me₂SnCl₂ binding to DNA at low concentrations occurs through an outside interaction by an exothermic process. However, the partial unfolding of the DNA caused at higher concentrations of Me₂SnCl₂ is through an endothermic process involving interactions with the base groups.     

2,6-Lutidine-N-oxide complexes of rare-earth bromides

2,6-Lutidine-N-oxide (LNO) complexes of rare-earth bromides of the composition wheren = l for M = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd, Ho, Er; andn = 0 for M = Y have been prepared and characterised by analyses, conductance and infrared data. Infrared spectra of the complexes indicate that the coordination of ligand to the metal ion takes place through the oxygen of the ligand, and the water molecule in the complexes present is coordinated to the metal. A coordination number of seven has been suggested to all the rare-earth metal ions.     

The First Example of Dinuclear Co(III) Complexes Containing Crown Ether Moieties

The new dinuclear, octahedral cobalt(III) complexes have been synthesized and then their ability to interact with 4,4′-trimethylene dipyridine investigated. The ¹H and ¹³C-NMR, IR and elemental analysis data indicated that the cobalt(III) complexes are dinuclear.