Synthetic, structural and spectroscopic studies of (pseudo)halo(1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidine)gold complexes

A series of (pseudo)halo(1,3-di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidine)gold complexes [(But2Im)AuX](X = Cl, Br, I, CN, N3, NCO, SCN, SeCN, ONO2, OCOCH3, CH3) have been synthesized and characterised spectroscopically and structurally. 13C NMR chemical shifts for the carbene carbon vary widely with differing ancillary anion, correlating well with the sigma-donor ability of the latter and with the M-C(carbene) bond distance. These results reinforce the notion that N-heterocyclic carbene ligands are primarily sigma-donor ligands with little pi-acceptor ability.     

Chromium(V) peptide complexes: synthesis and spectroscopic characterization

A series of stable Cr(V) model complexes that mimic the binding of Cr(V) to peptide backbones at the C-terminus of proteins have been prepared for N,N-dimethylurea derivatives of the tripeptides Aib3-DMF, AibLAlaAib-DMF, and AibDAlaAib-DMF (Aib = 2-amino-2-methylpropanoic acid, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide). The Cr(ll) precursor complexes were synthesized by the initial deprotonation of the amide and acid groups of the peptide ligands in DMF with potassium tert-butoxide in the presence of CrCl2. The Cr(II) intermediates thus formed were then immediately oxidized to Cr(V) using tert-butyl hydroperoxide. Spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses of the Cr(V) complexes showed that a new metal-directed organic transformation of the ligand had occurred. This involved a DMF solvent molecule becoming covalently bound to the amine group of the peptide ligand, yielding a urea group, and a third coordinated deprotonated urea nitrogen donor. A metal-directed oxidative coupling has been proposed as a possible mechanism for the organic transformation. The Cr(V/IV) reduction potential was determined for the three Cr(V) complexes using cyclic voltammetry, and in all cases it was quasi-reversible. These are the first isolated and fully characterized Cr(V) complexes with non-sulfur-containing peptide ligands.     

Predicting the shape and structure of face-centered cubic gold nanocrystals smaller than 3 nm.

Although a number of computational studies have examined the relative stability of icosahedral and decahedral gold clusters from 1 to 3 nm in size, few studies have focussed on the variety of face-centered cubic (fcc) nanoparticles in this size regime. In most cases small fcc gold particles are assumed to adopt the truncated octahedral shape, but in light of the fact that the shape and structure of gold nanoparticles is known to vary, the relative stability of fcc polyhedra may change with size. Presented here are results of first-principles calculations investigating the preferred shape of gold particles less than 3 nm in size. Our results indicate that the equilibrium shape of fcc gold nanoparticles less than 1 nm is the cuboctahedron, but this shape rapidly becomes energetically unstable with respect to the truncated octahedron, octahedron and truncated cube shapes as the size increases.     

Studies on the Oral Anticancer Drug JM-216: Synthesis and Characterization of Isomers and Related Complexes

The complex cis,trans,cis-[PtCl(2)(OAc)(2)NH(3)(c-C(6)H(11)NH(2))] (JM-216) is currently undergoing clinical evaluation as an antitumor agent. In support of characterization and analysis of this complex a study of its isomers and other complexes [PtCl(m)()(OAc)((4)(-)(m)()())NH(3)(c-C(6)H(11)NH(2))] (m = 0-4) has been undertaken. The complexes have been obtained by a variety of synthetic routes which now extend the scope for the preparation of platinum(IV) antitumor complexes. As platinum(IV) complexes are very stable to substitution in the absence of catalysis, use has been made of both light and base catalysis to promote substitution. Oxidative addition to platinum(II) using hypervalent iodine reagents has also been used. The stereochemistry of the complexes has been confirmed by spectroscopic studies, primarily NMR including natural abundance (15)N NMR spectroscopy.     

Banks’ criterion and symmetric stable laws with index of stability between one-half and one

In this paper we compare the sample mean and the sample median of independent and identically distributed data that come from a symmetric stable distribution using Banks’ (1997) criterion, which is an alternative to Pitman’s (1937) criterion for comparing estimators of a parameter of interest. For data from a symmetric stable distribution with index of stability between one half and one and odd sample size, we show that Banks’ criterion choses the sample median as an estimator of the location parameter of the distribution. For data from a normal distribution with even sample size, we show that Banks’ criterion favours the sample mean (thus “complementing” a similar result about odd sample sizes in Karunaratne and Hadjicostas (2009)). In the process, we prove some trigonometric inequalities, which are interesting in their own right.     

Hindered axial-equatorial carbonyl exchange in an Fe(CO)(4)(PR(3)) complex of a rigid bicyclic phosphine

Variable-temperature (13)C NMR spectra for a series of Fe(CO)(4)(PR(3)) complexes ligated by phosphatri(3-methylindolyl)methane (1), phosphatri(pyrrolyl)methane (2), P(N-3-methylindolyl)(3) (3), and P(N-pyrrolyl)(3) (4) are reported. Ligand 2 was prepared by reaction of tri(pyrrolyl)methane with PCl(3) in THF and Et(3)N. Compound 2 is stable to methanolysis, hydrolysis, and aerial oxidation at room temperature. Reactions of 2 with selenium powder and Rh(acac)(CO)(2) yield phosphatri(pyrrolyl)methane selenide (5) and Rh(acac)(CO)(2) (6), respectively. The carbonyl stretching frequency in the IR spectrum of 6 and the magnitude of (1)J(Se)(-)(P) in the (31)P NMR spectrum of 5 indicate that 2 is a strong pi-acid and a weak sigma-base, commensurate with its lack of reactivity with CH(3)I. The trend in the decreasing basicity of 2 and related phosphines and phosphites was determined to be P(NMe(2))(3) > 3 > 4 > 1 > P(OPh)(3) > 2. IR data for a series of Rh(acac)(CO)(PR(3)) complexes indicate the trend in decreasing pi-acceptor ability to be 2 approximately 1 > 4 > P(OPh)(3) > 3 > PPh(3). Phosphines 1-4 were reacted with Fe(2)(CO)(9) to yield Fe(CO)(4)(1) (7), Fe(CO)(4)(2) (8), Fe(CO)(4)(3) (9), and Fe(CO)(4)(4) (10), respectively. IR data for 7-10 support the trend in pi-acidity listed above. Variable-temperature (13)C NMR spectra for compounds 8-10 show a single doublet resonance for the carbonyls in the temperature range from -80 to 20 degrees C indicative of rapid intramolecular rearrangement of carbonyls between axial and equatorial sites. However, the (13)C NMR spectrum for 7 shows slowed axial-equatorial carbonyl exchange at 20 degrees C. The limiting slow-exchange spectrum is observed at -20 degrees C. Hindered carbonyl exchange in 7 is attributed to the rigid 3-fold symmetry and steric bulk of 1. In addition to characterization of the new compounds by NMR ((1)H, (13)C, and (31)P) spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis, compounds 2, 7, 9, and 10 were further characterized by X-ray crystallography.