A Search for Blues Brothers: X-ray Crystallographic/Spectroscopic Characterization of the Tetraarylbenzidine Cation Radical as a Product of Aging of Solid Magic Blue

Magic blue (MB+˙ SbCl6− salt), i.e. tris-4-bromophenylamminium cation radical, is a routinely employed one-electron oxidant that slowly decomposes in the solid state upon storage to form so called ‘blues brothers’, which often complicate the quantitative analyses of the oxidation processes. Herein, we disclose the identity of the main ‘blues brother’ as the cation radical and dication of tetrakis-(4-bromophenyl)benzidine (TAB) by a combined DFT and experimental approach, including isolation of TAB+˙ SbCl6− and its X-ray crystallography characterization. The formation of TAB in aged magic blue samples occurs by a Scholl-type coupling of a pair of MB followed by a loss of molecular bromine. The recognition of this fact led us to the rational design and synthesis of tris(2-bromo-4-tert-butylphenyl)amine, referred to as ‘blues cousin’ (BC: Eox1 = 0.78 V vs. Fc/Fc+, λmax(BC+˙) = 805 nm, εmax = 9930 cm−1 M−1), whose oxidative dimerization is significantly hampered by positioning the sterically demanding tert-butyl groups at the para-positions of the aryl rings. A ready two-step synthesis of BC from triphenylamine and the high stability of its cation radical (BC+˙) promise that BC will serve as a ready replacement for MB and an oxidant of choice for mechanistic investigations of one-electron transfer processes in organic, inorganic, and organometallic transformations

A novel heteroditopic terpyridine-pincer ligand as building block for mono- and heterometallic Pd(II) and Ru(II) complexes

A palladium-catalyzed Stille coupling reaction was employed as a versatile method for the synthesis of a novel terpyridine-pincer (3, TPBr) bridging ligand, 4'-{4-BrC6H2(CH2NMe2)(2)-3,5}-2,2':6',2 ''-terpyridine. Mononuclear species [PdX(TP)] (X = Br, Cl), [Ru(TPBr)(tpy)](PF6)(2), and [Ru(TPBr)(2)](PF6)(2), synthesized by selective metalation of the NCNBr-pincer moiety or complexation of the terpyridine of the bifunctional ligand TPBr, were used as building blocks for the preparation of heterodi- and trimetallic complexes [Ru(TPPdCl)(tpy)](PF6)(2) (7) and [Ru(TPPdCl)(2)]-(PF6)(2) (8). The molecular structures in the solid state of [PdBr(TP)] (4a) and [Ru(TPBr)(2)](PF6)(2) (6) have been determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Electrochemical behavior and photophysical properties of the mono-and heterometallic complexes are described. All the above di- and trimetallic Ru complexes exhibit absorption bands attributable to (MLCT)-M-1 (Ru -> tpy) transitions. For the heteroleptic complexes, the transitions involving the unsubstituted tpy ligand are at a lower energy than the tpy moiety of the TPBr ligand. The absorption bands observed in the electronic spectra for TPBr and [PdCl(TP)] have been assigned with the aid of TD-DFT calculations. All complexes display weak emission both at room temperature and in a butyronitrile glass at 77 K. The considerable red shift of the emission maxima relative to the signal of the reference compound [Ru(tpy)(2)](2+) indicates stabilization of the luminescent (MLCT)-M-3 state. For the mono- and heterometallic complexes, electrochemical and spectroscopic studies (electronic absorption and emission spectra and luminescence lifetimes recorded at room temperature and 77 K in nitrile solvents), together with the information gained from IR spectroelectrochemical studies of the dimetallic complex [Ru(TPPdSCN)(tpy)](PF6)(2), are indicative of charge redistribution through the bridging ligand TPBr. The results are in line with a weak coupling between the {Ru(tpy)(2)} chromophoric unit and the (non)metalated NCN-pincer moiety

Valencies of the lanthanides

The valencies of the lanthanides vary more than was once thought. In addition to valencies associated with a half-full shell, there are valencies associated with a quarter- and three-quarter-full shell. This can be explained on the basis of Slater’s theory of many-electron atoms. The same theory explains the variation in complexing constants in the trivalent state (the “tetrad effect”). Valency in metallic and organometallic compounds is also discussed

Current applications and future potential for bioinorganic chemistry in the development of anticancer drugs

This review illustrates notable recent progress in the field of medicinal bioinorganic chemistry as many new approaches to the design of innovative metal-based anticancer drugs are emerging. Current research addressing the problems associated with platinum drugs has focused on other metal-based therapeutics that have different modes of action and on prodrug and targeting strategies in an effort to diminish the side-effects of cisplatin chemotherapy

Molybdenum complexes bearing thiophenic or- arylthiophenic groups : synthesis, electrochemical, spectroscopic and nonlinear optical properties

A series of complexes trans-[FMo(N=NCHL)(dppe)2][BF4] (L = (bi)thienyl or arylthienyl), were synthesized and fully characterized by 1H, 13C, 31P NMR, IR and UV–Vis spectroscopies. The electronic spectra and electrochemical behavior of the complexes were investigated. The electronic absorption spectra of these complexes display a broad low-energy band in the visible region attributable to metal-to ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transitions. The electron conjugated effect with the heterocyclic nucleus led to a notable improvement of visible light absorption and marked changes in the electrochemical behavior. The hyperpolarizabilities beta of the synthesized compounds were evaluated using the hyper-Rayleigh scattering technique.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Alkoxide complexes of rhenium, niobium and tantalum

This thesis describes two major methods for preparation of new mono-, bi- and trimetallic complexes on the basis of Rhenium, Niobium and Tantalum: (1) - the electrochemical method for the synthesis of Re4O4(OEt)12 and (2) - the interaction of Rhenium heptoxide, Re2O7, with alkoxo-derivates of Niobium and/or Tantalum, M2(OR)10 for the synthesis of bi- and trimetallic complexes of common formula (M1-xM'x)4O2(OR)14(ReO4)2 (M = Nb; M' = Ta; R = Me, Et), where x = 0–1. The structures of these complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The products were also characterized by IR, NMR and X-ray powder diffraction. The influence of the increasing ligand size on the solubility and stability of the complexes Re4O4(OEt)12 and M4O2(OR)14(ReO4)2 (M = Nb, Ta; R = Me, Et) has been established. The effect of the ligand and metal ion ratio on the conditions and the chemical composition of the products of thermal treatment have been investigated. Nanosized Rhenium metal particles (approximately 3 nm in diameter) were obtained from Re4O4(OEt)12 by thermal decomposition in inert atmosphere at as low temperature as 380 °C. Semi-ordered macro porous monoliths with the pore size in the range 100 – 250 nm, with the crystal structure related to the block structures of the L-modification of Ta2O5, were produced from trimetallic complexes of the common formula (Nb1-xTax)4O2(OMe)14(ReO4)2 (x = 0.3, 0.5, 0.7) via thermal decomposition in air at the temperatures ≤ 1000 °C. The thermal decomposition in dry nitrogen atmosphere provides formation of solid solutions, which possess the structures related to the block structure of the H-modification of Nb2O5 for the Niobium-rich precursors and block structure of the L-modification of Ta2O5 for Ta:Nb ≤ 1:1 at the temperatures ≤ 1000 °C

Polymetallic Silyl-Iron and -Ruthenium Compounds

The synthesis of iron and ruthenium compounds which contain either end-capped silyl units Fe-Si-Si-Fe or the linear sequence Si-Ru-Ru-Si respectively were explored. (I) (II) (III) End-capped iron species, e.g. I, were prepared using literature methods and two new related iron containing silyl species II and III were synthesised. These were prepared as model compounds for comparison with polymeric analogues. (IV) (V) Ruthenium silyl species of the type IV that maintain metal - metal bonding have been prepared. As an extension to this work inorganic polymeric species such as V were synthesised using the same preparation techniques. The polymeric compounds were difficult to characterise as they were unable to be chromatographed or crystallised therefore, all data was from crude mixtures. Spectroscopic techniques involved FT - IR, ESMS, LDI-TOF and NMR spectroscopy. ESMS was an ineffective technique for the polymeric compounds however, LDI-TOF mass spectrometry gave broad curves with an average molecular weight ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 for different preparations. Flexible siloxanes such as HSiMe2OSiMe2OSiMe2H gave molecular cluster derivatives with bridging ligands rather than polymers

Organotin Compound Derived from 3-Hydroxy-2-formylpyridine Semicarbazone: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Antiproliferative Activity

The novel diphenyltin(IV) compound [Ph2(HyFoSc)Sn] (2), where H2HyFoSc (1) is 3-hydroxy-2-formylpyridine semicarbazone, was prepared and characterized by vibrational and NMR (1H, 13C) spectroscopy. The structure of [Ph2(HyFoSc)Sn] was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The doubly deprotonated ligand is coordinated to the tin atom through the enolic-oxygen, the azomethine-nitrogen, and phenolic-oxygen, and so acts as an anionic tridentate ligand with the ONO donors. Two carbon atoms complete the fivefold coordination at the tin(IV) center. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding, C–H → π, and π → π interactions combine to stabilize the crystal structure. Compounds 1 and 2 have been evaluated for antiproliferative activity in vitro against the cells of three human tumor cell lines: MCF-7 (human breast cancer cell line), T24 (bladder cancer cell line), A549 (nonsmall cell lung carcinoma), and a mouse fibroblast L-929 cancer cell line