Synthesis and structure of Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes derived from 2-(aminomethyl)benzimidazole and glycine

<div><p>Reactions of 2-(aminomethyl)benzimidazole di-hydrochloride (<b>1</b>·2HCl) and glycine with 3Zn(OH)₂·2ZnCO₃ or Cu(OAc)₂·H₂O led to the synthesis of the quaternary coordination complexes <b>2</b> and <b>3</b>. X-ray diffraction showed that these complexes are composed of <b>2a</b> = [Zn(L)Cl(L′)] and <b>2b</b> = [Zn(L)(H₂O)₂(L′)], and of <b>3a</b> = [Cu(L)(H₂O)_0.25Cl(L′)] and <b>3b</b> = [Cu(L)(H₂O)_1.5(L′)], respectively, where L = 2-(aminomethyl)benzimidazole and L′ = glycinate. Zn(II) in <b>2a</b> has an intermediate geometry between a square-pyramid and a trigonal bipyramid structure. However, the geometry about the metal ion of units <b>2b</b>, <b>3a</b>, and <b>3b</b> is distorted octahedral. Moreover, the supramolecular structures for <b>2</b> and <b>3</b> were assembled through N–H⋯O and O–H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds. In these complexes, H₂O and N–H groups serve as proton donors, whereas chloride and C=O groups serve as proton acceptors. Also <i>π</i>–<i>π</i> stacking interactions between aromatic rings contribute to the stabilization of the supramolecular structure of <b>2</b> and <b>3</b>. The Zn and Cu complexes were studied by infrared and Raman spectroscopy, which indicated that <b>2</b> and <b>3</b> have similar molecular structures in the solid state. Ultrasound activation at the end of the reaction was necessary to yield <b>2</b>.</p></div

Easy Synthesis of Doped Graphitic Carbon Nitride Nanosheets as New Material for Enhanced DNA Extraction from Vegetal Tissues Using a Simple and Fast Protocol

Conventional and commercially available DNA extraction methods have several limitations regarding, for instance, contamination, and complex and slow precipitation and recovery processes. Herein, we report the synthesis of oxygen and phosphorus-doped Graphitic carbon nitride structures (g-POCN), via a novel Zinc-catalyzed one-pot solvothermal approach, and its application in the extraction of genomic DNA (gDNA) from a vegetal matrix (P. argentatum). Experimental and molecular modeling analyses demonstrate the high affinity of gDNA with g-POCN, which provided highly efficient gDNA extraction processes, with extraction yield, as well as integrity and quality of the extracted gDNA, comparable or superior to a commercial extraction kit and isopropanol extraction. Moreover, under suitable elution conditions, this method allows the easy removal of high concentrations of gDNA from g-POCN, rendering this method as a low-cost, simple, and fast approach for the extraction of even small amounts of gDNA. Remarkably, the extracted gDNA shows no degradation, and no inhibition of the polymerase chain reaction. Therefore, g-POCN represents a promising material for the highly efficient, cost-effective, and biocompatible extraction of DNA, which could stimulate research focused on broad DNA sources, e.g., RNA extraction, plasmids, ssDNA, etc