Isostructural bridging diferrous chalcogenide cores [FeII(μ-E)FeII] (E = O, S, Se, Te) with decreasing antiferromagnetic coupling down the chalcogenide series

Iron compounds containing a bridging oxo or sulfido moiety are ubiquitous in biological systems, but substitution with the heavier chalcogenides selenium and tellurium, however, is much rarer, with only a few examples reported to date. Here we show that treatment of the ferrous starting material [(^tBupyrpyrr₂)Fe(OEt₂)] (1-OEt₂) (^tBupyrpyrr₂ = 3,5-^tBu₂-bis(pyrrolyl)pyridine) with phosphine chalcogenide reagents E = PR₃ results in the neutral phosphine chalcogenide adduct series [(^tBupyrpyrr₂)Fe(EPR₃)] (E = O, S, Se; R = Ph; E = Te; R = ^tBu) (1-E) without any electron transfer, whereas treatment of the anionic starting material [K]₂[(^tBupyrpyrr₂)Fe₂(μ-N₂)] (2-N₂) with the appropriate chalcogenide transfer source yields cleanly the isostructural ferrous bridging mono-chalcogenide ate complexes [K]₂[(^tBupyrpyrr₂)Fe₂(μ-E)] (2-E) (E = O, S, Se, and Te) having significant deviation in the Fe-E-Fe bridge from linear in the case of E = O to more acute for the heaviest chalcogenide. All bridging chalcogenide complexes were analyzed using a variety of spectroscopic techniques, including ¹H NMR, UV-Vis electronic absorbtion, and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer. The spin-state and degree of communication between the two ferrous ions were probed via SQUID magnetometry, where it was found that all iron centers were high-spin (S = 2) Fe^II, with magnetic exchange coupling between the Fe^II ions. Magnetic studies established that antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferrous ions decreases as the identity of the chalcogen is tuned from O to the heaviest congener Te.

Crystallographic and spectroscopic characterization of two 1-phenyl-1H-imidazoles: 4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzaldehyde and 1-(4-meth-oxy-phen-yl)-1H-imidazole

The title compounds, C10H8N2O, (I), and C10H10N2O, (II), are two 1-phenyl-1H-imidazole derivatives, which differ in the substituent para to the imidazole group on the arene ring, i.e. a benzaldehyde, (I), and an anisole, (II). Both mol-ecules pack with different motifs via similar weak C-H⋯N/O inter-actions and differ with respect to the angles between the mean planes of the imidazole and arene rings [24.58 (7)° in (I) and 43.67 (4)° in (II)].

Synthesis of imidazo-1,4-oxazinone derivatives and investigation of reaction mechanism

In this study, nine different C-2 aroyl imidazole derivatives were synthesized in a one pot reaction with two steps, and the reduction reactions of these derivatives with NaBH₄ were carried out under mild conditions. Substitution reaction of obtained imidazo methanol derivatives with chloroacetylchloride reagent and ring reaction of substitution products were investigated. It was determined that 1,4-imidazoxazinone derivative was obtained as a result of the cyclization reaction. The intermediate products obtained during the cyclization reaction were isolated, and the path of the reaction under different conditions was discussed.

Biomimetic Non-Heme Iron-Catalyzed Epoxidation of Challenging Terminal Alkenes Using Aqueous H2O2 as an Environmentally Friendly Oxidant

Catalysis mediated by iron complexes is emerging as an eco-friendly and inexpensive option in comparison to traditional metal catalysis. The epoxidation of alkenes constitutes an attractive application of iron(III) catalysis, in which terminal olefins are challenging substrates. Herein, we describe our study on the design of biomimetic non-heme ligands for the in situ generation of iron(III) complexes and their evaluation as potential catalysts in epoxidation of terminal olefins. Since it is well-known that active sites of oxidases might involve imidazole fragment of histidine, various simple imidazole derivatives (seven compounds) were initially evaluated in order to find the best reaction conditions and to develop, subsequently, more elaborated amino acid-derived peptide-like chiral ligands (10 derivatives) for enantioselective epoxidations.

Chlorodifluoromethane as a C1 Synthon in the Assembly of N-Containing Compounds

The development of C1 synthons to afford the products that add one extra carbon has become an important research theme in the past decade, and significant progress has been achieved with CO₂, CO, HCOOH, and others as C1 units. Despite the great advance, the search for new C1 synthons that display unique reactivity, complement to the current C1 sources, and add more value to C1 chemistry is still desirable. Herein, we report a quadruple cleavage of chlorodifluoromethane to yield a C1 source, which was successfully employed in the construction of various N-containing compounds especially with pharmaceutical molecules under mild conditions. This strategy provides a useful method for late-stage modification of pharmaceutical compounds. Four bonds in ClCF₂H were orderly cleaved under basic conditions in the absence of transition metals. Preliminary mechanistic studies revealed that (E)-N-phenylformimidoyl fluoride intermediate is involved in this process by in situ¹H NMR studies and control experiments.

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Quadruple cleavage of ClCF₂H to afford a C1 synthon

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The cleavage of two stable C(sp³)-F bonds in aliphatic gem-difluoroalkanes

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Enrich C1 chemistry, green chemistry, and fluorine chemistry

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Various N-containing compounds were afforded via different role of ClCF₂H

Self-assembled ruthenium (II) metallacycles and metallacages with imidazole-based ligands and their in vitro anticancer activity

Six tetranuclear rectangular metallacycles were synthesized via the [2+2] coordination-driven self-assembly of imidazole-based ditopic donor 1,4-bis(imidazole-1-yl)benzene and 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-yl)benzene, with dinuclear half-sandwich p-cymene ruthenium(II) acceptors [Ru₂(µ-η⁴-oxalato)(η⁶-p-cymene)₂](SO₃CF₃)₂, [Ru₂(µ-η⁴-2,5-dioxido-1,4-benzoquinonato)(η⁶-p-cymene)₂](SO₃CF₃)₂ and [Ru₂(µ-η⁴-5,8-dioxido-1,4-naphtoquinonato)(η⁶-p-cymene)₂](SO₃CF₃)₂, respectively. Likewise, three hexanuclear trigonal prismatic metallacages were prepared via the [2+3] self-assembly of tritopic donor of 1,3,5-tri(1H-imidazol-1-yl)benzene with these ruthenium(II) acceptors respectively. Self-selection of the single symmetrical and stable metallacycle and cage was observed although there is the possibility of forming different conformational isomeric products due to different binding modes of these imidazole-based donors. The self-assembled macrocycles and cage containing the 5,8-dioxido-1,4-naphtoquinonato (donq) spacer exhibited good anticancer activity on all tested cancer cell lines (HCT-116, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, HeLa, A549, and HepG-2), and showed decreased cytotoxicities in HBE and THLE-2 normal cells. The effect of Ru and imidazole moiety of these assemblies on the anticancer activity was discussed. The study of binding ability of these donq-based Ru assemblies with ctDNA indicated that the complex 9 with 180° linear 1 ligand has the highest bonding constant K _b to ctDNA.

A Bottom Up Approach Towards Artificial Oxygenases by Combining Iron Coordination Complexes and Peptides

The combination of peptides and a chiral iron coordination complex catalyzes high yield highly asymmetric epoxidation with aqueous hydrogen peroxide.

Supramolecular systems resulting from the combination of peptides and a chiral iron coordination complex catalyze asymmetric epoxidation with aqueous hydrogen peroxide, providing good to excellent yields and high enantioselectivities in short reaction times. The peptide is shown to play a dual role; the terminal carboxylic acid assists the iron center in the efficient H₂O₂ activation step, while its β-turn structure is crucial to induce high enantioselectivity in the oxygen delivering step. The high level of stereoselection (84–92% ee) obtained by these supramolecular catalysts in the epoxidation of 1,1′-alkyl ortho-substituted styrenes, a notoriously challenging class of substrates for asymmetric catalysis, is not attainable with any other epoxidation methodology described so far. The current work, combining an iron center ligated to N and O based ligands, and a peptide scaffold that shapes the second coordination sphere, may be seen as a bottom up approach towards the design of artificial oxygenases.

Metal Fluorides, Metal Chlorides and Halogenated Metal Oxides as Lewis Acidic Heterogeneous Catalysts. Providing Some Context for Nanostructured Metal Fluorides

Aspects of the chemistry of selected metal fluorides, which are pertinent to their real or potential use as Lewis acidic, heterogeneous catalysts, are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to β-aluminum trifluoride, aluminum chlorofluoride and aluminas γ and η, whose surfaces become partially fluorinated or chlorinated, through pre-treatment with halogenating reagents or during a catalytic reaction. In these cases, direct comparisons with nanostructured metal fluorides are possible. In the second part of the review, attention is directed to iron(III) and copper(II) metal chlorides, whose Lewis acidity and potential redox function have had important catalytic implications in large-scale chlorohydrocarbons chemistry. Recent work, which highlights the complexity of reactions that can occur in the presence of supported copper(II) chloride as an oxychlorination catalyst, is featured. Although direct comparisons with nanostructured fluorides are not currently possible, the work could be relevant to possible future catalytic developments in nanostructured materials.

Crystal structures of trans-di-chlorido-tetra-kis-[1-(2,6-diiso-propyl-phen-yl)-1H-imidazole-κN (3)]iron(II), trans-di-bromido-tetra-kis-[1-(2,6-diiso-propyl-phen-yl)-1H-imidazole-κN (3)]iron(II) and trans-di-bromido-tetra-kis-[1-(2,6-diiso-propyl-phen-yl)-1H-imidazole-κN (3)]iron(II) diethyl ether disolvate

The title compounds are iron(II) dihalide complexes of the bulky arylimidazole ligand 1-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1H-imidazole. The FeCl₂ and FeBr₂ complexes are isotypic, while the third compound, also an FeBr₂ complex, crystallizes as a diethyl ether disolvate.

The title compounds, [FeCl₂(C₁₅H₂₀N₂)₄], (I), [FeBr₂(C₁₅H₂₀N₂)₄], (II), and [FeBr₂(C₁₅H₂₀N₂)₄]·2C₄H₁₀O, (IIb), respectively, all have triclinic symmetry, with (I) and (II) being isotypic. The Fe^II atoms in each of the structures are located on an inversion center. They have octa­hedral FeX₂N₄ (X = Cl and Br, respectively) coordination spheres with the Fe^II atom coordinated by two halide ions in a trans arrangement and by the tertiary N atom of four aryl­imidazole ligands [1-(2,6-diiso­propyl­phen­yl)-1H-imidazole] in the equatorial plane. In the two independent ligands, the benzene and imidazole rings are almost normal to one another, with dihedral angles of 88.19 (15) and 79.26 (14)° in (I), 87.0 (3) and 79.2 (3)° in (II), and 84.71 (11) and 80.58 (13)° in (IIb). The imidazole rings of the two independent ligand mol­ecules are inclined to one another by 70.04 (15), 69.3 (3) and 61.55 (12)° in (I), (II) and (IIb), respectively, while the benzene rings are inclined to one another by 82.83 (13), 83.0 (2) and 88.16 (12)°, respectively. The various dihedral angles involving (IIb) differ slightly from those in (I) and (II), probably due to the close proximity of the diethyl ether solvent mol­ecule. There are a number of C—H⋯halide hydrogen bonds in each mol­ecule involving the CH groups of the imidazole units. In the structures of compounds (I) and (II), mol­ecules are linked via pairs of C—H⋯halogen hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the a axis that enclose R₂²(12) ring motifs. The chains are linked by C—H⋯π inter­actions, forming sheets parallel to (001). In the structure of compound (IIb), mol­ecules are linked via pairs of C—H⋯halogen hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the b axis, and the diethyl ether solvent mol­ecules are attached to the chains via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The chains are linked by C—H⋯π inter­actions, forming sheets parallel to (001). In (I) and (II), the methyl groups of an isopropyl group are disordered over two positions [occupancy ratio = 0.727 (13):0.273 (13) and 0.5:0.5, respectively]. In (IIb), one of the ethyl groups of the diethyl ether solvent mol­ecule is disordered over two positions (occupancy ratio = 0.5:0.5).

Phase-transformation-induced twinning of an iron(III) calix[4]pyrrolidine complex

The title compound, tetrachlorido-1κCl;2κ(3)Cl-(2,2,7,7,12,12,17,17-octamethyl-21,22,23,24-tetraazapentacyclo[16.2.1.1(3,6).1(8,11).1(13,16)]tetracosane-1κ(4)N,N',N'',N''')-μ2-oxido-diiron(III), [Fe2Cl4O(C28H52N4)], undergoes a slow phase transformation at ca 173 K from monoclinic space group P2(1)/n, denoted form (I), to the maximal non-isomorphic subgroup, triclinic space group P1, denoted form (II), which is accompanied by nonmerohedral twinning [twin fractions of 0.693 (4) and 0.307 (4)]. The transformation was found to be reversible, as on raising the temperature the crystal reverted to monoclinic form (I). In the asymmetric unit of form (I), Z' = 1, while in form (II), Z' = 2, with a very small reduction (ca 1.8%) in the unit-cell volume. The two independent molecules (A and B) in form (II) are related by a pseudo-twofold screw axis along the b axis. The molecular overlay of molecule A on molecule B has an r.m.s. deviation of 0.353 Å, with the largest distance between two equivalent atoms being 1.202 Å. The reaction of calix[4]pyrrolidine, the fully reduced form of meso-octamethylporphyrinogen, with FeCl3 gave a red-brown solid that was recrystallized from ethanol in air, resulting in the formation of the title compound. In both forms, (I) and (II), the Fe(III) atoms are coordinated to the macrocyclic ligand and have distorted octahedral FeN4OCl coordination spheres. These Fe(III) atoms lie out of the mean plane of the four N atoms, displaced towards the O atom of the [OFeCl3] unit by 0.2265 (5) Å in form (I), and by 0.2210 (14) and 0.2089 (14) Å, respectively, in the two independent molecules (A and B) of form (II). The geometry of the [OFeCl3] units are similar, with each Fe(III) atom having a tetrahedral coordination sphere. The NH H atoms are directed below the planes of the macrocycles and are hydrogen bonded to the coordinated Cl(-) ions. There are also intramolecular C-H···Cl hydrogen bonds present in both (I) and (II). In form (I), there are no significant intermolecular interactions present. In form (II), the individual molecules are arranged in alternate layers parallel to the ac plane. The B molecules are linked by a C-H···Cl hydrogen bond, forming chains along [100].

Asymmetric epoxidation with H2O2 by manipulating the electronic properties of non-heme iron catalysts

A non-heme iron complex that catalyzes highly enantioselective epoxidation of olefins with H2O2 is described. Improvement of enantiomeric excesses is attained by the use of catalytic amounts of carboxylic acid additives. Electronic effects imposed by the ligand on the iron center are shown to synergistically cooperate with catalytic amounts of carboxylic acids in promoting efficient O-O cleavage and creating highly chemo- and enantioselective epoxidizing species which provide a broad range of epoxides in synthetically valuable yields and short reaction times.

Ionically tagged iron complex-catalyzed epoxidation of olefins in imidazolium-based ionic liquids

A new ionophilic ligand and a new ionically tagged imidazolium-based iron(III) complex were synthesized and applied in the air oxidation (also hydrogen peroxide) of alkenes in imidazolium-based ionic liquids. At least ten recycling reactions were performed. The epoxidized olefin was obtained in very good yields of 84-91 %. Some important mechanistic insights are also provided based on electrospray ionization quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry for the oxidation reaction. These results indicate that oxidations can take place by two different pathways, depending on the reaction condition: a radical or a concerted mechanism. These results contribute towards a better understanding of iron-catalyzed oxidation mechanisms.

EPR, 1H and 2H NMR, and reactivity studies of the iron-oxygen intermediates in bioinspired catalyst systems

Complexes [(BPMEN)Fe(II)(CH(3)CN)(2)](ClO(4))(2) (1, BPMEN = N,N'-dimethyl-N,N'-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-diaminoethane) and [(TPA)Fe(II)(CH(3)CN)(2)](ClO(4))(2) (2, TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) are among the best nonheme iron-based catalysts for bioinspired oxidation of hydrocarbons. Using EPR and (1)H and (2)H NMR spectroscopy, the iron-oxygen intermediates formed in the catalyst systems 1,2/H(2)O(2); 1,2/H(2)O(2)/CH(3)COOH; 1,2/CH(3)CO(3)H; 1,2/m-CPBA; 1,2/PhIO; 1,2/(t)BuOOH; and 1,2/(t)BuOOH/CH(3)COOH have been studied (m-CPBA is m-chloroperbenzoic acid). The following intermediates have been observed: [(L)Fe(III)(OOR)(S)](2+), [(L)Fe(IV)═O(S)](2+) (L = BPMEN or TPA, R = H or (t)Bu, S = CH(3)CN or H(2)O), and the iron-oxygen species 1c (L = BPMEN) and 2c (L = TPA). It has been shown that 1c and 2c directly react with cyclohexene to yield cyclohexene oxide, whereas [(L)Fe(IV)═O(S)](2+) react with cyclohexene to yield mainly products of allylic oxidation. [(L)Fe(III)(OOR)(S)](2+) are inert in this reaction. The analysis of EPR and reactivity data shows that only those catalyst systems which display EPR spectra of 1c and 2c are able to selectively epoxidize cyclohexene, thus bearing strong evidence in favor of the key role of 1c and 2c in selective epoxidation. 1c and 2c were tentatively assigned to the oxoiron(V) intermediates.