The synthesis, structure, and thiol peroxidase-like antioxidant activities of several diaryl diselenides having intramolecularly coordinating amino groups are described. The diselenides derived from enantiomerically pure R-(+)- and S-(−)-N,N-dimethyl(1-ferrocenylethyl)amine show excellent peroxidase activity. To investigate the mechanistic role of various organoselenium intermediates, a detailed in situ characterization of the intermediates has been carried out by 77Se NMR spectroscopy. While most of the diselenides exert their peroxidase activity via selenol, selenenic acid, and selenenyl sulfide intermediates, the differences in the relative activities of the diselenides are due to the varying degree of intramolecular Se···N interaction. The diselenides having strong Se···N interactions are found to be inactive due to the ability of their selenenyl sulfide derivatives to enhance the reverse GPx cycle (RSeSR + H2O2 = RSeOH). In these cases, the nucleophilic attack of thiol takes place preferentially at selenium rather than sulfur and this reduces the formation of selenol by terminating the forward reaction. On the other hand, the diselenides having weak Se···N interactions are found to be more active due to the fast reaction of the selenenyl sulfide derivatives with thiol to produce diphenyl disulfide and the expected selenol (RSeSR + PhSH = PhSSPh + RSeH). The unsubstituted diaryl diselenides are found to be less active due to the slow reactions of these diselenides with thiol and hydrogen peroxide and also due to the instability of the intermediates. The catalytic cycles of 18 and 19 strongly resemble the mechanism by which the natural enzyme, glutathione peroxidase, catalyzes the reduction of hydroperoxides.

A sequence of first row transition metal(II) dithiolates M(SAr)(2) (M = Cr(1), Mn(2), Fe(3), Co(4), Ni(5) and Zn(6); Ar = C(6)H(3)-2,6-(C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-Pr(i)(3))(2)) has been synthesized and characterized. Compounds 1-5 were obtained by the reaction of two equiv of LiSAr with a metal dihalide, whereas 6 was obtained by treatment of ZnMe(2) with 2 equiv of HSAr. They were characterized by spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, and X-ray crystallography. The dithiolates 1, 2, and 4-6 possess linear or nearly linear SMS units with further interactions between M and two ipso carbons from C(6)H(2)-2,4,6-Pr(i)(3) rings. The iron species 3, however, has a bent geometry, two different Fe-S distances, and an interaction between iron and one ipso carbon of a flanking ring. The secondary M-C interactions vary in strength in the sequence Cr(2+) approximately Fe(2+) > Co(2+) approximately Ni(2+) > Mn(2+) approximately Zn(2+) such that the manganese and zinc compounds have essentially two coordination but the chromium and iron complexes are quasi four and three coordinate, respectively. The geometric distortions in the iron species 3 suggested that the structure represents the initial stage of a rearrangement into a sandwich structure involving metal-aryl ring coordination. The bent structure of 3 probably also precludes the observation of free ion magnetism of Fe(2+) recently reported for Fe{C(SiMe(3))(3)}(2). DFT calculations on the model compounds M(SPh)(2) (M = Cr-Ni) support the higher tendency of the iron species to distort its geometry.

Treatment of M[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2) (M = Mn, Fe, Co) with various bulky beta-diketimines afforded a variety of new three-coordinate complexes which were characterized by UV-vis, (1)H NMR and IR spectroscopy, magnetic measurements, and X-ray crystallography. Reaction of the beta-diketimine H(Dipp)NC(Me)CHC(Me)N(Dipp) (Dipp(2)N(wedge)NH; Dipp = C(6)H(3)-2,6-Pr(i)(2)) with M[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2) (M = Mn or Co) gave Dipp(2)N(wedge)NMN(SiMe(3))(2) (M = Mn, 1; Co, 3) while the reaction of Fe[N(SiMe(3))(2)](2) with Ar(2)N(wedge)NH (Ar = Dipp, C(6)F(5), Mes, C(6)H(3)-2,6-Me(2), or C(6)H(3)-2,6-Cl(2)) afforded the series of iron complexes Ar(2)N(wedge)NFe[N(SiMe(3))(2)] (Ar = Dipp, 2a; C(6)F(5), 2b; Mes, 2c; C(6)H(3)-2,6-Me(2), 2d; C(6)H(3)-2,6-Cl(2), 2e). This represents a new synthetic route to beta-diketiminate complexes of these metals. The four-coordinate bis-beta-diketiminate complex Fe[N(wedge)N(C(6)F(5))(2)](2), 4, was also isolated as a byproduct from the synthesis of 2b. Direct reaction of the Dipp(2)N(wedge)NLi with CoCl(2) gave the "ate" salt Dipp(2)N(wedge)NCoCl(2)Li(THF)(2), 5, in which the lithium chloride has formed a complex with Dipp(2)N(wedge)NCoCl through chloride bridging. The Fe(III) species Dipp(2)N(wedge)NFeCl(2), 6, was obtained cleanly from the reaction of FeCl(3) with Dipp(2)N(wedge)NLi. Magnetic measurements showed that all the complexes have a high spin configuration. The different substituents in the series of iron complexes 2a-e allowed assignment of their paramagnetically shifted (1)H NMR spectra. The X-ray crystal structures 1-2d and 3 showed that they have a distorted three-coordinate planar configuration at the metals whereas complexes 4-6 have highly distorted four-coordinate geometries.

A series of intramolecularly coordinated organochalcogen compounds incorporating the 8-(dimethylamino)-1-naphthyl and 2-[(dimethylamino)methyl]phenyl groups has been synthesized. All the compounds were synthesized using the ortholithiation methodology. Insertion of elemental selenium into the Li-C bond of RLi (6) (R ) 8-(dimethylamino)-1naphthyl) afforded the lithium areneselenolate RSeLi (7). Oxidative workup of 7 yielded the yellow diselenide 8 in good yield. Reaction of 8 with a stoichiometric amount of sulfuryl chloride gave the monochloro derivative (9). Controlled bromination of diselenide ( 8) with bromine in carbon tetrachloride gave the stable selenenyl bromide (10). Compound 8 underwent facile reaction with a stoichiometric amount of iodine to give the corresponding novel monoiodo compound (11) in which selenium is covalently bonded to iodine. Attempts to synthesize the chalcogenides, R 2 E, 12 (E ) Se) and 13 (E ) Te), by the reaction of 6 with Se(dtc) 2 and Te(dtc) 2 (dtc ) diethyldithiacarbamate), respectively, were unsuccessful. The reaction of 6 with Te(dtc) 2 afforded the stable RTe(dtc) ( 14) instead of the expected telluride R 2 Te (13). In contrast, the reaction of R′Li (17) (R′ ) 2-[(dimethylamino)methyl)phenyl] with Se(dtc) 2 and Te(dtc) 2 afforded the expected selenide R′ 2 Se (18) and telluride R′ 2 Te (19), respectively, in moderate yields. The compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, NMR ( 1 H, 13 C, 77 Se, 125 Te), and mass spectral techniques. The structures of the compounds 9, 11, 14, and 18 were determined by X-ray crystallography. Although N‚‚‚E (E ) Se or Te) nonbonded interactions are present in the solid state in all the derivatives, in solution the pyramidal inversion at the nitrogen center is not blocked, and as a result, the NMe 2 signals are observed as sharp signals in the 1 H NMR spectra.