The nature of cation−π interactions in a set of [Ru(η6-C16H12R4)(NH3)3]2+3+ (R = F, CN, CH3, and others), complexes was investigated with Su–Li energy decomposition analysis and the natural orbitals for chemical valence and the extended transition state method EDA-NOCV. The long-distance effects of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents as well as protonation of the ipso carbon on the nature of cation−π interactions were investigated. Both energy decomposition analyses, Su–Li EDA and EDA-NOCV, are in total agreement, showing that the presence of electron-donating substituents such as CH3, NH2, and H3CO tends to stabilize the ruthenium–arene interaction while electron-withdrawing substituents such as F, CN, and NO2 tend to weaken such interactions. The electrostatic component of the ruthenium–arene interaction is the most affected by the substitution, despite the fact that the covalent character is much more significant than the electrostatic character. EDA-NOCV reveals that the most important orbital stabilization comes from donation and back-donation between the interacting fragments, while the σ density deformations present a moderate contribution to total orbital stabilization energy in ruthenium–arene interactions of complexes 1–8.

Cation−π interactions in a set of ruthenophanes [Ru(η 6 -C n H n )(NH 3 ) 3 ] 2+ (n = 16, 18, 20, 22, and 24) (1−9), containing multibridged cyclophanes as ligands, including [2.2]paracyclophane and its multibridged analogs, [2 n ]cyclophanes, are analyzed in terms of SAPT0/TZP and Su−Li EDA analyses. The calculations reveal that the coordination with cation [Ru(NH 3 ) 3 ] 2+ affects the structures of [2 n ]ciclophane ligands, mainly the planarity of the coordinating ring. The EDA results show that the gradual addition of ethano bridges in [2 n ]cyclophanes tends to strengthen the cation−π interaction between [Ru(NH 3 ) 3 ] 2+ and [2 n ]cyclophane. Both Su−Li EDA and SAPT0 are in line, suggesting that the cation−π interactions present a predominant covalent character in complexes 1−9.

The present work seeks to characterize, in the light of electronic structure calculations, an unusual metal-[(η(1)-NHC)2:(η(6)-arene)] bonding situation in a set of ruthenium(ii) complexes containing the ortho-xylylene-linked-bis(NHC)cyclophane ligand (NHC-cyclophane) (), which binds to the ruthenium center through two carbene carbons and one of the arene rings. The nature of ruthenium(ii)-[(η(1)-NHC)2:(η(6)-arene)] bonding was investigated in the light of EDA-NOCV, NBO and QTAIM analyses by adopting as a model compound. The interplay between the ortho-cyclophane scaffold with different families of five-membered carbenes, such as imidazole, , triazole-based NHCs (Enders' carbenes), , and P-heterocyclic carbenes (PHCs), , was investigated. The metal-[(η(1)-NHC)2:(η(6)-arene)] bonding situation was also extended to heavier analogues, such as N-heterocyclic silylenes (NHSi) and N-heterocyclic germylenes (NHGe), in order to address how the basicity of NHC, NHSi and NHGe is affected by the cyclophane framework. The results reveal that ruthenium(ii)-[(η(1)-NHC)2:(η(6)-arene)] is more covalently than electrostatically bonded and that the degree of covalence is larger in PHCs than in NHCs or Enders' carbenes. It is also revealed that the covalent character in the ruthenium(ii)-[(η(1)-NHGe)2:(η(6)-arene)] and ruthenium(ii)-[(η(1)-NHSi)2:(η(6)-arene)] bonds is larger than in ruthenium(ii)-[(η(1)-NHC)2:(η(6)-arene)].

Interações de alguns compostos di-imínicos de cobre(II) com albumina de soro bovino (BSA) foram investigadas por técnicas espectroscópicas, visando comparar a estabilidade dos complexos e verificar a sua capacidade de causar danos oxidativos à proteína. Os ligantes imínicos tri-e tetradentados utilizados neste trabalho contêm grupamentos piridina, pirazina ou imidazol, frequentemente encontrados no meio biológico. A estabilidade termodinâmica relativa de cada um dos complexos foi determinada através de dicroísmo circular (CD), usando a própria BSA como ligante competitivo. Os valores estimados das constantes de equilíbrio aparentes foram muito semelhantes entre si e ao da espécie Cu(BSA), para a qual log K Cu(BSA) = 12.9 já foi relatado na literatura, mostrando que os complexos estudados são bastante estáveis em condições fisiológicas. Dois diferentes sítios de coordenação do íon cobre foram verificados nestes estudos, evidenciados por medidas espectroscópicas (UV-Vis, CD e EPR), dependendo do ligante e da proporção estequiométrica [CuL]/[BSA] utilizada. Entretanto, a inserção do íon cobre em qualquer dos sítios ligantes ocasionou danos oxidativos significativos à proteína, especialmente em presença de peróxido de hidrogênio, indicando um processo oxidativo com formação de espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs). Um tripeptídeo amidado, Asp-Thr-His-NH 2 , mimético do sítio N-terminal da BSA, foi sintetizado e a investigação de sua interação com os complexos de cobre permitiu uma compreensão melhor do sistema cobre-BSA. Cálculos de estrutura eletrônica empregando a teoria do funcional de densidade (DFT) foram efetuados para determinar as energias de ligação do cobre em cada complexo e no sítio N-terminal da proteína, buscando correlacioná-las com os dados de estabilidade termodinâmica. Interactions of some diimine copper(II) complexes with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were investigated by spectroscopic techniques in order to compare the stability of the complexes and their capability of causing oxidative damage to the protein. The tri-and tetradentate imine ligands employed in this work contain pyridine, pyrazine or imidazole moieties, which are ubiquitous in biological systems. The relative thermodynamic stabilities of the copper(II) complexes were estimated by circular dichroism (CD) using BSA as the competitive ligand. The apparent stability constants determined for the complexes are very similar to one another and to that of the Cu(BSA) complex itself, for which log K Cu(BSA) = 12.9 has already been described in the literature, indicating that the complexes are quite stable under physiological conditions. Two different copper binding sites were evidenced on BSA by spectroscopic measurements (CD, UV-Vis and EPR), depending on the ligand and on the [CuL]:[protein] stoichiometric ratio. Metal binding to any of the sites gives rise to significant protein oxidative damage, especially in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, indicating an oxidative process based on reactive oxygen species (ROS). A small amidated peptide, As...

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