New cationic anion receptors, based on the use of pyrrole-substituted bipyridine and coordinated to transition metals, are described. Specifically, polypyridine-ruthenium and -rhodium cores have been functionalized to generate an anion binding site. The design was chosen to probe the influence of the pyrrole-to-pyrrole separation on anion-binding affinities and selectivities; this distance is greater in the new systems of this report (receptors 1 and 2) relative to that present in related dipyrrolyl quinoxaline based receptors 3 and 4. Solution-phase anion-binding studies, carried out by means of (1)H NMR spectroscopic titrations in [D(6)]DMSO and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in DMSO, reveal that 1 and 2 bind most simple anions with substantially higher affinity than either 3 or 4. In the case of chloride anion, structural studies, carried out by means of single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, are consistent with the solution-phase results and reveal that receptors 1 and 2 are both able to stabilize complexes with this halide anion in the solid state.

The synthesis and characterization of a new sapphyrin analogue, dioxabenzosapphyrin, are reported. The benzodifuran moiety upon which this system is based leads to the incorporation of two oxygen atoms within the central macrocyclic core, thus replacing two protonated nitrogen centers found in normal pentaaza sapphyrin derivatives, including those derived from benzodipyrroles. As expected, the loss of these two NH hydrogen bond donor sites greatly reduces the anion affinity for the diprotonated form, even though the overall charge is the same as in the corresponding sapphyrins. Interestingly, dioxabenzosapphyrin, but not the corresponding all-aza systems, is found to bind neutral guests, such as phenol and 4-nitrophenol, albeit weakly. This latter finding highlights a potentially new application for core-modified expanded porphyrin derivatives, namely, as receptors for hydrogen bond donating neutral substrates.

A series of mononuclear oxovanadium(v) complexes of tridentate Schiff bases HL(1)-HL(4) and H(2)L(5)-H(2)L(8) derived from 6-phenylsalicylaldehyde and 6-(2-hydroxyphenyl)salicylaldehyde and four different amines was synthesized. The systematically selected ligands contain aliphatic or aromatic nitrogen, or alkoxy- and phenoxy-oxygen as third donor atom. The complexes were characterised by spectroscopic methods in solution and the solid state. Single-crystal X-ray analyses were performed with VO(2)L(1)(), VO(2)L(3)x1/2EtOH (), VO(2)L(4)(), VO(OiPr)L(7)xiPrOH, VO(OiPr)L(8) and H(2)L(8). For all compounds the vanadium(v) cores contain distorted tetragonal pyramidal geometry around the dioxo- and oxovanadium site at which the N(2)O- and NO(2)-donor ligands bind equatorially. Complexes and display intramolecular hydrogen bonding of the pendant hydroxyphenyl group to a coordinated oxygen trans to a nitrogen atom and therefore serve as suitable models for the native site of vanadium dependent haloperoxidases. Variable-temperature (1)H NMR spectra revealed significant hydrogen bond interaction in acetonitrile solution. In situ prepared catalysts are active for hydrogen peroxide mediated oxygenation of ethyl phenyl sulfide and showed complete conversion of the substrate to ethyl phenyl sulfoxide, together with small amounts of the corresponding sulfone, as detected by GC/MS after 10 min. The complex of H(2)L(7) turned out to be most efficient while HL(1) and HL(2) were completely inactive. Catalysis is supported by the pendant OH group in the complex of HL(3), the catalyst is twice as active as the complex of HL(4).

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