Several cobalt nitrosyl porphyrins of the form (T(p/m-X)PP)Co(NO) (p/m-X = p-OCH(3) (1), p-CH(3) (2), m-CH(3) (3), p-H (4), m-OCH(3) (5), p-OCF(3) (6), p-CF(3) (7), p-CN (8)) have been synthesized in 30-85% yields by reaction of the precursor cobalt porphyrin with nitric oxide. Compounds 1-7 were also prepared by reaction of the precursor cobalt porphyrin with nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate followed by reduction with cobaltocene. Compounds 1-8 have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR and (1)H NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and UV-vis spectrophotometry. They are diamagnetic and display nu(NO) bands in CH(2)Cl(2) between 1681 and 1695 cm(-)(1). The molecular structure of 1, determined by a single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis, reveals a Co-N-O angle of 119.6(4) degrees. Crystals of 1 are monoclinic, P2/c, with a = 15.052(1) Å, b = 9.390(1) Å, c = 16.274(2) Å, beta = 111.04(1) degrees, V = 2146.8(4) Å(3), Z = 2, T = 228(2) K, D(calcd) = 1.271 g cm(-)(3), and final R1 = 0.0599 (wR2 = 0.1567, GOF = 1.054) for 3330 "observed" reflections with I >/= 2sigma(I). Cyclic voltammetry studies in CH(2)Cl(2) reveal that compounds 1-7 undergo two reversible oxidations and two reversible reductions at low temperature. This is not the case for compound 8, which undergoes two reversible reductions but an irreversible oxidation due to adsorption of the oxidized product onto the electrode surface. Combined electrochemistry-infrared studies demonstrate that each of the compounds 1-7 undergoes a first oxidation at the porphyrin pi ring system and a first reduction at either the metal center or the nitrosyl axial ligand. The formulation for the singly oxidized products of compounds 1-7 as porphyrin pi-cation radicals was confirmed by the presence of bands in the 1289-1294 cm(-)(1) region (for compounds 1-5), which are diagnostic IR bands for generation of tetraarylporphyrin pi-cation radicals.

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Reaction of [Ru(ttp)(NO)Cl] with aryl or alkyl Grignard reagents gives [Ru(ttp)(NO)R] (R = C6H4F-p, Me); the Ru-C bond in [Ru(ttp)(NO)Me] undergoes insertion by SOz, and the structure of [Ru(ttp)(NO)(C6H4F-p)] is determined by Xray crystallography.

Depleted uranium (DU) is a dense heavy metal used primarily in military applications. Published data from our laboratory have demonstrated that DU exposure in vitro to immortalised human osteoblast cells (HOS) is both neoplastically transforming and genotoxic. DU possesses both a radiological (alpha-particle) and chemical (metal) component. Since DU has a low specific activity in comparison to natural uranium, it is not considered to be a significant radiological hazard. The potential contribution of radiation to DU-induced biological effects is unknown and the involvement of radiation in DU-induced biological effects could have significant implications for current risk estimates for internalised DU exposure. Two approaches were used to address this question. The frequency of dicentrics was measured in HOS cells following DU exposure in vitro. Data demonstrated that DU exposure (50 microM, 24 h) induced a significant elevation in dicentric frequency in vitro in contrast to incubation with the heavy metals, nickel and tungsten which did not increase dicentric frequency above background levels. Using the same concentration (50 microM) of three uranyl nitrate compounds that have different uranium isotopic concentrations and therefore, different specific activities, the effect on neoplastic transformation in vitro was examined. HOS cells were exposed to one of three-uranyl nitrate compounds (238U-uranyl nitrate, specific activity 0.33 microCi.g-1; DU-uranyl nitrate, specific activity 0.44 microCi.g-1; and 235U-uranyl nitrate, specific activity 2.2 microCi.g-1) delivered at a concentration of 50 microM for 24 h. Results showed, at equal uranium concentration, there was a specific activity dependent increase in neoplastic transformation frequency. Taken together these data suggest that radiation can play a role in DU-induced biological effects in vitro.