Journal of the Iranian Chemical Society
Volume:3 Issue: 2, June 2006

The coordination properties towards different metal ions of a new class of mixed N/S-, and N/S/O-donor macrocycles containing the 1,10-phenanthroline sub-unit in the cyclic framework are reviewed. The conformational constraints imposed by the heteroaromatic fragment onto the aliphatic portion of the ring determine the coordination mode of these ligands which can stabilise low-valent Ni+, Pd+, Pt+, and Rh+ metal complexes. Structural and thermodynamic aspects of the coordination chemistry of these ligands are considered together with possible applications as building blocks in the synthesis of multi-centred systems, and as template in the construction of extended polyiodide networks. However, solution studies demonstrate the inability of these ligands to work as selective and specific fluorescent chemosensors for heavy transition and post-transition metal ions and the formation constants evaluated for the formation of 1:1 complexes with Pb2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Cu2+, and Ag+ in acetonitrile are of the same order of magnitude. Nevertheless, some of these macrocyles are extremely effective to recognise Cu2+ or Ag+ over the other metal ions in transport processes, and have been successfully used as neutral ionophore in the construction of PVC-based ion-selective electrodes and supported liquid membranes for analytical detection and separation, respectively, of these metal ions.

The vertical profiles of the concentration of reactive Mn and total concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Cu ions in the water column of the Šibenik Bay (Krka river estuary) were determined. The measured ranges of concentrations are: 60-1300 ng l-1 for Mn, 5-13 ng l-1 for Cd, 70-230 ng l-1 for Pb, and 375-840 ng l-1 for Cu. These values are comparable with the concentrations found in the unpolluted estuaries. The Krka river estuary is highly stratified, with the measured salinity gradient of 20% within a half meter of the freshwater-seawater interface (FSI). The main changes in the vertical profiles of the measured parameters occur in the FSI: the temperature increases for 1 °C and the pH decreases for 0.1 unit, whereas the metal concentrations show different behaviour. Generally, Mn, Pb, and Cd ions show the increase of concentrations in the FSI, while copper concentration profile indicates anthropogenic pollution in the brackish layer caused by agriculture activities and by the paint with copper basis used as an antifoulant biocide for the ships. UV-digested samples show an increase in manganese concentrations for at least 3.5 times comparing to non UV-digested. This suggests that in natural water manganese exists mainly in the form of inert complexes and as associated to particulate matter (about 70-80%). UV irradiation has no influence on the concentration of cadmium, while for lead an increase of 50% in the seawater layer is observed. The twofold increase of the copper concentration in the upper freshwater layer and at least the fourfold one in the seawater layer were measured in the UV-digested samples. These results show that copper is strongly bound to inert complexes, and that UV-digestion is necessary step in determination of the total metal concentrations in natural water samples. No significant increase of the metal concentrations in the deeper seawater layer was observed, indicating the absence of the processes of remobilization or dissolution of metals from the sediment. Presented results confirm that the new method for the determination of manganese by CSV on boron-doped diamond electrode with ultrasound enhanced accumulation can be successfully applied to natural waters.

A very simple, highly sensitive and selective spectrophotometric procedure was developed for the determination of copper(II). It is based on the reaction at pH 4-9 between the synthesized acetophenone-p-chlorophenylthiosemicarbazone (A-p-ClPT) and Cu(II) forming a green complex, Cu(II):A-p-ClPT (1:2), that floats quantitatively with oleic acid (HOL) surfactant. It exhibits a constant and maximum absorbance at 600 nm in both aqueous and surfactant layers. Beer’s law is obeyed over the concentration range 0.25-6.35 mg l-1 with a detection limit of 0.021 mg l-1 for a standard aqueous solution of Cu(II) with a concentration of 3.82 mg l-1 (calculated on the basis of 3σ) and molar absorptivities of 5.5 × 103 and 1.3 × 104 mol l-1 cm-1 in aqueous and surfactant layers, respectively. Sandell’s sensitivity was calculated to be 0.244 µg cm-2 and the relative standard deviation (n = 9) was 0.19%. The different analytical parameters affecting the flotation and determination processes were examined. The proposed procedure has been successfully applied to the analysis of Cu(II) in natural waters, certified scrap steel samples and vitamin samples. The results obtained agree well with those samples analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Moreover, the flotation mechanism is suggested based on some physical and chemical studies on the solid complexes isolated from aqueous and surfactant layers.

organotin complexes of the general formulae R2SnL2, R2SnLCl and R3SnL where R = C4H9, C6H5, and C7H7 and L = 2-[(2,6-dichlorodiphenyl)amino]benzene acetate, were subjected to thermal decomposition by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The decomposition of these compounds occurs mostly in two steps. Kinetic parameters such as order of reaction (n), activation energy (Ea), enthalpy (ΔH‡) and entropy (ΔS‡) of activation were calculated by using the Coats and Horowitz methods. The calculated values are in good agreement with observed TG values that confirm the structural integrity of the complexes.

The dibutyltin(IV) complex of 4-methyl-1-piperidinedithioic acid has been synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. It was found that tin atom has distorted tetragonal geometry with the space group P-1.

A thermodynamic cycle for the nanoclusteration between DNA and dendronized polymer is proposed and electrostatic free energies of a series of DNA- dendronized polymer nanoclusteration processes are calculated. The free energies for assembling fixed charges and mobile ions, and the bending energies of the DNA chain wrapped around the dendronized polymer are taken into consideration. The free energies of nanoclusteration are calculated for a number of nanoclusters with different conformations at constant temperature and constant ionic strength. The effects of temperature and ionic strength on the free energy of nanoclusteration and stability of their conformations are also investigated.

A simple, rapid and selective complexometric method is proposed for the determination of mercury(II). Mercury(II) and other related metal ions are first complexed with an excess of EDTA and the surplus EDTA is back-titrated with a standard lead nitrate solution at pH 5.0-6.0 (hexamine buffer) using xylenol orange as an indicator. A 0.2% solution of 2-thiazolinethiol in acetone is then added to displace EDTA from the Hg(II)-EDTA complex. The released EDTA is titrated with a standard lead nitrate solution as before. Reproducible and accurate results are obtained in the range of 0.8 g l-1-15.8 g l-1 of mercury with a relative error less than �±0.25% and a coefficient of variation (n = 6) not higher than 0.28%. The interference of various ions was studied and the method was employed for the analysis of mercury in its synthetic alloy mixtures and in complexes.

1,1-Difluoro-3-(1H -quinolin-2-ylidene)propan-2-one 1a, 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(1H-quinolin-2- ylidene)propan-2-one 1b, 1,1,1-trifluoro-3-(4-chloro-1H-quinolin-2-ylidene)propan-2-one 1c and 1,3-dibromo-1,1-difluoro-3-(2-quinolyl)propan-2-one 2 are prepared and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structure of 1a is determined by X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, a series of previously known non-halogenated (1H-quinolin-2-ylidene)propan-2-ones 1d-1h are oxidized with AgBrO3 in the presence of AlCl3. In all cases, 2-(1-bromo-1-chloromethyl)quinoline 3 is obtained in high yield. The bromination order and sites of 1a are analyzed based on ab initio MP2 and DFT calculations for the molecule and its anions.

The kinetics of oxidation of 1,2-butanediol by dihydroxyditellutoargentate(III) (DDA) is studied spectrophotometrically. The reaction rate shows first order dependence in DDA and 1 < nap < 2 order in 1,2-butanediol. It is found that the pseudo-first order rate constant kobs increases with the increase in concentration of OH- and decreases with the increase in concentration of TeO42-. There is a negative salt effect; no free radical is detected. In view of this, the dihydroxymonotelluratoargentate(III) species is assumed to be the active species. A plausible mechanism involving a two-electron transfer is proposed and the rate equations derived from mechanism explains all experimental results. The activation parameters along with the rate constants of the rate-determining step are calculated.

The effects of the mechanical properties of DNA, such as bending, twisting, and bending-twisting interactions on the thermodynamic stability of DNA-dendronized polymer nanoclusters with different conformations in terms of free energy are investigated. The effect of temperature on the free energy is also studied and the values of enthalpy and entropy of the solution of the nanocluster are predicted. The obtained thermodynamic quantities help us to have a better understanding about the mechanical properties of DNA and the stability of the nanocluster in gene therapy.

Starting from (1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ylideneamino)-acetic acid methyl esters 6a, 6b, the aryl esters of exo-2-[methyl-(1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl)- amino]-ethanol (10a-f) and exo-2-[methyl-(1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2- yl)-amino-2-phenyl-ethanol (10g-n) are prepared. Also, from the reaction of 1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptan nitramine 4 with either 2-amino-1-(4-nitrophenyl)- propane-1,3-diol (17) or 1-aminomethyl-cyclohexanol (18), the alcohol exo-1-[(1,7,7-trimethyl-bicylo[2.2.1]hept-2-ylamino)-methyl]-cyclohexanol (13), exo-1- (4-aminophenyl)-2-(1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ylamino)-propane-1,3-diol (14) and 1-(4-aminophenyl)-2-[methyl-1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl]-amino]- propane-1,3-diol (16) are synthesized. At a dose level of 12.5 mg/kg, compounds 16 and 14 show a significant anticonvulsant protection against pentylenetetrazole seizures (100% and 83% protection, respectively) compared with diphenylhydantoin sodium (50 mg/kg, 100%) and deramciclane fumarate (25 mg/kg, 83%), used as reference drugs. Compound 10b at dose level of 50 mg/kg displayed 41%, hypoglycemic activity, compared with gliclazide (10 mg/kg, 23%) as reference drug. Furthermore, the prepared compounds are screened for their anti-inflammatory potential at a dose level of 50 mg/kg. Compounds 10i, 10g, 14 and 10m exhibited 92%, 90%, 88% and 80% inhibition in rat paw weight, respectively, with no sign of ulcerogenicity, compared with indomethecin (5 mg/kg, 81%).