Isocyanide Molecules Research Articles

Dinitrogen Cleavage and Multicoupling with Isocyanides in a Dititanium Dihydride Framework.

Dinitrogen (N2) activation and functionalization through N-N bond cleavage and N-C bond formation are of great interest and importance but remain highly challenging. We report here for the first time N2 cleavage and selective multicoupling with isocyanides in a dititanium dihydride framework. The reaction of a dinitrogen dititanium dihydride complex [{(acriPNP)Ti}2(μ-η1:η2-N2)(μ-H)2] (1) with an excess (four or more equivalents) of p-methoxyphenyl isocyanide at room temperature gave a novel amidoamidinatoguanidinate complex [(acriPNP)Ti{NC(═NR)NC(═NR)CH2NR}Ti(acriPNP)(CNR)] (2, acriPNP = 4,5-bis(diisopropylphosphino)-2,7,9,9-tetramethyl-9H-acridin-10-ide; R = p-MeOC6H4) through N2 splitting and coupling with three isocyanide molecules. When 1 equiv of p-methoxyphenyl isocyanide was used to react with 1 at -30 °C, the hydrogenation of the isocyanide unit by the two hydride ligands in 1 took place, affording an amidomethylene-bridged dititanium dinitrogen complex [{(acriPNP)Ti}2(μ-η1:η2-N2){μ-η1:η2-CH2N(p-MeOC6H4)}] (3), which upon reaction with another equivalent of p-methoxyphenyl isocyanide at room temperature gave an amidomethylene/nitrido/carbodiimido complex [(acriPNP)Ti(N═C═NR)(μ-N)(μ-η1:η2-CH2NR)Ti(acriPNP)] (4) through N2 cleavage and N═C bond formation. Further reaction of 4 with 1 equiv of p-methoxyphenyl isocyanide led to an unprecedented four-component (carbodiimido, nitrido, isocyanide, and amidomethylene) coupling, yielding an amidoamidinatoguanidinate complex [{(acriPNP)Ti}2{NC(═NR)NC(═NR)CH2NR}] (5), which on reaction with another equivalent of p-methoxyphenyl isocyanide afforded the isocyanide-coordinated analogue 2. The reaction of 1 with 2-naphthyl isocyanide also took place in a similar multicoupling fashion. Moreover, the cross-coupling reactions of the p-methoxyphenyl isocyanide-derived amidomethylene/nitrido/carbodiimido complex 4 with 2-naphthyl isocyanide, cyclohexyl isocyanide, and tert-butyl isocyanide were also achieved, which afforded the corresponding amidoamidinatoguanidinate products consisting of two different isocyanides. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further elucidated the mechanistic details.

Isocyanide‐Based One‐Pot Cascade Synthesis of 3‐Acyl Isoindolinones†

Comprehensive SummaryA series of 3‐acyl‐substituted isoindolinone derivatives were synthesized in a one‐pot manner via the reaction of o‐bromobenzaldehydes, isocyanides, and carboxylic acids in the presence of palladium catalyst and base. The reaction employing easily available starting materials features simple operation and high efficiency. The mechanistic study showed that the reaction might undergo 1) Pd‐catalyzed [3+2] cyclization of o‐bromobenzaldehyde with isocyanide and the re‐insertion of another molecule of isocyanide, 2) addition of carboxylic acid to in situ formed ketenimine followed by a rearrangement relay to give 3,3‐diacyl‐substituted isoindolinone derivative. Further transformations of the obtained products through decarbonylation could also be realized.

Pd-catalyzed imine-directed one-pot access to polysubstituted pyrrolesviatandem triple isocyanide insertion/aza-Nazarov cyclization reactions

A novel one-pot method for synthesizing polysubstituted pyrrole derivatives via three-component reactions of alkenyl bromides, amines, and isocyanides is reported by Pd catalysis, without additional ligands, with the orderly insertion of three isocyanide molecules.

Correlating the orbital overlap area and vibrational frequency shift of an isocyanide moiety adsorbed on Pt and Pd covered Au(111) surfaces.

Orbital interactions between adsorbed molecules and the underlying metal surfaces play critical roles in a wide range of surface and interfacial processes. Establishing a correlation between an experimental observable (e.g., vibrational frequency shift of the adsorbed molecule) and the orbital interactions is of vital importance. Herein, theoretical calculations are used to investigate the vibrational frequency shift of phenyl isocyanide molecules as a probe molecule adsorbed on mono- and bi-layer Pt and Pd covered Au(111) surfaces and Pd2Au4 and Pt2Au4 clusters. By analyzing the density of states (DOS) of the adsorption system, we show that the orbital overlap area of d electronic DOS with a molecular σ or π* orbital, particularly their ratio (Rd-σ/d-π*), can be a meaningful descriptor to explain the frequency shift of the CN moiety. This hypothesis has been verified by simulations for phenyl isocyanide with electron donating NH2- and withdrawing CF3- substituent groups, formonitrile and carbon monoxide. Quasi-linear dependence of the frequency shift on Rd-σ/d-π* is observed for both the red and blue shift regions. Our findings build up on previous notions of electronic interactions, which will provide a more quantitative and solid footing to understand and analyze the frequency shift of adsorbed molecules on metal surfaces and the related electronic interactions and catalytic properties.

Steering Metal-Organic Network Structures through Conformations and Configurations on Surfaces.

Molecular adsorption conformations and arrangement configurations on surfaces are important structural aspects of surface stereochemistry, but their roles in steering the structures of metal-organic networks (MONs) remain vague and unexplored. In this study, we constructed MONs by the coordination self-assembly of isocyanides on Cu(111) and Ag(111) surfaces and demonstrated that the MON structures can be steered by surface stereochemistry, including the adsorption conformations of the isocyanide molecules and the arrangement configurations of the coordination nodes and subunits. The coordination self-assembly of 1,4-phenylene diisocyanobenzene afforded a honeycomb MON consisting of 3-fold (isocyano)3-Cu motifs on a Cu(111) surface. In contrast, geometrically different chevron-shaped 1,3-phenylene diisocyanobenzene (m-DICB) failed to generate a MON, which is ascribable to its standing conformation on the Cu(111) surface. However, m-DICB was adsorbed in a flat conformation on a Ag(111) surface, which has a larger lattice constant than a Cu(111) surface, and smoothly underwent coordination self-assembly to form a MON consisting of (isocyano)3-Ag motifs. Interestingly, only C3-Ag nodes with heterotactic configurations could grow into larger subunits; those subunits with heterotactic configurations further grew into Sierpiński triangle fractals (up to fourth order), while subunits with homotactic configurations afforded a triangular MON.

Cyanides, Isocyanides, and Hydrides of Zn, Cd and Hg from Metal Atom and HCN Reactions: Matrix Infrared Spectra and Electronic Structure Calculations.

Zinc and cadmium atoms from laser ablation of the metals and mercury atoms ablated from a dental amalgam target react with HCN in excess argon during deposition at 5 K to form the MCN and MNC molecules and CN radicals. UV irradiation decreases the higher energy ZnNC isomer in favor of the lower energy ZnCN product. Cadmium and mercury atoms produce analogous MCN primary molecules. Laser ablation of metals also produces plume radiation which initiates H‐atom detachment from HCN. The freed H atom can add to CN radical to produce the HNC isomer. The argon matrix also traps the higher energy but more intensely absorbing isocyanide molecules. Further reactions with H atoms generate HMCN and HMNC hydrides, which can be observed by virtue of their C−N stretches and intense M−H stretches. Computational modeling of IR spectra and relative energies guides the identification of reaction products by providing generally reliable frequency differences within the Zn, Cd and Hg family of products, and estimating isotopic shifts using to 13C and 15N isotopic substitution for comparison with experimental data.

Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Diarylation of Isocyanides with Triarylbismuthines for the Selective Synthesis of Imine Derivatives.

The transition-metal-catalyzed diarylation of isocyanides with triarylbismuthines was investigated in detail, and rhodium catalysts such as [RhCl(nbd)]2 were found to selectively afford N-alkyl diaryl ketimines. On the other hand, palladium-catalyzed diarylation proceeded with the incorporation of two molecules of isocyanide, preferentially yielding N,N’-dialkyl or N,N’-diaryl α-diimines. In addition, a cascade synthesis of 2,3-diarylquinoxalines starting from the palladium-catalyzed diarylation of isocyanides with triarylbismuthines was successfully achieved.

α-Amidoamids as New Replacements of Antibiotics—Research on the Chosen K12, R2–R4 E. coli Strains

A preliminary study of α-amidoamids as new potential antimicrobial drugs was performed. Special emphasis was placed on selection of structure of α-amidoamids with the highest biological activity against different types of Gram-stained bacteria by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Herein, Escherichia coli model strains K12 (without LPS in its structure) and R1–R4 (with different length LPS in its structure) were used. The presented work showed that the antibacterial activity of α-amidoamids depends on their structure and affects the LPS of bacteria. Moreover, the influence of various newly synthesized α-amidoamids on bacteria possessing smooth and rought LPS and oxidative damage of plasmid DNA caused by all newly obtained compounds was indicated. The presented studies clearly explain that α-amidoamids can be used as substitutes for antibiotics. The chemical and biological activity of the analysed α-amidoamids was associated with short alkyl chain and different isocyanides molecules in their structure such as: tetr-butyl isocyanide or 2,5-dimethoxybenzyl isocyanide. The observed results are especially important in the case of the increasing resistance of bacteria to various drugs and antibiotics.

Fine and hyperfine excitation of CCN by He

ABSTRACT The relative abundance of cyanide and isocyanide molecules is a sensitive tracer of the physical conditions in the interstellar and circumstellar media. Accurate modelling of collisional and radiative processes implying these species opens the way for accurate estimation of their abundances. The present paper focuses on the computation of collisional rate coefficients for fine and hyperfine (de-)excitation of the CCN molecule (one of the C2N isomers) in collision with He, for temperatures up to 150 K. Using a time independent coupled-channel approach, scattering calculations were performed for transitions implying the lowest 56 fine structure levels and the corresponding 166 hyperfine structure levels belonging to both 2Π1/2 and 2Π3/2 spin-orbit manifolds. We provided, for the first time, realistic collisional data for the CCN radical. Propensity rules for fine and hyperfine transitions are discussed. As a first application, we evaluated the impact of these new data on the astrophysical modelling through radiative transfer calculations. We obtained the brightness and excitation temperatures of selected lines observed towards circumstellar envelopes and we found that local thermodynamic equilibrium conditions are not fulfilled for this species. As a consequence, our results indicate that the abundance of the CCN derived from the observations has to be revised since the observation modelling strongly depends on the collisional data used.

A quantum chemical study of substituent effects on CN bonds in aryl isocyanide molecules adsorbed on the Pt surface.

A periodicity implemented scheme of natural bond orbital (NBO) theory and normal mode analysis has been employed to investigate the tendency of the chemical bond strength of aryl isocyanide molecules with different para-substituted groups adsorbed on the Pt(111) surface. The NC bond order shows a clear correspondence with the NC stretching frequency; both of them exhibit a "volcano-like" profile as a function of the Hammett constant of the para-substituted groups for isolated molecules. When a molecule is adsorbed on the Pt(111) surface, the NC stretching frequency variations are determined by the resultant effect of σ donation and π back-donation between the molecule and the surface. The present comprehensive and systematic computations clarify the electron donating and withdrawing effects of the substituted groups on the interaction between the aryl isocyanide molecule and the transition metal substrate.

Synthesis of Silaketenimine Anion and Its Coupling with Isocyanide.

Herein, we describe the first synthesis of anionic silaketenimines and the coupling product with an isocyanide. Treatment of boryl silanorcaradienyllithium [CH2(L)N]2BSiLi (where L = B[N(Ar)CH]2 and Ar = 2,6-iPr2C6H3) with isocyanides afforded silaketenimine anions [CH2(R)N]2BSi(Li)═C═NR featuring a Si═C═N allenic structure. X-ray diffraction studies and density functional theory calculations strongly support the presence of an anionic silicon atom and a strong π bond between the silicon and carbon atoms. One of the silaketenimine anions underwent a formal [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with a second molecule of isocyanide to give a novel silacyclopropyl anion with a delocalized anionic [Formula: see text] skeleton. These reactions demonstrated that the bonding nature of the boryl lithiosilylene was distinct from that of common silylenes.

Comparative Study of the Adsorption of Thiol and Isocyanide Molecules on a Silver Surface by in Situ Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

We report an investigation of the adsorption of thiol and isocyanide molecules on colloidal Ag nanocubes through surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Specifically, we collect SERS spectra in situ at different time points from a mixture of Ag nanocubes and ligand molecules at a specific concentration. We demonstrate that 4-nitrothiophenol could readily bind to the Ag surface through strong thiol–Ag interaction. We also observe red shifts for the SERS peaks as the concentration decreases, suggesting a change to the molecular orientation relative to the surface. Likewise, 4-aminothiophenol also adsorbs onto Ag quickly, but gives much weaker SERS signals relative to 4-nitrothiophenol because the electron-donating amine group would retard the chemical enhancement of SERS. Different from thiols, 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide binds to Ag surface through a relatively weak, σ-donation bond. With an increase in concentration, molecules tend to adsorb on the nanocubes with the benzene ring tilting away from the su...

Synthesis, characterization and structure of thiolate-bridged diruthenium and iron-ruthenium complexes with isocyanide ligands

Interaction of the mixed-valent iron-ruthenium heterodinuclear precursor [Cp*Fe(μ-η2:η4-bdt)RuCp*][PF6] (1[PF6], Cp* = η5-C5Me5, bdt = benzene-1,2-dithiolate) with isocyanides resulted in coordination activation to give several thiolate-bridged iron-ruthenium complexes bearing isocyanide in excellent yields. Crystallographic analysis clearly reveals the isocyanide ligand is terminally end-on bonded to the iron center and the bdt ligand adopts a rare μ-η2:η6 coordination mode. Interestingly, when the diruthenium hydride-bridged complex is treated with excess isocyanides, the reductive elimination reaction takes place to afford free Cp*H, meanwhile, six isocyanide molecules supplement the remaining coordination spheres of the diruthenium centers.

An intense thermospheric jet on Titan

The presence of winds in Titan’s lower and middle atmosphere has been determined by a variety of techniques, including direct measurements from the Huygens Probe1 over 0–150 km; Doppler shifts of molecular spectral lines in the optical, thermal infrared and millimetre ranges2–4, which together have probed the ~100–450 km altitude range; inferences from the thermal field over 10–0.001 mbar (that is, ~100–500 km)5,6; and inferences from central flashes in stellar occultation curves7–9. These measurements predominantly indicated strong prograde winds, reaching maximum speeds of ~150–200 m s−1 in the upper stratosphere, with important latitudinal and seasonal variations. However, these observations provided incomplete atmospheric sounding; in particular, the wind regime in Titan’s upper mesosphere and thermosphere (500–1,200 km) has remained unconstrained so far. Here we report direct wind measurements based on Doppler shifts of six molecular species observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We show that contrary to expectations, strong prograde winds extend up to the thermosphere, with the circulation progressively turning into an equatorial jet regime as the altitude increases, reaching ~340 m s−1 at 1,000 km. We suggest that these winds may represent the dynamical response of forcing by waves launched at upper stratospheric/mesospheric levels and/or of magnetospheric–ionospheric interaction. We also demonstrate that the distribution of the hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) molecule is restricted to Titan’s thermosphere above ~870 km altitude. Molecular emission lines originating in Titan’s relatively unexplored upper mesosphere and thermosphere reveal a strong prograde jet that reaches speeds of 340 m s–1 at 1,000 km altitude.

Synthesis of Gold(III) Complexes with Bidentate Amino-Thiolate Ligands as Precursors of Novel Bifunctional Acyclic Diaminocarbenes.

Two neutral bis(pentafluorophenyl)thiolate gold(III) complexes with the unsymmetrical S^N ligands 2-aminothiophenol or cysteamine have been synthesized and their reactivity has been studied. Homo- and heterodinuclear compounds were obtained by their coordination to gold(I) or silver(I) derivatives through the sulfur atom. Interestingly, a tetranuclear derivative bearing short gold(I)···gold(I) and the more unusual gold(I)···gold(III) interactions has been prepared. These amino-thiolate derivatives can be used as precursors for the synthesis of novel gold(III) acyclic diaminocarbene complexes by reaction with isocyanides CNR. The nucleophilic attack of the amino group to isocyanide molecules affords the synthesis of unprecedented bidentate C^S acyclic diaminocarbene ligands. All of the complexes are air- and moisture-stable at room temperature and have been spectroscopically and structurally characterized.

Quantifying Surface Temperature of Thermoplasmonic Nanostructures.

Precise measurement of the temperature right at the surface of thermoplasmonic nanostructures is a grand challenge but extremely important for the photochemical reaction and photothermal therapy. We present here a method capable of measuring the surface temperature of plasmonic nanostructures with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, which is not achievable by existing methods. We observe a sensitive shift of stretching vibration ofa phenyl isocyanide molecule with temperature (0.232 cm-1/°C) as a result of the temperature-dependent molecular orientation change. We develop this phenomenon into a method capable of measuring the surface temperature of Au nanoparticles (NPs) during plasmonic excitation, which is validated by monitoring the laser-induced desorption process of the adsorbed CO on Au NP surface. We further extend the method into a more demanding single living cell thermometry that requires a high spatial resolution, which allows us to successfully monitor the extracellular temperature distribution of a single living cell experiencing cold resistance and the intracellular temperature change during the calcium ion transport process.

Real‐Space Observation of Atomic Site‐Specific Electronic Properties of a Pt Nanoisland/Au(111) Bimetallic Surface by Tip‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

AbstractResolving atomic site‐specific electronic properties and correlated substrate–molecule interactions is challenging in real space. Now, mapping of sub‐10 nm sized Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface was achieved by tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy, using the distinct Raman fingerprints of adsorbed 4‐chlorophenyl isocyanide molecules. A spatial resolution better than 2.5 nm allows the electronic properties of the terrace, step edge, kink, and corner sites with varying coordination environments to be resolved in real space in one Pt nanoisland. Calculations suggest that low‐coordinate atomic sites have a higher d‐band electronic profile and thus stronger metal–molecule interactions, leading to the observed blue‐shift of Raman frequency of the N≡C bond of adsorbed molecules. An experimental and theoretical study on Pt(111) and mono‐ and bi‐atomic layer Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface reveals the bimetallic effect that weakens with the increasing number of deposited Pt adlayer.

Real-Space Observation of Atomic Site-Specific Electronic Properties of a Pt Nanoisland/Au(111) Bimetallic Surface by Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Resolving atomic site-specific electronic properties and correlated substrate-molecule interactions is challenging in real space. Now, mapping of sub-10 nm sized Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface was achieved by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, using the distinct Raman fingerprints of adsorbed 4-chlorophenyl isocyanide molecules. A spatial resolution better than 2.5 nm allows the electronic properties of the terrace, step edge, kink, and corner sites with varying coordination environments to be resolved in real space in one Pt nanoisland. Calculations suggest that low-coordinate atomic sites have a higher d-band electronic profile and thus stronger metal-molecule interactions, leading to the observed blue-shift of Raman frequency of the N≡C bond of adsorbed molecules. An experimental and theoretical study on Pt(111) and mono- and bi-atomic layer Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface reveals the bimetallic effect that weakens with the increasing number of deposited Pt adlayer.

Synthesis and characterization of homoleptic group 10 dithiocarbamate complexes and heteroleptic Ni(II) complexes, and the use of the homoleptic Ni(II) for the preparation of nickel sulphide nanoparticles

A series of new dithiocarbamate complexes of Ni(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II) of the form [NiL2], [PdL2] and [PtL2] (where L = N-ethyl-N-ethanoldithiocarbamate) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The nickel complex was utilized to prepare heteroleptic complexes bearing triphenylphosphino (PPh3) and isothiocyanate (NCS) or isocyanide (NC) molecules. Furthermore, the structures of the palladium complex and the heteroleptic nickel with PPh3 and NC molecules have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The Pd(II) complex indicated a trans arrangement with a distorted square planar geometry around the Pd atom, while the Ni(II) complex revealed a highly distorted geometry with another molecule of triphenylphosphine moiety, held by hydrogen bonding, within the crystal structure. The thermal stability studies of all the complexes conducted by using thermogravimetric analyser (TGA) showed they all have good stability above 200 °C. The nanoparticles synthesized using the homoleptic nickel complex yielded platelets of pure Heazlewoodite phase of Ni3S2 with average size of 7.60 nm. The optical properties of the nanoparticles studied by using UV–vis spectroscopy showed band gap energy of 4.0 eV (355 nm), which was a blue shift of 1.90 eV compared to the bulk and a consequence of quantum confinement effect.

Convergent synthesis of 13N-labelled Peptidic structures using aqueous [13N]NH3

BackgroundNitrogen-13 has a 10-min half-life which places time constraints on the complexity of viable synthetic methods for its incorporation into PET imaging agents. In exploring ways to overcome this limitation, we have used the Ugi reaction to develop a rapid one-pot method for radiolabelling peptidic molecules using [13N]NH3 as a synthetic precursor.MethodsCarrier-added [13N]NH3 (50 μL) was added to a solution of carboxylic acid, aldehyde, and isocyanide in 2,2,2-TFE (200 μL). The mixture was heated in a microwave synthesiser at 120 °C for 10 min. Reactions were analysed by radio-HPLC and radio-LCMS. Isolation of the target 13N–labelled peptidic Ugi compound was achieved via semi-preparative radio-HPLC as demonstrated for Ugi1.ResultsRadio-HPLC analysis of each reaction confirmed the formation of radioactive products co-eluting with their respective reference standards with radiochemical yields of the crude products ranging from 11% to 23%. Two cyclic γ-lactam structures were also achieved via intra-molecular reactions. Additional radioactive by-products observed in the radio-chromatogram were identified as 13N–labelled di-imines formed from the reaction of [13N]NH3 with two isocyanide molecules. The desired 13N–labelled Ugi product was isolated using semi-preparative HPLC.ConclusionWe have developed a one-pot method that opens up new routes to radiolabel complex, peptidic molecules with 13N using aqueous [13N]NH3 as a synthetic precursor.