Redox-active Moiety Research Articles

Advancing Alzheimer’s biomarker Detection: A hairpin Aptamer-Based competitive electrochemical biosensor for trace Amyloid beta 40 analysis

Accurate detection of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) core biomarkers in body fluid is critical for identifying latent asymptomatic AD patients and prediction AD progress. Amyloid beta 1–40 (Aβ-40) as one of the core biomarkers, is expected to be an early diagnostic indicator for AD. Here, we establish a competitive method based on hairpin-structured aptamer for rapid and highly sensitive detection of Aβ-40 using square wave voltammetry (SWV). A hairpin aptamer with redox-active moiety methylene blue (MB) are immobilized on a gold working electrode as a recognition element. In the detection, a short complementary oligonucleotide strand is first introduced to switch on the hairpin, whereafter the targets Aβ-40 join in and selectively react with the aptamer in a competitive manner with the complementary strand, leading to the changes in the proximity of MB to the electrode and thereby in the electrochemical signal. Various parameters such as aptamer concentration, complementary chain length, incubation time, and temperature were optimized to achieve maximum sensing performance. By introducing a complementary chain, the sensor significantly reduces the detection limit to 7.14 pg/mL, with a dynamic range of 20 pg/mL to 200 ng/mL. Additionally, high selectivity of the sensor for Aβ-40 monomer (Aβ-40 m) over other forms of Aβ peptides has been validated. The hairpin-mediated detection method enables rapid, facile and highly sensitive detection of Aβ-40 using low-cost screen-printed electrode (SPE) platform, providing a wide range of possibilities for the early diagnosis of AD in point-of-care technologies (POCT).

Location and interaction of idebenone and mitoquinone in a membrane similar to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Comparison with ubiquinone 10

Oxygen is essential for aerobic life on earth but it is also the origin of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ubiquinone is par excellence the endogenous cellular antioxidant, but a very hydrophobic one. Because of that, other molecules have been envisaged, such as idebenone (IDE) and mitoquinone (MTQ), molecules having the same redox active benzoquinone moiety but higher solubility. We have used molecular dynamics to determine the location and interaction of these molecules, both in their oxidized and reduced forms, with membrane lipids in a membrane similar to that of the mitochondria. Both IDE and reduced IDE (IDOL) are situated near the membrane interface, whereas both MTQ and reduced MTQ (MTQOL) locate in a position adjacent to the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains. The quinone moieties of both ubiquinone 10 (UQ10) and reduced UQ10 (UQOL10) in contraposition to the same moieties of IDE, IDOL, MTQ and MTQOL, located near the membrane interphase, whereas the isoprenoid chains remained at the middle of the hydrocarbon chains. These molecules do not aggregate and their functional quinone moieties are located in the membrane at different depths but near the hydrophobic phospholipid chains whereby protecting them from ROS harmful effects.

Efficient photochemical conversion of naproxen by butanedione: Role of energy transfer

Photochemical active species generated from photosensitizers, e.g., dissolved organic matter (DOM), play vital roles in the transformation of micropollutants in water. Here, butanedione (BD), a redox-active moiety in DOM and widely found in nature, was employed to photo-transform naproxen (NPX) with peracetic acid (PAA) and H2O2 as contrasts. The results obtained showed that the BD exhibited more applicable on NPX degradation. It works in the lake or river water under UV and solar irradiation, and its NPX degradation efficiency was 10–30 times faster than that of PAA and H2O2. The reason for the efficient transformation of pollutants is that the BD system was proved to be a non-free radical dominated mechanism. The quantum yield of BD (Ф254 nm) was calculated to be 0.064, which indicates that photophysical process is the dominant mode of BD conversion. By adding trapping agents, direct energy transfer from 3BD* to NPX (in anoxic environment) or dissolved oxygen (in aerobic environment) was proved to play a major role (> 91 %). Additionally, the BD process reduces the toxicity of NPX and promotes microbial growth after irradiation. Overall, this study significantly deepened the understanding of the transformation between BD and micropollutants, and provided a potential BD-based process for micropollutants removal under solar irradiation.

Bioinspired Binickel Catalyst for Carbon Dioxide Reduction: The Importance of Metal-ligand Cooperation.

Catalyst design for the efficient CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) remains a crucial challenge for the conversion of CO2 to fuels. Natural Ni-Fe carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (NiFe-CODH) achieves reversible conversion of CO2 and CO at nearly thermodynamic equilibrium potential, which provides a template for developing CO2RR catalysts. However, compared with the natural enzyme, most biomimetic synthetic Ni-Fe complexes exhibit negligible CO2RR catalytic activities, which emphasizes the significance of effective bimetallic cooperation for CO2 activation. Enlightened by bimetallic synergy, we herein report a dinickel complex, NiIINiII(bphpp)(AcO)2 (where NiNi(bphpp) is derived from H2bphpp = 2,9-bis(5-tert-butyl-2-hydroxy-3-pyridylphenyl)-1,10-phenanthroline) for electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO, which exhibits a remarkable reactivity approximately 5 times higher than that of the mononuclear Ni catalyst. Electrochemical and computational studies have revealed that the redox-active phenanthroline moiety effectively modulates the electron injection and transfer akin to the [Fe3S4] cluster in NiFe-CODH, and the secondary Ni site facilitates the C-O bond activation and cleavage through electron mediation and Lewis acid characteristics. Our work underscores the significant role of bimetallic cooperation in CO2 reduction catalysis and provides valuable guidance for the rational design of CO2RR catalysts.

Leveraging phenazine and dihydrophenazine redox dynamics in conjugated microporous polymers for high-efficiency overall photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide.

Harnessing solar energy for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production from water and oxygen is crucial for sustainable solar fuel generation. Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs), with their vast structural versatility and extended π-conjugation, are promising photocatalysts for solar-driven H2O2 generation, though enhancing their efficiency is challenging. Inspired by the crucial role of phenazine derives in biological redox cycling and electron transfer processes, the redox-active phenazine moiety is rationally integrated into a CMP framework (TPE-PNZ). By leveraging the reversible redox dynamics between phenazine and dihydrophenazine, TPE-PNZ sets a new benchmark for H2O2 production among CMP-based photocatalysts, reaching a production rate of 5142 μmol g-1 h-1 and a solar-to-chemical conversion efficiency of 0.58% without requiring sacrificial agents. This interconversion allows for the storage of photogenerated electrons by phenazine and subsequent conversion into dihydrophenazine, which then reduces O2 to H2O2 while reverting to phenazine, markedly facilitating charge transfer and mitigating charge recombination. Experimental and computational investigations further reveal that this reversible process enhances O2 adsorption and reduction, significantly lowering the energy barrier towards H2O2 formation. This study offers critical insights into designing advanced materials for sustainable energy research.

Intercalated Redox-Active Anions in Layered Double Hydroxides: Toward New Electrode Designs

Layered Double Hydroxides (LDHs) are a versatile class of 2D materials, which consist of layered di- and trivalent metal cation hydroxides with intercalated anions (1). They are used in many applications including energy storage electrodes, water purification or drug delivery (2, 3).In this new study, Anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS) intercalated in the LDH structure of Mg2Al(OH)6, has been investigated and a charge capacity of 100 mAh g-1 has been measured. However, the dissolution of reduced AQS into the aqueous electrolyte occurs from the first reduction leading to a drastic capacity fade upon cycling.To get around the dissolution issue, we synthesize a new intercalated LDH using ferrocene as the redox active moiety. Electrodes with this new LDH material Mg2Al(OH)6-Fc (Figure 1A) showed more stable cycling when used in combination with aqueous or organic electrolytes. However, the most significant increase in cycle life was achieved by operating this electrode in highly concentrated, highly viscous ionic liquid based electrolytes such as Pyr13TFSI. Over 97 % capacity retention was achieved after 200 cycles with a coulombic efficiency close to 100 % (Figure 1B). The higher stability of redox active anions working at positive redox potentials like ferrocene in the LDH structure is a key parameter to improve cycling ability. Moreover, the limited solubility of the intercalated redox anions into the high concentrated ionic liquid electrolyte is also a key factor for improving cycle life of this new electrode.Figure 1: A) Schematic structure of Mg2Al(OH)6-Fc, C) Improved cycling stability of Mg2Al(OH)6-Fc based electrodes in ionic liquid electrolyte Pyr13TFSI. Figure 1

(Invited) Identification of a Self-Photosensitizing Hydrogen Atom Transfer Organocatalyst System

The carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond is a fundamental chemical bond that constitutes organic molecules, and its direct conversion leads to highly efficient molecular synthesis. In recent years, the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) catalysis using the energy of visible light, has been attracting attention. However, existing methods require the use of photoredox catalysts such as organic molecules with complex structures and expensive metal complexes. In this study, we developed an organocatalytic system that mimics the electron transfer process of enzymes in vivo and promotes functionalization of stable C-H bond without photoredox catalyst. We designed a thiophosphoric acid catalyst that contains both a redox-active binaphthyl moiety and a sulfur atom. We found that this catalyst forms charge-transfer complexes with electron-deficient heteroaromatics and catalytically produces thyil radical via multi-step electron transfer under visible light irradiation.Based on the above design, we decided to investigate the formation of active HAT catalytic species in the absence of photoredox catalysis by the Minisci-type reaction using aldehydes and N-heteroaromatic rings. The results of the study confirmed that 29% of the product was obtained when using binaphtyl thiophosphoric acid (TPA) catalyst, as expected. Yield improved to 80% when an electron-donating group was introduced to the binaphthyl skeleton to enhance the donor-acceptor interaction. Changing the binaphthyl skeleton and thiophosphoric acid moieties markedly reduced reactivity, indicating that the presence of a sulfur atom in addition to a rigid binaphthyl skeleton is essential for the efficient reaction progress. With this optimized condition, alkylation of N-heteroaromatic rings by C-H bond activation of alcohols was found to proceed. Dehydrogenation of alcohols and benzylation of imines were also successfully achieved by using N-heteroaromatic catalyst. The mechanism of the electron transfer process has been confirmed by spectroscopic and computational methods, and will be presented in detail in the lecture. Figure 1

Direct Conversion of Phase-Transition Entropy into Electrochemical Thermopower and Peltier Effect.

Thermocell generates thermopower from a temperature difference (ΔT) between two electrodes. The converse process of thermocells is an electrochemical Peltier effect, which creates a ΔT on the electrodes by applying an external current. The Seebeck coefficient (Se ) of the electrochemical system is proportional to the entropy change of the redox reaction; therefore, a redox system having a significant entropy change is expected to increase the Se . In this study, a thermo-responsive polymer having a redox-active moiety, poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-N-(2-acrylamide ethyl)-N'-n-propylviologen) (PNV), is used as the redox species of a thermocell. PNV2+ dication undergoes the coil-globule phase transition upon the reduction to PNV+ cation radical, and a large entropy change is introduced because water molecules are freed from the polymer chains. The Se of PNV thermocell drastically increased to +2.1mV K-1 at the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNV. The entropy change calculated from the increment of Se agreed with the value evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry. Moreover, the electrochemical Peltier effect was observed when the device temperature was increased above the LCST. This study shows that the large entropy change associated with the coil-globule phase transition can be used in electrochemical thermal management and refrigeration technologies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Preliminary evaluation of the use of a disposable electrochemical sensor for selective identification of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol by multivariate analysis

The widespread diffusion of products deriving from Cannabis sativa L. led to the necessity of rapid and reliable methods for the identification of samples containing Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of the plant, which imparts mental distortions and hallucinations. Although some efficient electrochemical sensors have been already proposed for such a purpose, they do not consider that the plant may also contain huge amounts of cannabidiol (CBD), which possesses an electroactive moiety quite similar to that of THC. The definition of both THC and CBD concentration is at the basis of discrimination between recreational-type and fibre-type cannabis samples; detection of these species is not only important in vegetable samples but also in relevant commercial products and in biological fluids. We proposed here a screen-printed electrode coated with a layer of carbon black for the rapid identification of samples containing THC irrespectively of the simultaneous presence of CBD. The most performing carbon black typology used for such a purpose was chosen among various commercial products tested on the basis of preliminary tests performed on 1,3-dihydroxybenzene, constituting the redox active moiety of cannabinoids. The voltammetric responses collected in various solutions containing different amount of THC and CBD were initially elaborated by Principal Component Analysis, assessing the possibility of identifying samples with similar concentrations of THC irrespectively of the CBD concentration values, and vice-versa. Afterwards a preliminary Partial Last Square regression was performed to evaluate the possibility of a quantitative analysis of both THC and CBD. This approach suggests the possibility of using the sensor proposed to screen samples containing THC even in the presence of high amounts of CBD.

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAM)-Dependent Methyltransferase MftM is Responsible for Methylation of the Redox Cofactor Mycofactocin.

Mycobacteria produce several unusual cofactors that contribute to their metabolic versatility and capability to survive in different environments. Mycofactocin (MFT) is a redox cofactor involved in ethanol metabolism. The redox-active core moiety of mycofactocin is derived from the short precursor peptide MftA, which is modified by several maturases. Recently, it has been shown that the core moiety is decorated by a β-1,4-glucan chain. Remarkably, the second glucose moiety of the oligosaccharide chain was found to be 2-O-methylated in Mycolicibacterium smegmatis. The biosynthetic gene responsible for this methylation, however, remained elusive, and no methyltransferase gene was part of the MFT biosynthetic gene cluster. Here, we applied reverse genetics to identify the gene product of MSMEG_6237 (mftM) as the SAM-dependent methyltransferase was responsible for methylation of the cofactor in M. smegmatis. According to metabolic analysis and comparative genomics, the occurrence of methylated MFT species was correlated with the presence of mftM homologues in the genomes of mycofactocin producers. This study revealed that the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not methylate mycofactocins. Interestingly, mftM homologues co-occur with both mycofactocin biosynthesis genes as well as the putative mycofactocin-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase Mdo. We further showed that mftM knock-out mutants of M. smegmatis suffer from a prolonged lag phase when grown on ethanol as a carbon source. In addition, in vitro digestion of the glucose chain by cellulase suggested a protective function of glucan methylation. These results close an important knowledge gap and provide a basis for future studies into the physiological functions of this unusual cofactor modification.

Effects of a redox-active diketone on the photochemical transformation of roxarsone: Mechanisms and environmental implications

Organoarsenical antibiotics pose a severe threat to the environment and human health. In aquatic environment, dissolved organic matter (DOM)-mediated photochemical transformation is one of the main processes in the fate of organoarsenics. Dicarbonyl is a typical redox-active moiety in DOM. However, the knowledge on the photoconversion of organoarsenics by DOM, especially the contributions of dicarbonyl moieties is still limited. Here, we systematically investigated the photochemical transformation of three organoarsenics with the simplest β-diketone, acetylacetone (AcAc), as a model dicarbonyl moiety of DOM. The presence of AcAc significantly enhanced the photochemical conversion of roxarsone (ROX), whereas only minor effects were observed for 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid (HAPA) and arsanilic acid (ASA), because the latter two (with an amino (-NH2) group) are more photoactive than ROX (with a nitro (-NO2) group). The results demonstrate that AcAc was a potent photo-activator and the reduction of –NO2 to –NH2 might be a rate-limiting step in the phototransformation of ROX. At a 1:1 M ratio of AcAc to ROX, the photochemical transformation rate of ROX was increased by 7 folds. In O2-rich environment, singlet oxygen, peroxide radicals, and ·OH were the main reactive species that led to the breakage of the C–As bond in ROX and the oxidation of the released arsono group to arsenate, whereas the triplet-excited state of AcAc (3AcAc*) and carbon-centered radicals from the photolysis of AcAc dominated in the reductive transformation of ROX. In anoxic environment, 3-amino-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid was one of the main reductive transformation intermediates of ROX, whose photolysis rate was about 35 times that of ROX. The knowledge obtained here is of great significance to better understand the fate of organoarsenics in natural environment.

Amphi-Active Superoxide-Solvating Charge Redox Mediator for Highly Stable Lithium-Oxygen Batteries.

A multifunctional electrolyte additive for lithium oxygen batteries (LOBs) was designed to have (1) a redox-active moiety to mediate decomposition of lithium peroxide (Li2O2 as the final discharge product) during charging and (2) a solvent moiety to solvate and stabilize lithium superoxide (LiO2 as the intermediate discharge product) in electrolyte during discharging. 4-Acetamido-TEMPO (TEMPO = 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl) or AAT was employed as the additive working for both charge and discharge processes (amphi-active). The redox-active moiety was rooted in TEMPO, while the acetamido (AA) functional group inherited the high donor number (DN) of N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Integrating two functional moieties (TEMPO and AA) into a single molecule resulted in the bifunctionality of AAT (1) facilitating Li2O2 decomposition by the TEMPO moiety and (2) encouraging the solvent mechanism of Li2O2 formation by the high-DN AA moiety. Significantly improved LOB performances were achieved by the superoxide-solvating charge redox mediator, which were not obtained by a simple cocktail of TEMPO and DMAc.

Catechol redox couple functionalized metal-organic framework UiO-66-NH2 as an efficient catalyst for chromium ion sensor in water samples

Hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) is a major toxic pollutant than the trivalent (Cr3+) in water, which is challenging for selective Cr6+ detection in an acidic medium. Zirconium-cluster (Zr6) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly stable in acid medium, and their three-dimensional structures enable facile access to target analytes. However, non-electroactive metals and linkers within MOFs limit their electrochemical applications. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is an innovative diazotization of redox-active functional moiety on the non-electroactive MOF to electroactive MOF for electrocatalytic applications. Present work, post-synthetically diazotized UiO-66-NH2 MOF with redox-active catechol form UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2. Phenolic groups in as-prepared UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2 were revealed as excellent redox couple that was effectively used as an electrocatalytic Cr6+ sensor. The pKa (Brønsted acidities) of the Zr-η3-OH and functional catechol were estimated. To improve redox current, electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ERGO) was used as a substrate for UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2 MOF with the surface coverage (τ) of 6.63 × 10−10 mol cm−2. In contrast, the τ value of UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2/glassy carbon (GC) electrode was 2.12 × 10−11 mol cm−2. The temperature effect on the redox chemistry of UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2@ERGO/GC C–OH and Cr6+ was examined. The UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2@ERGO/GC electrode operates in a wide Cr6+ concentration range (0.062–962 μM) with excellent sensitivity (0.211 μA μM−1), a low limit of detection (0.06 μM), and high specificity and storage stability. Finally, the innovative new UiO-66-NN-φ(OH)2@ERGO/GC was applied to actual tap waters containing Cr6+ and exhibited a wide recovery range that traditional ICP-AES validated.

Novel Organic Cathode with Conjugated N-Heteroaromatic Structures for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are being considered new choices of batteries not only because of their inherent safety but also because of their low price advantage. Nevertheless, it is still an important task to develop organic cathode materials with green sustainability and high performance. Hexaazatriphenylene (HAT)-based organic materials have shown great potential for use in AZIBs. Herein, 5,6,11,12,17,18-hexaazatrinaphthylene-2,8,14-tricarboxylic acid (HATTA) is designed and prepared as the AZIB cathode. Benefiting from the conjugative effect of -COOH, extended π-conjugated structure, and abundant active sites, the HATTA electrode exhibits a high capacity (225.8 mA h g-1 at 0.05 A g-1), an outstanding rate performance (136.1 mA h g-1 at 25 A g-1), and a long-term cycling lifespan (84.07% of the initial capacity after 10,000 cycles at 25 A g-1). Meanwhile, the characterization results of ex situ spectroscopic tests prove that the unsaturated bond (C═N) is the redox-active moiety of HATTA. In addition, the flexible Zn//HATTA battery also exhibits impressive long-term cycling stability and good flexibility, showing its promising application in wearable electronics. This work provides a strategy with rational designing for constructing high-performance AZIBs with organics.

Surficial amide-enabled integrated organic anode–binder electrode for electrochemical reversibility and fast redox kinetics in lithium–ion batteries

Binders have been focused on the improvement of electrode stability. However, they have great potential to enhance the electrochemical properties by introducing additional interaction with functional groups of organic electrodes. In this study, we propose an integrated organic anode–binder system from small molecule to polymer. It comprises a redox-active benzene group for highly stable and fast lithium-ion batteries via chemical cross-linking of the aromatic redox-active molecule with the poly(acrylic acid) binder. The surficial amide linkage not only suppresses electrolyte dissolution but also increases the lithium-ion reaction kinetics of the benzene ring with high reversible capacity. The lowered lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level and lithium-ion induction effect reduce the charge transfer and interface resistance, significantly outperforming the traditional electrode system with a poly(vinylidene fluoride) binder. This strategy is successfully expanded to polymeric system of polyimide microparticles possessing additional redox-active imide moiety along with benzene rings in their backbone. This work suggests a new strategy of providing additional capacity through reaction kinetics enhancement for multiscale redox-active organic materials.

Mapping the Double Layer Using Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer at Functionalized Carbon Electrodes

Conductive electrodes functionalized with molecularly well-defined species are emerging as effective active materials for a wide range of applications, from electrocatalytic CO2 and O2 reduction, to high performance lithium-sulfur batteries.1–3 For redox-active species that participate in proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), the extent of conjugation, applied potential, and distance between the redox center and electrode determine the potential and electric field experienced at the site of electron transfer. This electric field in turn determines the pH-dependent energetics of electron transfer (i.e. Pourbaix behavior) and the rate PCET. We discuss how measurements of PCET to redox-active species functionalized to carbon electrodes can yield insight into the potential and electric field profiles within the electrode-electrolyte double layer. Systematically increasing the distance between the redox-active moiety and the electrode results in the moiety experiencing a progressively weaker electric field, as determined by changes to PCET behavior. Based on these results, we propose strategies to quantify the strength of the electric field as a function of this distance. This work can inform strategies for effective pH modulation at electrified interfaces in ways that can enhance electrocatalytic processes and other applications, such as electrochemical CO2 capture based on pH swing.References Ren, G. et al. Porous Core-Shell Fe3C Embedded N-doped Carbon Nanofibers as an Effective Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 8, 4118–4125 (2016).Zhang, S., Fan, Q., Xia, R. & Meyer, T. J. CO2 Reduction: From Homogeneous to Heterogeneous Electrocatalysis. Accounts of Chemical Research 53, 255–264 (2020).Zhao, C.-X. et al. Semi-Immobilized Molecular Electrocatalysts for High-Performance Lithium–Sulfur Batteries. Journal of the American Chemical Society 143, 19865–19872 (2021).

Highly Oxidized Cobalt Porphyrin Dimer: Control of Spin Coupling via a Bridge.

A cobalt porphyrin dimer is constructed in which two Co(II)porphyrins are connected covalently through a redox-active diethylpyrrole moiety via a flexible but "nonconjugated" methylene bridge. Upon oxidation with even a mild oxidant such as iodine, each cobalt(II) center and porphyrin ring undergo 1e- oxidation, leading to the formation of a 4e--oxidized cobalt(III)porphyrin dication diradical complex. Other oxidants such as Cl2 and Br2 also produce similar results. To stabilize such highly oxidized dication diradicals, the "nonconjugated" methylene spacer undergoes a facile and spontaneous oxidation to form a methine group with a drastic structural change, thereby making the bridge fully π-conjugated and enabling through-bond communication. This results in a strong spin coupling between two π-cation radicals which stabilizes the singlet state. The experimental observations are also strongly supported by extensive density functional theory calculations. The present study highlights the crucial role played by the nature of the bridge in the long-range electronic communication.

Introducing a redox-active ferrocenyl moiety onto a polythiophene derivative towards high-performance flexible all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitors

By introducing a ferrocenyl moiety on the backbone of a polythiophene derivative, enhanced performances of flexible all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitors fabricated with such a conductive metallopolymer were achieved.

Synthesis, Coordination and Electrochemistry of a Ferrocenyl‐Tagged Aminobisphosphane Ligand

AbstractIntroducing a ferrocene moiety into a molecule results in the incorporation of a metal center and a redox active moiety. This contribution describes the synthesis of FcN(CH2PPh2)2 (1; Fc=ferrocenyl), a ferrocene analog of the widely studied bis‐phosphane pincer ligands, RN(CH2PPh2)2. Compound 1 was studied as a ligand in complexes of Group 10 and 11 metal ions. The following compounds were synthesized and characterized using a combination of spectroscopic methods and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis: the square planar complexes [MX2(1‐κ2P,P’)] (M/X=Ni/Cl, Pd/Cl, Pd/Br, Pd/I and Pt/Cl) and the tetrahedral complexes [M(1‐κ2P,P’)2]X (M/X=Cu/PF6, Ag/SbF6 and Au/SbF6). Furthermore, a pair of open and cyclic digold(I) complexes containing bis‐phosphane 1 as a P,P‐bridging ligand, viz. [(μ(P,P’)‐1)(AuCl)2] and [(μ(P,P’)‐1)2Au2][SbF6]2, were isolated. Ligand 1, the corresponding phosphane selenide 1‐Se and all complexes (except for the poorly soluble [(μ(P,P’)‐1)2Au2][SbF6] and unstable [Ag(1‐κ2P,P’)2][SbF6]) were further analyzed by cyclic voltammetry.

Triapine Analogues and Their Copper(II) Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, Solution Speciation, Redox Activity, Cytotoxicity, and mR2 RNR Inhibition.

Three new thiosemicarbazones (TSCs) HL1–HL3 as triapine analogues bearing a redox-active phenolic moiety at the terminal nitrogen atom were prepared. Reactions of HL1–HL3 with CuCl2·2H2O in anoxic methanol afforded three copper(II) complexes, namely, Cu(HL1)Cl2 (1), [Cu(L2)Cl] (2′), and Cu(HL3)Cl2 (3), in good yields. Solution speciation studies revealed that the metal-free ligands are stable as HL1–HL3 at pH 7.4, while being air-sensitive in the basic pH range. In dimethyl sulfoxide they exist as a mixture of E and Z isomers. A mechanism of the E/Z isomerization with an inversion at the nitrogen atom of the Schiff base imine bond is proposed. The monocationic complexes [Cu(L1–3)]+ are the most abundant species in aqueous solutions at pH 7.4. Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies of 1, 2′, and 3 confirmed their redox activity in both the cathodic and the anodic region of potentials. The one-electron reduction was identified as metal-centered by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroelectrochemistry. An electrochemical oxidation pointed out the ligand-centered oxidation, while chemical oxidations of HL1 and HL2 as well as 1 and 2′ afforded several two-electron and four-electron oxidation products, which were isolated and comprehensively characterized. Complexes 1 and 2′ showed an antiproliferative activity in Colo205 and Colo320 cancer cell lines with half-maximal inhibitory concentration values in the low micromolar concentration range, while 3 with the most closely related ligand to triapine displayed the best selectivity for cancer cells versus normal fibroblast cells (MRC-5). HL1 and 1 in the presence of 1,4-dithiothreitol are as potent inhibitors of mR2 ribonucleotide reductase as triapine.