Engineering regioselectivity in the hydrosilylation of alkynes using heterobimetallic dual-functional hybrid catalysts

The synthesis and characterization of carbon black supported rhodium and iridium heterobimetallic catalysts, termed hybrid catalysts, and their application in the hydrosilylation of alkynes is described. An aryl diazonium grafting procedure was applied to simultaneously immobilize Rh and Ir pyrazole–triazole complexes with tethers of varying lengths to carbon black, yielding the hybrid catalysts. The complexes differ in metal centre oxidation state and co-ligands, which are CO or Cp*Cl for the Rh complexes and Cp*Cl for the Ir complexes. The immobilization results in simultaneous surface binding and modification of the Rh complexes bearing CO-ligands. In this process, the CO ligands are removed and the overall structure of the catalytically active complex is altered. Analysis of the hybrid catalysts by XPS and SEM/EDX shows that the catalysts bear both surface bound Rh- and Ir-complexes. The Rh content is substantially higher than the Ir content. This is due to more efficient binding of the modified Rh complexes to the carbon black, as they feature two potential binding sites. Synchrotron based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Rh K- and Ir L3 edges further confirms the presence of the surface bound metal complexes. There is no indication that the presence of a secondary metal affects the electronic structure of the adjacent metal in the systems under investigation, for either the long or short tether derivatives. The performance of the different catalysts was assessed for promoting the hydrosilylation of alkynes, an important industrially relevant reaction. All catalysts are highly efficient. The modified Rh sites are α-selective in the product formation on activation of terminal alkynes, while the RhCp*Cl and IrCp*Cl sites are β(Z)-selective. When operating at mild conditions with high metal loadings, the surface bound Rh catalyst is the active species, while the Ir sites are inactive. At a lower overall surface coverage or higher temperature, the Ir sites become active, which allows engineering of the regioselectivity by adjusting surface coverages and metal loadings

Carbon supported hybrid catalysts for controlled product selectivity in the hydrosilylation of alkynes

A series of Rh- and Ir-hybrid catalysts with varying tether lengths has been prepared by immobilization of RhI, RhIIIand IrIIIcomplexes on carbon blackviaradical grafting. The performance of the different catalysts was assessed for the hydrosilylation of phenylacetylene with Et3SiH. The efficiency of the catalysts was dependent on the length of the tethers to the surface. The RhIII- and IrIIIhybrids afforded the β(Z)-vinylsilanes, as observed for the analogous homogeneous RhIIIcatalyst. No distinct product selectivity was observed when using the homogeneous RhIprecursors as catalysts. However, on using the RhIIIhybrid catalysts derived from the RhIprecursors to promote hydrosilylation, the major products were the α-vinylsilanes and the origin of the difference in reactivity was found to be a chemical modification of the catalysts during immobilization. Substrate scope is demonstrated for a number of alkynes, and feasible mechanisms supported by DFT calculations are proposed

The human cytomegalovirus ul11 protein interacts with the receptor tyrosine phosphatase cd45, resulting in functional paralysis of t cells

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) exerts diverse and complex effects on the immune system, not all of which have been attributed to viral genes. Acute CMV infection results in transient restrictions in T cell proliferative ability, which can impair the control of the virus and increase the risk of secondary infections in patients with weakened or immature immune systems. In a search for new immunomodulatory proteins, we investigated the UL11 protein, a member of the CMV RL11 family. This protein family is defined by the RL11 domain, which has homology to immunoglobulin domains and adenoviral immunomodulatory proteins. We show that pUL11 is expressed on the cell surface and induces intercellular interactions with leukocytes. This was demonstrated to be due to the interaction of pUL11 with the receptor tyrosine phosphatase CD45, identified by mass spectrometry analysis of pUL11-associated proteins. CD45 expression is sufficient to mediate the interaction with pUL11 and is required for pUL11 binding to T cells, indicating that pUL11 is a specific CD45 ligand. CD45 has a pivotal function regulating T cell signaling thresholds; in its absence, the Src family kinase Lck is inactive and signaling through the T cell receptor (TCR) is therefore shut off. In the presence of pUL11, several CD45-mediated functions were inhibited. The induction of tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple signaling proteins upon TCR stimulation was reduced and T cell proliferation was impaired. We therefore conclude that pUL11 has immunosuppressive properties, and that disruption of T cell function via inhibition of CD45 is a previously unknown immunomodulatory strategy of CMV

Fast CE for combinatorial catalysis

Two solvent-modified MEKC methods were developed for the quantitative analysis of heterocyclic amines synthesised using intramolecular ring closure via catalysed hydroamination. The first method was capable of resolving six of the amines (precursors and products) with a sample-to-sample injection time of 2 min employing a 20 mM borate buffer, pH 9.2 with 20 mM SDS and 5% v/v n-butanol (n-BuOH). A second low-pH method using 20 mM phosphate buffer, 100 mm SDS, 5% v/v n-BuOH and 20% v/v iso-propanol (i-PrOH) was able to resolve an additional pair of compounds with a sample-to-sample time of 3.5 min. Application of the first method to the analysis of a sample containing catalyst as well as amines placed directly in a 96-well plate showed excellent performance, with migration time and peak height and area reproducibility being less than 0.9 and 9.6%, respectively. The quantity of conversion by catalyst was calculated to be 68 ± 7%, which was in excellent agreement with the 67 ± 5% obtained by more conventional 1H NMR experiments, with the added advantage that this method is also cheaper, quicker and more amendable to high-throughput screening of combinatorial libraries

A versatile method for the preparation of carbon-rhodium hybrid catalysts on graphene and carbon black

Strategies for combining the selectivity and efficiency of homogeneous organometallic catalysts with the versatility of heterogeneous catalysts are urgently needed. Herein a direct and modular methodology is presented that provides rapid access to well-defined carbon-rhodium hybrid catalysts. A pre-synthesized Rh(i) complex containing a carbene-triazole ligand was found to be stable for direct immobilization onto unactivated graphene, carbon black and glassy carbon electrodes. Characterization of the heterogeneous systems using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy/mass spectrometry (ICP-OES/MS), Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the well-defined nature of the hybrid catalysts. The hybrid catalysts show excellent activity, comparable to that of the homogeneous system for the hydrosilylation of diphenylacetylene, with turnover numbers ranging from 5000 to 48 000. These catalysts are the best reported to date for the hydrosilylation of diphenylacetylene. In common with conventional heterogeneous catalysts, high reusability, due to a lack of Rh metal leaching, was also observed for all carbon-rhodium complexes under investigation

Fast CE for combinatorial catalysis

Two solvent-modified MEKC methods were developed for the quantitative analysis of heterocyclic amines synthesised using intramolecular ring closure via catalysed hydroamination. The first method was capable of resolving six of the amines (precursors and products) with a sample-to-sample injection time of 2 min employing a 20 mM borate buffer, pH 9.2 with 20 mM SDS and 5% v/v n-butanol (n-BuOH). A second low-pH method using 20 mM phosphate buffer, 100 mm SDS, 5% v/v n-BuOH and 20% v/v iso-propanol (i-PrOH) was able to resolve an additional pair of compounds with a sample-to-sample time of 3.5 min. Application of the first method to the analysis of a sample containing catalyst as well as amines placed directly in a 96-well plate showed excellent performance, with migration time and peak height and area reproducibility being less than 0.9 and 9.6%, respectively. The quantity of conversion by catalyst was calculated to be 68 ± 7%, which was in excellent agreement with the 67 ± 5% obtained by more conventional 1H NMR experiments, with the added advantage that this method is also cheaper, quicker and more amendable to high-throughput screening of combinatorial libraries. © 2008 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Structural features specific to plant metallothioneins

The metallothionein (MT) superfamily combines a large variety of small cysteine-rich proteins from nearly all phyla of life that have the ability to coordinate various transition metal ions, including Zn(II), Cd(II), and Cu(I). The members of the plant MT family are characterized by great sequence diversity, requiring further subdivision into four subfamilies. Very peculiar and not well understood is the presence of rather long cysteine-free amino acid linkers between the cysteine-rich regions. In light of the distinct differences in sequence to MTs from other families, it seems obvious to assume that these differences will also be manifested on the structural level. This was already impressively demonstrated with the elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of the wheat E(c)-1 MT, which revealed two metal cluster arrangements previously unprecedented for any MT. However, as this structure is so far the only one available for the plant MT family, other sources of information are in high demand. In this review the focus is thus set on any structural features known, deduced, or assumed for the plant MT proteins. This includes the determination of secondary structural elements by circular dichroism, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, the analysis of the influence of the long linker regions, and the evaluation of the spatial arrangement of the sequence separated cysteine-rich regions with the aid of, e.g., limited proteolytic digestion. In addition, special attention is paid to the contents of divalent metal ions as the metal ion to cysteine ratios are important for predicting and understanding possible metal-thiolate cluster structures

Simultaneous Functionalization of Carbon Surfaces with Rhodium and Iridium Organometallic Complexes: Hybrid Bimetallic Catalysts for Hydroamination

Carbon-based surfaces were explored here for the synthesis of heterometallic surface-bound catalysts. This takes advantage of catalytic enhancements found using bimetallic catalysts relative to monometallic analogues, as well as the advantages of heterogeneous catalysts over homogeneous catalysts. To achieve this, two organometallic cations with different metal centers, oxidation states, and coligands, [Rh(N,N′)(CO) 2 ] + and [Ir(N,N′)Cp∗Cl] + (N,N′ = pyrazolyltriazolylmethane ligands), were simultaneously immobilized onto the surface of carbon materials (carbon black and reduced graphene oxide). The relative concentration of the rhodium and iridium cations in the synthetic media was varied allowing for different metal ratios on the carbon surfaces. The composition of the complexes bound to the surfaces was confirmed using XPS which revealed the relative ratios of the iridium and the rhodium species on the surface, agreeing well with the values obtained by MP-AES. The materials were further characterized by N 2 absorption. The qualitative distribution of rhodium and iridium ions on the carbon surfaces was determined by STEM-EDX, revealing a uniform distribution of both complexes on the carbon surfaces. The efficiency of the materials as catalysts for intramolecular hydroamination was investigated. The data acquired demonstrated that the optimized ratio of rhodium and iridium on the carbon black material led to more effective catalysts than their monometallic counterparts. Having both complexes on the same carbon black surface presented an improvement in the catalytic activity compared to the complexes immobilized on separate particles