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Bis-substituted cyclam derivatives have recently emerged as a promising new class of antibacterial agents, displaying excellent activity against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Carborane pendants enhance this activity.

We report the first example of an ionic graphene salt containing boron. An anionic charge is introduced to the graphene surface by means of 7,8-nido-[C2B9H11]− carborane clusters covalently and electronically bound to the graphene lattice, and this new material was isolated as its Cs+ salt. The University of Sydney, Australian Research Council (ARC), ARC LIEF Scheme (UNSW, ARC LE0989541)

A series of platinum(II) complexes of the type [Pt(trpy)L](NO(3))(n) (L = 3- or 4-pyridineboronic acid (3- or 4-pyB, respectively), n = 2; HL = 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (HmpB), n = 1; trpy = 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine) and [{Pt(trpy)}(2)(μ-pzB)](NO(3))(3) (HpzB = 4-pyrazoleboronic acid) were synthesized and fully characterized by means of multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, (11)B, and (195)Pt) 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The triflate derivatives [Pt(trpy)(4-pyB)](OTf)(2) and [{Pt(trpy)}(2)(μ-pzB)](OTf)(3) were also prepared, and their molecular structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Variable pH (1)H NMR spectroscopy showed that hydroxylation of the boronic acid group occurs in aqueous solution at pH > 5 and the pK(a) values for the complexes were determined. In buffered aqueous solution (pH 7.4), the complexes bind strongly to simple diols such as catechol and monosaccharides including D-fructose, D-ribose, D-sorbitol and D-mannitol, as determined by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The equilibrium binding constants for these reactions were determined and were found to exceed those of organic boronic acids such as phenylboronic acid by an order of magnitude or greater, an effect that can be directly attributed to the cationic charge of the complexes. 2D-NMR methods (HSQC and HMBC) were used to elucidate the structures of the carbohydrate adducts [Pt(trpy)(3-pyB)]·D-fructose·NO(3) and [Pt(trpy)(4-pyB)]·D-fructose·NO(3) in aqueous solution. DNA-binding experiments with calf-thymus DNA (CT-DNA) indicate an avid DNA-binding interaction by the mononuclear complexes, as determined using thermal melting methods and ITC, but the behaviour of the dinuclear species [{Pt(trpy)}(2)(μ-pzB)](NO(3))(3) is complicated and could not be modeled adequately; higher ionic strength solutions and lower temperatures resulted in a similar DNA binding interaction to the mononuclear complexes. The presence of excess d-fructose did not significantly affect the binding of the platinum(II)-trpy complexes to CT-DNA.

A series of cationic, ditopic N-donor ligands based on 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bipy), 3-aminopyrazine (apyz) and 2-aminopyrimidine (apym), each incorporating two positively-charged N-heterocycles linked by a conformationally-flexible spacer unit, have been synthesised and treated with palladium(II) or platinum(II) precursors [M(2,2'-bipy)(NO(3))(2)] (M = Pd(II) or Pt(II)) to form highly cationic metallocyclic species. Treatment of 1,6-bis(4,4'-bipyridinium)hexane nitrate with [M(2,2'-bipy)(NO(3))(2)] in aqueous solution, followed by the addition of KPF(6), resulted in the formation of the [2+2] species [M(2)(2,2'-bipy)(2){4,4'-bipy(CH(2))(6)4,4'-bipy}(2)](PF(6))(8). Treatment of [Pd(PhCN)(2)Cl(2)] with 1,3-bis(4,4'-bipyridinium)propane hexafluorophosphate in MeCN afforded [Pd(2)Cl(4){4,4'-bipy(CH(2))(3)4,4'-bipy}(2)](PF(6))(4). When the cationic apyz or apym ligands were used in aqueous solution, the analogous metallomacrocycles did not form. Instead, deprotonation of the exocyclic amino group occurred upon coordination of the ligand to afford a tetranuclear [4+2] species in the case of platinum(II), with Pt(II)...Pt(II) bonding supported by strong UV-vis absorption at lambda = 428 nm which was assigned to a metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MMLCT) band. Thus, treatment of 1,6-bis(3-aminopyrazinium)hexane nitrate with [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(NO(3))(2)], followed by the addition of KPF(6), led to the formation of the red species [Pt(4)(2,2'-bipy)(4){apyz(CH(2))(6)apyz-2H}(2)](PF(6))(8). No related products could be identified with palladium(II), consistent with the low propensity for this metal ion to form strong Pd(II)...Pd(II) bonding interactions.

Treatment of the bridging bidentate 1,Z-bis(aminopropyl)-1,Z-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12)(1,Z-bis(aminopropyl)-1,Z-carborane) ligands of the type 1,Z-[H(2)N(CH(2))(3)](2)-1,Z-C(2)B(10)H(10)(L(1), Z= 7, 5) or (L(2), Z= 12, 6) with two equivalents of trans-[PtClI(2)(NH(3))](-), followed by halogen ligand metathesis with AgOTf and HCl((aq)) afforded the novel diplatinum(II)-amine species cis-[[PtCl(2)(NH(3))](2)L(n)](7(n= 1) or 8(n= 2), respectively). Similarly, the reaction of L(1) or L(2) with the labile trans-[PtCl(dmf)(NH(3))(2)](+) afforded trans-[[PtCl(NH(3))(2)](2)L(n)](OTf)(2)(9(n= 1) or 10(n= 2), respectively) in good yield and purity. However, isolation of the analogous 1,2-carborane complexes was not possible owing to decomposition reactions that led to extensive degradation of the carborane cage and reduction of the metal centre. The mixed dinuclear complex [cis-[PtCl(2)(NH(3))]-L(1)-trans-[PtCl(NH(3))(2)]]OTf (19) was prepared by treatment of the Boc-protected amine ligand 1-[(Boc)(2)N(CH(2))(3)]-7-[H(2)N(CH(2))(3)]-1,7-C(2)B(10)H(10)(L(3), 15) with trans-[PtCl(dmf)(NH(3))(2)](+) to yield trans-[PtCl(NH(3))(2)L(3)]OTf (16), followed by acid deprotection of the pendant amine group, complexation with trans-[PtClI(2)(NH(3))](-), and halogen ligand metathesis using AgOTf and HCl((aq)). A novel trinuclear species containing 5 was prepared by the addition of two equivalents of 15 to the labile precursor cis-[Pt(dmf)(2)(NH(3))(2)](2+) followed by acid deprotection of the pendant amine groups. Further complexation with two equivalents of trans-[PtClI(2)(NH(3))](-) followed by halogen ligand metathesis using AgOTf and HCl((aq)) afforded the triplatinum(II)-amine species [cis-[Pt(NH(3))(2)(L(1))(2)]-cis-[PtCl(2)(NH(3))](2)](OTf)(2)(23). Complexes 7-10, 19 and 23 represent the first examples of multinuclear platinum(ii)-amine derivatives containing carborane cages. Preliminary in vitro cytotoxicity studies for selected complexes are also reported.

The alkyne RCCR, R = CO2Me, reacts with 5-membered metallacycles [PtMe2{SnMe2ESnMe2E}(bu2bpy)], E = S, Se or Te, bu2bipy = 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine, yielding the corresponding 7-membered metallacycles [PtMe2{SnMe2ESnMe2CRCRE}(bu2bpy)] which slowly eliminate “Me2SnE” to give new 5-membered metallacycles [PtMe2{SnMe2CRCRE}(bu2bpy)]; further reaction of which with excess RCCR gives [PtMe2(CRCRH)(CCR)(bu2bpy)], a complex which contains alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl functionalities in the same molecule.

Orange platelets of [Pt(tmtaa)], where H2tmtaa = 6,8,15,17-tetramethyl-5,6,9,14,15,18-hexahydrodibenzo[b,i][l,4,8,11]tetraazacyclotetradecine, show the expected ‘pseudo-planar’ centrosymmetric macrocyclic conformation but red needles of another [Pt(tmtaa)] modification and purple trans-[PtCl2(tmtaa)] both show saddle-form co-ordination with the metal ion only 0.046(1) A (Pt2+) or 0.024(5) A (Pt4+) above the N4 plane; X-ray powder diffraction reveals similar dimorphism for [Pd(tmtaa)] but not for [Ni(tmtaa)].

Treatment of [PtCl(Me)(dbbipy)] or [PtCl2(dbbipy)](dbbipy = 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine) with AgX (X = SO3CF3 or O2CCF3) gave the complexes [PtMe(SO3CF3)(dbbipy)]1, [Pt(SO3CF3)2(dbbipy)]2 and [Pt(O2CCF3)2(dbbipy)]5. The complexes [PtCl(SO3CF3)(dbbipy)]3 and [PtMe(O2CCF3)(dbbipy)]4 were prepared by the addition of HX to [PtCl2(dbbipy)] or [PtMe2(dbbipy)], respectively. Complex 1 reacted with CO to give the cationic carbonyl complex [PtMe(CO)(dbbipy)][SO3CF3]6a, which reacted with NEt2H to give an equilibrium with the corresponding carbamyl complex [Pt(CONEt2)Me(dbbipy)]7. In the first example of alkyl-ligand abstraction from a late-transition-metal complex by the powerful Lewis acid B(C6F5)3, the complexes [PtMeL(dbbipy)][BMe(C6F5)3](L = CO 6b or C2H48) were readily prepared from [PtMe2(dbbipy)] and B(C6F5)3 in the presence of L.

The first examples of platinum(II)–amine complexes containing a dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12) (carborane) moiety are described; preliminary in vitro DNA-binding experiments indicate that the complexes are capable of targetting plasmid DNA.

The hydrophilic, long-chain diamine PEGda (O,O'-bis(2-aminoethyl)octadeca(ethylene glycol)), when complexed with cis-protected Pt(II) ions afforded water-soluble complexes of the type [Pt(N,N)(PEGda)](NO(3))(2) (N,N = N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,2-diaminoethane (tmeda), 1,2-diaminoethane (en), and 2,2'-bipyridine (2,2'-bipy)) featuring unusual 62-membered chelate rings. Equimolar mixtures containing either the 16-mer duplex DNA D2 or the single-stranded D2a and [Pt(N,N)(PEGda)](2+) were analyzed by negative-ion ESI-MS. Analysis of D2-Pt(II) mixtures showed the formation of 1 : 1 adducts of [Pt(en)(PEGda)](2+), [Pt(tmeda)(PEGda)](2+) and the previously-described metallomacrocycle [Pt(2)(2,2'-bipy)(2){4,4'-bipy(CH(2))(4)4,4'-bipy}(2)](8+) with D2; the dinuclear species bound to D2 most strongly, consistent with its greater charge and aromatic surface area. D2 formed 1 : 2 complexes with the acyclic species [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(Mebipy)(2)](4+) and [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(NH(3))(2)](2+). Analyses of D2a-Pt(II) mixtures gave results similar to those obtained with D2, although fragmentation was more pronounced, indicating that the nucleobases in D2a play more significant roles in mediating the decomposition of complexes than those in D2, in which they are paired in a complementary manner. Investigations were also conducted into the effects of selected platinum(II) complexes on the thermal denaturation of calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) in buffered solution. Both [Pt(2)(2,2'-bipy)(2){4,4'-bipy(CH(2))(6)4,4'-bipy}(2)](8+) and [Pt(2,2'-bipy)(Mebipy)(2)](4+) stabilized CT-DNA. In contrast, [Pt(tmeda)(PEGda)](2+) and [Pt(en)(PEGda)](2+) (as well as free PEGda) caused negligible changes in melting temperature (ΔT(m)), suggesting that these species interact weakly with CT-DNA.

A series of novel, dinuclear (2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine)platinum(II) complexes containing bis(thioalkyl)-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane(12) (carborane) ligands were prepared and characterised, and their preliminary anti-cancer characteristics have been determined in vitro; the complexes are the first examples of bis-intercalator complexes containing a boron-rich carborane cage.

26- and 34-membered rings containing four gold(I) centres are prepared by using a synthetic strategy based on the orienting effects of intramolecular gold⋯gold attractions in binuclear precursors.