Shi-Ping Yan

A novel 3D porous metal–organic framework based on trinuclear cadmium clusters as a promising luminescent material exhibiting tunable emissions between UV and visible wavelengths

A novel 3D porous MOF built with trinuclear cadmium clusters exhibiting rhombohedral topology has been synthesized and characterized as a promising luminescent material that can give tunable emissions between UV and visible wavelengths by controlling the number of guest molecules.

Study on potential antitumor mechanism of a novel Schiff base copper(II) complex: synthesis, crystal structure, DNA binding, cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction activity.

A new cytotoxic copper(II) complex with Schiff base ligand [Cu(II)(5-Cl-pap)(OAc)(H(2)O)]·2H(2)O (1) (5-Cl-pap=N-2-pyridiylmethylidene-2-hydroxy-5-chloro-phenylamine), was synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. Single-crystal analysis revealed that the copper atom shows a 4+1 pyramidal coordination, a water oxygen appears in the apical position, and three of the basal positions are occupied by the NNO tridentate ligand and the fourth by an acetate oxygen. The interaction of Schiff base copper(II) complex 1 with DNA was investigated by UV-visible spectra, fluorescence spectra and agarose gel electrophoresis. The apparent binding constant (K(app)) value of 6.40×10(5) M(-1) for 1 with DNA suggests moderate intercalative binding mode. This copper(II) complex displayed efficient oxidative cleavage of supercoiled DNA, which might indicate that the underlying mechanism involve hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen-like species, and hydrogen peroxide as reactive oxygen species. In addition, our present work showed the antitumor effect of 1 on cell cycle and apoptosis. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that HeLa cells were arrested in the S phase after treatment with 1. Fluorescence microscopic observation indicated that complex 1 can induce apoptosis of HeLa cells, whose process was mediated by intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway owing to the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3.

Synthesis of a series of 4-pyridyl-1,2,4-triazole-containing cadmium(II) luminescent complexes

Using two 4-substitued triazole ligands, 4-(pyrid-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole (L(1)) and 4-(pyrid-3-yl)-1,2,4-triazole (L(2)), a series of novel triazole-cadmium(II) complexes varying from zero- to three-dimensional have been prepared and their crystal structures determined via single-crystal X-ray diffraction. [Cd(2)(micro(2)-L(1))(3)(L(1))(2)(NO(3))(mu(2)-NO(3))(H(2)O)(2)](NO(3))(2).1.75H(2)O (1) is a binuclear complex containing bidendate, monodedate and free nitrate anions. When the bridging anions SCN(-) and dca (dca = N(CN)(2)(-)) were added to the reaction system of 1, one-dimensional (1D) [Cd(L(1))(2)(NCS)(2)](n) (2) and two-dimensional (2D) [Cd(L(1))(2)(dca)(2)](n) (3) were isolated, respectively. When L(2) instead of L(1) was used, [Cd(L(2))(2)(NCS)(2)(H(2)O)(2)] (4) and 1D [Cd(L(2))(2)(dca)(2)](n) (5) were obtained. When the ratio of Cd to L(2) was changed from 1:2 to 1:1 in the reaction system of 5, three-dimensional (3D) {[Cd(3)(micro(2)-L(2))(3)(dca)(6)].0.75H(2)O}(n) (6) with 1D microporous channels along the a direction was isolated. Further investigations on other Cd(ii) salts and the L(2) ligand in a Cd to L(2) ratio of 1:1, an unexpected complex [Cd(mu(2)-L(2))(mu(3)-SO(4))(H(2)O)](n) (7) with a 3D open framework was obtained. All of the complexes exhibit strong blue fluorescence emission bands in the solid state at ambient temperature, of which the excitation and emission maxima are red-shifted to longer wavelength as compared to those in water. Powder X-ray diffraction and thermal studies were used to investigate the bulk nature of the 3D coordination polymers 6 and 7.

Four new lanthanide-nitronyl nitroxide (Ln(III) = Pr(III), Sm(III), Eu(III), Tm(III)) complexes and a Tb(III) complex exhibiting single-molecule magnet behavior.

Five new complexes based on rare-earth-radical [Ln(hfac)(3)(NIT-5-Br-3py)](2) (Ln = Pr (1), Sm (2), Eu (3), Tb (4), Tm (5); hfac = hexafluoroacetylacetonate; NIT-5-Br-3py = 2-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-3-oxylimidazoline-1-oxide)-5-bromo-3-pyridine) have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystal diffraction. The single-crystal structures show that these complexes have similar structures, in which a NIT-5-Br-3py molecule acts as a bridging ligand linking two Ln(III) ions through the oxygen atom of the N-O group and nitrogen atom from the pyridine ring to form a four-spin system. Both static and dynamic magnetic properties were measured for complex 4, which exhibits single-molecule magnetism behavior.

Template synthesis of lanthanide (Pr, Nd, Gd) coordination polymers with 2-hydroxynicotinic acid exhibiting ferro-/antiferromagnetic interaction.

Lanthanide coordination polymers were synthesized from Pr(III), Nd(III), and Gd(III) salts; 2-hydroxynicotinic acid (Hnica); and MnSO 4.H 2O under hydrothermal conditions. In the absence of (CH 3) 3CCOONa, 1D polymers with an infinite Ln(III)-O-Ln(III) chain structure, [Pr(Hnica)(H 2O) 2SO 4] n ( 1), [Nd(Hnica)(H 2O) 2SO 4] n ( 2), and [Gd(Hnica)(H 2O) 2SO 4] n ( 3), were generated. When (CH 3) 3CCOONa was added to the synthetic systems, 2D coordination polymers {[Pr 3(Hnica) 6(H 2O) 9].3H 2O.SO 4.NO 3} n ( 4), {[Nd 3(Hnica) 6(H 2O) 9].3H 2O.SO 4.NO 3} n ( 5), and {[Gd(Hnica) 2(H 2O) 2]ClO 4.H 2O} n ( 6) were obtained. Complexes 4 and 5 both exhibit Kagome lattice structure, while 6 displays a rhombic grid structure. All complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, UV-vis spectra, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies reveal ferromagnetic interactions between gadolinium(III) ions in 3 and 6 and antiferromagnetic interactions in 1, 2, 4, and 5.

A novel 1,2,4-triazole-based copper(II) complex: synthesis, characterization, magnetic property and nuclease activity.

A novel binuclear copper(II) complex [Cu(2)L(mu-SO(4))](PF(6))(2) (1) (L=3,5-bis (bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl)-4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-amine) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. X-ray structure shows that the two copper(II) atoms are bridged by one bidentate sulfate ion and the 1,2,4-triazole ring of L with Cu1cdots, three dots, centeredCu2 distance of 4.404A. Each copper(II) center has a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal configuration. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies (2-300K) indicate the existence of weak antiferromagnetic coupling between the copper(II) ions in complex 1. The interaction of complex 1 with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) has been studied by UV absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism spectroscopy, viscosity and cyclic voltammetry. Furthermore, complex 1 was able to promote single and double strand DNA cleavage in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, the pseudo-Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters k(cat)=2.58h(-1) and K(m)=1.2x10(-4)M were obtained for 1. The hydrolytic cleavage of DNA by the complex was supported by the evidence from free radical quenching, anaerobic experiment, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) assay.

Synthesis, DNA binding, photo-induced DNA cleavage, cytotoxicity and apoptosis studies of copper(II) complexes.

Two new Cu(II) complexes, [Cu(acac)(dpq)Cl] (1) and [Cu(acac)(dppz)Cl] (2) (acac = acetylacetonate, dpq = dipyrido[3,2-d:20,30-f]quinoxaline, dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:20,30-c] phenazine), have been synthesized and their DNA binding, photo-induced DNA cleavage activity and cell cytotoxicity are studied. The complexes show good binding propensity to calf thymus DNA in the order: 2(dppz) >1(dpq). Furthermore, two complexes exhibit efficient DNA cleavage activity on natural light or UV-A (365 nm) irradiation via a mechanistic pathway involving formation of singlet oxygen as the reactive species. The photo-induced DNA cleavage activity of the dppz complex 2 is found to be more efficient than its dpq analogue. In vitro study of the photocytotoxicity of two complexes on HeLa cells indicate that both of them have the potential to act as effective anticancer drugs, with IC(50) values of 5.25±0.83 μM (1) and 4.40±0.52 μM (2) in the natural light, and 2.57±0.92 μM (1) and 2.18±0.52 μM (2) in UV-A light. In addition, to detect an apoptotic HeLa body, cells were stained with Hoechst 33342 dye.

A case study of the ZnII-BDC/bpt mixed-ligand system: positional isomeric effect, structural diversification and luminescent properties

To systematically investigate the influence of the positional isomeric ligands on the structures and properties of transition metal complexes, we synthesized eight Zn(II) complexes with three positional isomeric carboxylate ligands (p-BDC, m-BDC and o-BDC) and three positional isomeric dipyridyl bridging ligands (4,4′-bpt, 3,4′-bpt and 3,3′-bpt). {[Zn2(p-BDC)2(4,4′-bpt)2]·H2O·(C2H5OH)}n (1), {[Zn(p-BDC)(3,4′-bpt)2(H2O)2]·2H2O}n (2), {[Zn(p-BDC)(3,3′-bpt)2(H2O)2]·3H2O}n (3), {[Zn2(m-BDC)2(4,4′-bpt)(H2O)3]·H2O}n (4), [Zn(m-BDC)(3,4′-bpt)]n (5), {[Zn(m-BDC)(3,3′-bpt)]·H2O}n (6), [Zn(o-BDC)(4,4′-bpt)]n (7) and [Zn2(o-BDC)2(3,4′-bpt)]n (8) (p-BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate anion, m-BDC =1,3-benzenedicarboxylate anion, o-BDC = 1,2-benzenedicarboxylate anion, 4,4′-bpt = 1H-3,5-bis(4-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole, 3,4′-bpt = 1H-3-(3-pyridyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole and 3,3′-bpt = 1H-3,5-bis(3-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazole). Structural analysis reveals that the benzenedicarboxylate isomers display versatile coordination modes to manage the Zn(II) ions to form 1D chains (for 2–5, 7 and 8) or 2D layers (for 1 and 6), which are further extended via the isomeric bpt connectors in different directions to give rise to a variety of coordination polymers, such as 1D decorated chain, 1D ladder-like chain, 2D sql layer, 2D bilayer with 82·10 topology, 2D wave-like layer, 3D 2-fold interpenetrating porous pcu net and 3D CsCl net. These results indicate that the nature of isomeric benzenedicarboxylates and bpt ligands has an important effect on the structural topologies of such Zn(II) complexes. Moreover, the luminescent properties of the complexes have been briefly investigated.

Two water-soluble copper(II) complexes: synthesis, characterization, DNA cleavage, protein binding activities and in vitro anticancer activity studies.

Two water-soluble ternary copper(II) complexes of [Cu(L)Cl](ClO4) (1) and [Cu(L)Br2] (2) (L=(2-((quinolin-8-ylimino)methyl)pyridine)) were prepared and characterized by various physico-chemical techniques. Both 1 and 2 were structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The crystal structures show the presence of a distorted square-pyramidal CuN3Cl2 (1) or CuN3Br2 (2) geometry in which Schiff-base L acts as a neutral tridentate ligand. Both complexes present intermolecular π-π stacking interactions between quinoline and pyridine rings. The interaction of two complexes with CT-DNA (calf thymus-DNA) and BSA (bovine serum albumin) was studied by means of various spectroscopy methods, which revealed that 1 and 2 could interact with CT-DNA through intercalation mode, and could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA in a static quenching process. Furthermore, the competition experiment using Hoechst 33258 indicated that two complexes may bind to CT-DNA by a minor groove. DNA cleavage experiments indicate that the complexes exhibit efficient DNA cleavage activities without any external agents, and hydroxyl radical (HO) and singlet oxygen ((1)O2) may serve as the major cleavage active species. Notably, the in vitro cytotoxicity of the complexes on three human tumor cells lines (HeLa, MCF-7, and A549) demonstrates that two compounds have broad-spectrum antitumor activity with quite low IC50 ranges of 0.43-1.85μM. Based on the cell cycle experiments, 1 and 2 could delay or inhibit cell cycle progression through the S phase.

Structures and Magnetic Properties of Ferromagnetic Coupling 2D Ln-M Heterometallic Coordination Polymers (Ln = Ho, Er; M = Mn, Zn)

Four new heterometallic coordination polymers have been successfully synthesized, namely, {[Ho(2)(HCAM)(6)Mn(3)(H(2)O)(12)].17.5H(2)O}(n) (1), {[Er(2)(HCAM)(6)Mn(3)(H(2)O)(12)].17.5H(2)O}(n) (2), {[Ho(2)(HCAM)(6)Zn(3)(H(2)O)(12)].26H(2)O}(n) (3), and {[Er(2)(HCAM)(6)Zn(3)(H(2)O)(12)].26H(2)O}(n) (4) (H(3)CAM = chelidamic acid). X-ray crystallographic studies reveal that coordination polymers 1-4 are isostructural and crystallized in the rhombohedral crystal system, space group R3. These compounds comprise a 2D honeycomb-type framework. A 2D water sheet is first found in 3 and 4, which exhibits a novel topological motif. The magnetic results for 1-4 show that ferromagnetic interactions take place between the Ho(3+)/Er(3+) and Mn(2+) ions within 1 and 2.