Recent advances in the development of metal complexes as antibacterial agents with metal-specific modes of action.

The mounting burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most concerning threats to public health worldwide. With low economic incentives and a dwindling supply of new drugs in clinical pipelines, more innovative approaches to novel drug design and development are desperately required. Metal-based compounds are rapidly emerging as an alternative to organic drugs, as they have the ability to kill pathogens via metal-specific modes of action.

Highly Adaptive Nature of Group 15 (quinolyl) Ligands─Studies with Coinage Metals.

The substitution of heavier, more metallic atoms into classical organic ligand frameworks provides an important strategy for tuning ligand properties, such as ligand bite and donor character, and is the basis for the emerging area of main-group supramolecular chemistry. In this paper, we explore two new ligands [E(2-Me-8-qy)] [E = Sb (), Bi (); qy = quinolyl], allowing a fundamental comparison of their coordination behavior with classical (2-pyridyl) ligands of the type [E'(2-py)] (E = a range of bridgehead atoms and groups, py = pyridyl). A range of new coordination modes to Cu, Ag, and Au is seen for and , in the absence of steric constraints at the bridgehead and with their more remote N-donor atoms.

Synthesis and coordination behaviour of aluminate-based quinolyl ligands.

The effects of moving the donor N-atom from the 2-position in lithium (2-pyridyl)- and (2-quinolyl)aluminates to the more remote position in (8-quinolyl)aluminates have been investigated by solid-state structural and DFT computational studies of the new complexes [{EtAl(2-qy)}Li(μ-X)Li(THF)] (X = Cl/Br 62 : 38) [(1)Li(μ-X)Li(THF)], [{(EtAl(2-qy))Li}(μ-Br)]Li(THF) [{1Li}(μ-Br)]Li(THF), [{EtAl(2-Me-8-qy)}Li] [(2)Li], [{MeAl(2-Me-8-qy)}Li(THF)] [(3a)Li(THF)], [{MeAl(6-Me-2-py)}Li(THF)] [(4)Li(THF)] and [{{EtAl(2-Me-8-qy)}O}(LiTHF)] (5). Increasing the remoteness of the donor N-atom from the bridgehead results in large differences in the coordination of the Li cations by the (8-quinolyl)aluminate anions compared to 2-quinolyl or 2-pyridyl counterparts. The results are of potential interest in understanding how the coordination sites of ligands of this type can be tuned for the coordination requirements of specific metal centres.

Uncovering the Hidden Landscape of Tris(4-pyridyl) Ligands: Topological Complexity Derived from the Bridgehead.

Supramolecular main group chemistry is a developing field which parallels the conventional domain of metallo-organic chemistry. Little explored building blocks in this area are main group metal-based ligands which have the appropriate donor symmetry to build desired molecular or extended arrangements. Tris(pyridyl) main group ligands (E(py) , E=main group metal) are potentially highly versatile building blocks since shifting the N-donor arms from the 2- to the 3-positions and 4-positions provides a very simple way of changing the ligand character from mononuclear/chelating to multidentate/metal-bridging.

Facile synthesis of a nickel(0) phosphine complex at ambient temperature.

The reaction of the bis(methoxy)-2-pyridyl-phosphine (MeO)P(2-py) (1) with [Ni(MeCN)](BF) leads to the unexpected single-step reduction of Ni and the formation of a tetrahedral nickel(0) complex [{(MeO)P(2-py-H)}{(MeO)P(2-py)}Ni](BF) (2). The redox activity is probably induced by the decomposition of the tetrafluoroborate anion; NMR spectroscopic studies point towards a fluoride-assisted oxidation of the 2-pyridyl-phosphine ligand, with associated reduction of the metal.