Structure and reactivity of "unusual" N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) palladium complexes synthesized from imidazolium salts.

The reaction between palladium acetate and IMES.HCl leads to the formation of a novel palladium complex. The X-ray crystal structure analysis reveals that the palladium is C(2) bound to one NHC ligand (the normal binding mode), whereas the second ligand is attached through the C(5) carbon of the second imidazolium.

Nicotinyl aspartyl ketones as inhibitors of caspase-3.

Caspase-3 is a cysteinyl protease that mediates apoptotic cell death. Its inhibition may have an important impact in the treatment of several degenerative diseases. Since P(1) aspartic acid is a required element of recognition for this enzyme, a library of capped aspartyl aldehydes was synthesized using solid-phase chemistry.