Strong Bases Design: Key Techniques and Stability Issues.

Theoretical design of molecular superbases has been attracting researchers for more than twenty years. General approaches were developed to make the bases potentially stronger, but less attention was paid to the stability of the predicted structures. Hence, only a small fraction of the theoretical research has led to positive experimental results.

pH Indicators for Strong Molecular Bases: A Theoretical Approach.

The transition points in hexamethylphosphoramide are theoretically studied for a series of acid-base indicators. Three new indicators with multiple transition points and deeply colored low-nucleophilic anions are designed. A general basicity scale is established for highly basic hexamethylphosphoramide solutions, expanding beyond the basicity of the strongest currently known molecular bases.

Metal-(Acyclic Diaminocarbene) Complexes Demonstrate Nanomolar Antiproliferative Activity against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Invited for the cover of this issue are Tatiyana Serebryanskaya, Mikhail Kinzhalov and co-workers at St. Petersburg State University, the Research Institute for Physical Chemical Problems, Belarusian State University, Togliatti State University and Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology. The image depicts the shield of Pallas Athena with the structure of a palladium carbene complex that protects against triple-negative breast cancer.

Metal-(Acyclic Diaminocarbene) Complexes Demonstrate Nanomolar Antiproliferative Activity against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Hydrolytically stable Pd and Pt complexes supported by acyclic diaminocarbene ligands represent a novel class of structural organometallic anticancer agents exhibiting nanomolar antiproliferative activity in a panel of cancer cell lines (IC 0.07-0.81 μM) and up to 300-fold selectivity for cancer cells over normal primary fibroblasts.

From ferrocene to decasubstituted enantiopure ferrocene-1,1'-disulfoxide derivatives.

The functionalization of (,)-,'-di--butylferrocene-1,1'-disulfoxide by deprotolithiation-electrophilic trapping sequences was studied towards polysubstituted, enantiopure derivatives for which the properties were determined. While the 2,2'-disubstituted ferrocene derivatives were obtained as expected, subsequent functionalization of the 2,2'-di(phenylthio) and 2,2'-bis(trimethylsilyl) derivatives occurred primarily at the 4- or 4,4'-positions. This unusual regioselectivity was discussed in detail in light of p values and structural data.