A representative set of vanadium(IV and V) compounds in varying coordination environments has been tested in the concentration range 1 to 10(-6) mM, using transformed mice fibroblasts (cell line SV 3T3), with respect to their short-term cell toxicity (up to 36 hours) and their ability to stimulate glucose uptake by cells. These insulin-mimetic tests have also been carried out with non-transformed human fibroblasts (cell line F26). The compounds under investigation comprise established insulin-mimetic species such as vanadate ([H(2)VO(4)](-)), [VO(acetylacetonate)(2)], [VO(2)(dipicolinate)](-) and [VO(maltolate)(2)], and new systems and coordination compounds containing OO, ON, OS, NS and ONS donor atom sets. A vitality test assay, measuring the reduction equivalents released in the mitochondrial respiratory chain by intracellular glucose degradation, is introduced and the results are counter-checked with (3)H-labelled glucose. Most compounds are toxic at the 1 mM concentration level, and most compounds are essentially non-toxic and about as effective as or more potent than insulin at concentrations of 0.01 mM and below. V(V) compounds tend to be less toxic than V(IV)compounds, and complexes containing thio functional ligands are somewhat more toxic than others. Generally, ON ligation is superior in insulin-mimetic efficacy to OO or O/ NS coordination, irrespective of the vanadium oxidation state. There is, however, no striking correlation between the nature of the ligand systems and the insulin-mimetic potency in these cell culture tests, encompassing 41 vanadium compounds, the results on 22 of which are reported in detail here. The syntheses and characteristics of various new compounds are provided together with selected speciation results. The crystal and molecular structures of [[VO(naph-tris)](2)] [where naph-tris is the Schiff base formed between o-hydroxynaphthaldehyde and tris(hydroxymethyl)amine] are reported. Electronic supplementary material to this paper can be obtained by using the Springer Link server located at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00775-001-0311-5.

The syntheses and single‐crystal X‐ray structures of a series of Mo–imido alkylidene N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes (1–15) and of the first complexes containing bidentate NHC‐phenolate ligands (16–18) are reported. Mo(N‐2,6‐Me2‐C6H3)((1‐R‐phenethyl)‐3‐mesitylimidazolidin‐2‐ylidene)(CHR)(OTf)2 (R=CMe2Ph, 1) is the first enantiomerically pure Mo–imido alkylidene NHC catalyst. With [Mo(N‐2,6‐Me2‐C6H3)(IMes)(CHR)(CH3CN)(OTf)(CH3CN)+ B(ArF)4−] (7), turnover numbers up to 545 000 were achieved in the homometathesis (HM) of 1‐octene and 1‐nonene (≤95 % E). With 7 and 1‐nonene, a turnover frequency (TOF4 min) of 8860 min−1 was determined. Productivity and E/Z‐selectivity were correlated with catalyst structure. For 1, Mo(N‐3,5‐Me2‐C6H3)(IMesH2)(CHR)(OTf)2 (9) and Mo(N‐3,5‐Me2‐C6H3)(IMes)(CHR)(OTf)2 (10), productivity was correlated with the coalescence temperature of the two triflates, determined by variable‐temperature 19F NMR spectroscopy. The square‐planar conformer is postulated to be the most relevant for the catalyst activation.

Two metathesis catalysts, RuCl₂(PCy₃)(NHC)(CHPh) (1) [NHC=1-(2,4,5-trimethylphenyl)-3-(6-hydroxyhexyl)-imidazol-2-ylidene] and Mo(N-2,6-i-Pr₂-C₆H₃)(CHCMe₂Ph)(BIPHEN) (2) [BIPHEN=(R)-3,3′-di-t-butyl-5,5′,6,6′-tetramethyl-2,2′-biphenolate) have been immobilized on polymeric, monolithic discs using a “grafting from” protocol. Monolithic discs were prepared via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) from norborn-2-ene (NBE), tris(norborn-5-ene-2-ylmethyleneoxy)methylsilane [(NBE-CH₂O)₃-SiCH₃], 2-propanol, toluene and RuCl₂(PCy₃)₂(CHPh). Catalyst loadings of 0.55 and 0.7 wt %, respectively, were obtained. Monolithic disc-immobilized 1 was used in various metathesis-based reactions including ring-closing metathesis (RCM), ring-opening cross metathesis and enyne metathesis. Using 0.23–0.59 mol % of supported 1, turnover numbers (TONs) up to 330 were achieved. Monolithic disc-immobilized 2 was used in various enantioselective RCM and desymmetrization reactions. Using 9–13 mol % of supported catalyst, excellent yields up to 100% and high enantiomeric excess (ee≤88%) were observed. In both cases, metal leaching was low (≤3 and ≤2%, respectively). In addition, 1 catalyzed the cyclopolymerization of diethyl dipropargylmalonate (DEDPM) to yield poly(ene)s consisting of 5-membered rings, i.e., cyclopent-1-ene-1-vinylene units. The polymerization proceeded via non-stoichiometric initiation yielding polymers with unimodal molecular weight distribution. Using a catalyst to monomer ratio of 1 : 170, molecular weights of M_w=16,400 and M_n=11,700 g/mol, PDI=1.40 were obtained

A series of neutral molybdenum imido alkylidene N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) bistriflate and monotriflate monoalkoxide complexes as well as cationic molybdenum imido alkylidene triflate complexes have been subjected to NMR spectroscopic, X-ray crystallographic, and reaction kinetic measurements in order to gain a comprehensive understanding about the underlying mechanism in olefin metathesis of this new type of catalysts. On the basis of experimental evidence and on DFT calculations (BP86/def2-TZVP/D3/cosmo) for the entire mechanism, olefinic substrates coordinate trans to the NHC of neutral 16-electron complexes via an associative mechanism, followed by dissociation of an anionic ligand (e.g., triflate) and formation of an intermediary molybdacyclobutane trans to the NHC. Formation of a cationic complex is crucial in order to become olefin metathesis active. Variations in the NHC, the imido, the alkoxide, and the noncoordinating anion revealed their influence on reactivity. The reaction of neutral 16-electron complexes with 2-methoxystyrene is faster for catalysts bearing one triflate and one fluorinated alkoxide than for catalysts bearing two triflate ligands. This is also reflected by the Gibbs free energy values for the transition states, ΔG‡303, which are significantly lower for catalysts bearing only one triflate than for the corresponding bistriflate complexes. Reaction of a solvent-stabilized cationic molybdenum imido alkylidene N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) monotriflate complex with 2-methoxystyrene proceeded via an associative mechanism too. Reaction rates of both solvent-free and solvent-stabilized cationic Mo imido alkylidene NHC catalysts with 2-methoxystyrene are controlled by the cross-metathesis step but not by adduct formation.