This study discusses the preparation of various sized dendrimer encapsulated ruthenium nanoparticles (RuDEN) with the use of the generation 4 (G4), generation 5 (G5), and generation 6 (G6) hydroxyl-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM-OH) dendrimers as templating agents. The size of the nanoparticles ranges from 1.1 to 2.2 nm. These catalysts were fully characterized using UV/vis spectrophotometry, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The RuDEN catalysts were evaluated in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4NP) in the presence of sodium borohydride (BH4(-)) for various concentrations of either. The kinetic data obtained were modeled to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation. The model allows the relation of the apparent rate constant to the total surface area S of the nanoparticle, the kinetic constant k which is related to the rate-determining step, and the adsorption constants K(4NP) and K(BH4) for 4NP and borohydride, respectively. These parameters were calculated for each of the RuDENs, proving the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model to be suitable for the kinetic evaluation of RuDENs in the catalytic reduction of 4NP.

a b s t r a c tThe rational development of multinuclear arene ruthenium complexes (arene = p-cymene, hexamethylbenzene) from generation 1 (G 1 ) and generation 2 (G 2 ) of 4-iminopyridyl based poly(propyleneimine) dendrimer scaffolds of the type, DAB-(NH 2 ) n (n = 4 or 8, DAB = diaminobutane) has been accomplished in order to exploit the 'enhanced permeability and retention' (EPR) effect that allows large molecules to selectively enter cancer cells. Four compounds were synthesised, i. (6) were obtained in a similar manner from N-(pyridin-4-ylmethylene)propan-1-amine (L). The molecular structure of 5 has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis and the in vitro anticancer activities of the mono-, tetraand octanuclear complexes 1-6 studied on the A2780 human ovarian carcinoma cell line showing a close correlation between the size of the compound and cytotoxicity.

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