The antitumor activity of the organometallic ruthenium(II)-arene complexes, RuCl(2)(eta(6)-arene)(PTA), (arene = p-cymene, toluene, benzene, benzo-15-crown-5, 1-ethylbenzene-2,3-dimethylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, ethyl benzoate, hexamethylbenzene; PTA = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane), abbreviated RAPTA, has been evaluated. In vitro biological experiments demonstrate that these compounds are active toward the TS/A mouse adenocarcinoma cancer cell line whereas cytotoxicity on the HBL-100 human mammary (nontumor) cell line was not observed at concentrations up to 0.3 mM, which indicates selectivity of these ruthenium(II)-arene complexes to cancer cells. Analogues of the RAPTA compounds, in which the PTA ligand is methylated, have also been prepared, and these prove to be cytotoxic toward both cell lines. RAPTA-C and the benzene analogue RAPTA-B were selected for in vivo experiments to evaluate their anticancer and antimetastatic activity. The results show that these complexes can reduce the growth of lung metastases in CBA mice bearing the MCa mammary carcinoma in the absence of a corresponding action at the site of primary tumor growth. Pharmacokinetic studies of RAPTA-C indicate that ruthenium is rapidly lost from the organs and the bloodstream.

A series of relatively low-cost ionic liquids, based on the N-butyronitrile pyridinium cation [C(3)CNpy](+), designed to improve catalyst retention, have been prepared and evaluated in Suzuki and Stille coupling reactions. Depending on the nature of the anion, these salts react with palladium chloride to form [C(3)CNpy](2)[PdCl(4)] when the anion is Cl(-) and complexes of the formula [PdCl(2)(C(3)CNpy)(2)][anion](2) when the anion is PF(6)(-), BF(4)(-), or N(SO(2)CF(3))(2)(-). The solid-state structures of [C(3)CNpy]Cl and [C(3)CNpy](2)[PdCl(4)] have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The catalytic activity of these palladium complexes following immobilization in both N-butylpyridinium and nitrile-functionalized ionic liquids has been evaluated in Suzuki and Stille coupling reactions. All of the palladium complexes show good catalytic activity, but recycling and reuse is considerably superior in the nitrile-functionalized ionic liquid. Inductive coupled plasma spectroscopy reveals that the presence of the coordinating nitrile moiety in the ionic liquid leads to a significant decrease in palladium leaching relative to simple N-alkylpyridinium ionic liquids. Palladium nanoparticles have been identified as the active catalyst in the Stille reaction and were characterized using transmission electron microscopy.

Some of the recent developments concerning the synthesis, properties and applications of functionalised ionic liquids are highlighted. Various strategies are presented, including functionalisation of the cation, anion or both cation and anion in the same ionic liquid, leading to what has been termed dual-functionalised ionic liquids. Particular attention is given to the application of functionalised ionic liquids as reaction media, to stabilise nanoparticles/modify surfaces and to generate porous materials.

Imidazolium chlorides with one or two carboxylic acid substituent groups, 1-methyl-3-alkylcarboxylic acid imidazolium chloride, [Me[(CH2)nCOOH]im]Cl (n=1, 3), and 1,3-dialkylcarboxylic acid imidazolium chloride, [[(CH2)nCOOH]2im]Cl (n=1, 3), have been synthesized via their corresponding acid esters. Deprotonation of the carboxylic acid functionalized imidazolium chlorides with triethylamine affords the corresponding zwitterions [Me[(CH2)nCOO]im] (n=1, 3) and [[(CH2)nCOOH][(CH2)nCOO]im] (n=1, 3). Subsequent reaction of the zwitterions with strong acids gives the new imidazolium salts [Me[(CH2)nCOOH]im]X (n=1, 3; X=BF4, CF3SO3) and [[(CH2)nCOOH]2im]X (n=1, 3; X=BF4, CF3SO3), which exhibit melting points as low as -61 degrees C. The solid-state structures of two of the carboxylic acid functionalized imidazolium salts have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Extensive hydrogen bonding is present between the chloride and the imidazolium, with eight Cl.H interactions below 3 A. The pK(a) values of all the salts, determined by potentiometric titration, lie between 1.33 and 4.59 at 25 degrees C.

A new series of organometallic ruthenium(II)-arene compounds of the type RuCl2(η6-arene)(phosphine) (phosphine = 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane, PTA, and 3,7-diacetly-1,3,7-triaza-5-phosphabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane, DAPTA) with different potential hydrogen-bonding functionalities on the arene ligand have been prepared and studied for their antitumor activity. Cell viability studies using the TS/A mouse adenocarcinoma cancer cell line and the nontumorigenic HBL-100 human mammary cell line, combined with uptake determinations, are compared to the nonfunctionalized analogues, previously shown to be active on solid metastasizing tumors. The reactivity of the functionalized RAPTA compounds with a 14-mer oligonucleotide (established by mass spectrometry) has been rationalized by DFT calculations, which indicate that environmental factors are important.