Our work has shown that certain ruthenium(II) arene complexes exhibit promising anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. The complexes are stable and water-soluble, and their frameworks provide considerable scope for optimising the design, both in terms of their biological activity and for minimising side-effects by variations in the arene and the other coordinated ligands. Initial studies on amino acids and nucleotides suggest that kinetic and thermodynamic control over a wide spectrum of reactions of Ru(II) arene complexes with biomolecules can be achieved. These Ru(II) arene complexes appear to have an altered profile of biological activity in comparison with metal-based anticancer complexes currently in clinical use or on clinical trial.

Group 7-12 transition-metal complexes serve as effective catalysts for the regioselective intramolecular hydroamination of aminoalkynes having the general formula RCtC(CH 2 ) n -NH 2 (n ) 3, R ) H, Ph; n ) 4, R ) H) and of 2-(phenylethynyl)aniline. Primary products are pyrrolidines and piperidines bearing an R-alkylidene functionality and 2-phenylindole, respectively. Isomerization yields the corresponding pyrrolines and 1,2-dehydropiperidines. The catalytic properties of the transition-metal complexes depend on the appropriate choice of ligand, solvent, temperature, and counteranion. Principles for identifying the most active transition-metal catalysts for the hydroamination of alkynes and for optimizing the reaction conditions are developed. The X-ray crystal structure of one catalyst, [PdCl(triphos)](CF 3 -SO 3 ), has been determined.

Ruthenium(II) arene anticancer complexes [(eta6-arene)Ru(en)Cl]PF6 (arene is hexamethylbenzene, p-cymene, indan; en is ethylenediamine) can catalyse regioselective reduction of NAD+ by formate in water to form 1,4-NADH, at pD 7.2, 37 degrees C, and in the presence of air. The catalytic activity is markedly dependent on the arene, with the hexamethylbenzene (hmb) complex showing the highest activity. For [(eta 6-hmb)Ru(en)Cl]PF6, the rate of reaction is independent of NAD+ concentration and shows saturation kinetics with respect to formate concentration. A Km value of 58 mM and a turnover frequency at saturation of 1.46 h(-1) were observed. Removal of chloride and performing the reaction under argon led to higher reaction rates. Lung cancer cells (A549) were found to be remarkably tolerant to formate even at millimolar concentrations. The possibility of using ruthenium arene complexes coadministered with formate as catalytic drugs is discussed.

In this paper, we define flip teaching as a curricular platform that uses various strategies, tools, and pedagogies to engage learners in self-directed learning outside the classroom before face-to-face meetings with teachers in the classroom. With this understanding, we adopted flip teaching in the design and enactment of one Year 1 and one Year 2 undergraduate chemistry laboratory session at a higher education institution. The undergraduates viewed videos demonstrating the practical procedures and answered pre-laboratory questions posted on the institution's mobile device application before the laboratory lessons. Analyses of the lesson videos, interviews with the undergraduates and instructors, and undergraduate artefacts showed that the undergraduates had developed a better understanding of the theory undergirding the procedures before they performed the practical, and were able to decipher the complex practical procedures. They also experienced less anxiety about the complex practical steps and setup, and subsequently, improved work efficiency. The findings of this study have implications for chemistry educators looking for ways to improve on the design and enactment of the laboratory curriculum to enhance the undergraduates' self-directed learning.

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Modified Mannich reactions of amines, amino acids and a model peptide with Ph 2 PH and CH 2 O gave bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)amines (Ph 2 PCH 2) 2 NR [R= Ph (1), CH 2 CH 2 OH (2), CH 2 COOCH 2 Ph (3), CH 2 CONHCH 2 COOCH 2 Ph (4), CH 2 COOH (5)] and (Ph 2 PCH 2) 2 NCH 2 CH 2 N(CH 2 PPh 2) 2 (6). Reaction with [ReBr 3 (CO) 3 ] 2under mild conditions led to ReBr(CO) 3 {(Ph 2 PCH 2) 2 NR} [R= Ph (7), CH 2 CH 2 OH (8), CH 2 COOCH 2 Ph (9), CH 2 CONHCH 2 COOCH 2 Ph (10), CH 2 COOH (11)] and [ReBr(CO) 3 Ph 2 PCH 2) 2 NCH 2 ] 2 (12). All new complexes have been characterized by NMR and IR spectroscopy and for 7, 9 and 10, single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Stability studies by Electrospray Mass Spectrometry, showed that other than solvolysis, the complexes are fairly stable in neutral and acidic methanol. Cytotoxicity testing of 7-10 and 12 showed that all the complexes are active against specific tumour cell lines.

Although platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin are powerful anticancer agents, they have undesirable side effects and are effective against only a few kinds of cancers. There is, therefore, a need for new drugs with an improved spectrum of efficacy and lower toxicity. Complexes of copper, gold and silver (coinage metals) are potential candidates to fulfill this need. The development of anticancer drugs based on these metals is currently a very active field. Considerable effort has also been put into elucidating the mechanisms of action of these complexes and optimizing their bioactivity through structural modification. In this review, we highlight recent developments in the design of coinage metal complexes with anti-tumor activity and discuss the emerging importance of quantitative structure-activity relationship methods in the study of anticancer metal complexes. Future work in this field, including likely coinage metal complexes that will attract attention, are proposed.

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