Equilibrium studies on the protonation and Cu(II) complexation by an hexaaza macrocycle containing p -xylyl spacers. The crystal structure of the hexaprotonated ligand and the kinetics of decomposition of the Cu(II) complexes
Abstract The protonation constants of the ligand 3,6,9,16,19,22-hexaazatricyclo[22.2.2.211,14]triaconta-1(26),11(12),13,24,27, 29-hexaene (L, BPXD) have been determined in water at 25°C by potentiometric procedures and indicate a lower basicity than that corresponding to the analogue ligand with m-xylyl spacers between the diethylenetriamine subunits (BMXD). The crystal structure of a salt of H6L6+ containing Br− and NO3 − as anions has been solved by X-ray diffraction procedures and reveals that the macrocycle adopts an almost planar configuration. The protonated amine groups are involved in a complex network of hydrogen bonds with the anions and water molecules, with two anions being placed close to the cavity of the macrocycle. Despite the lower basicity of BPXD, the stability of the mononuclear CuL2+ and HCuL3+ complexes is several log units higher than that corresponding to the analogous BMXD complexes, which suggests the possibility of a different coordination mode for both closely related ligands. Actually, the whole set of stability constants for the mono and binuclear Cu(II)–L complexes can be rationalised by considering that the macrocycle acts as tetradentate in the mononuclear species. In contrast, the kinetic parameters for decomposition of the mono and binuclear Cu(II)–L complexes in acid solutions are only slightly different from those previously determined for the BMXD complexes.
Stability and kinetics of the acid-promoted decomposition of Cu(II) complexes with hexaazacyclophanes: kinetic studies as a probe to detect changes in the coordination mode of the macrocycles.
The synthesis, protonation and Cu(II) coordination features of the novel azacyclophane type receptors 2,6,10,13,17,21-hexaza[22]-(2,6)-pyridinophane (L2), 2,6,9,12,15,19-hexaza[20]-(2,6)-pyridinophane (L5) and 2,6,9,12,15,19-hexaza[20]metacyclophane (L6) are presented. The protonation and Cu(II) constants are analysed and compared with the previously reported open-chain polyamines 4,8,11,15-tetrazaoctadecane-1,18-diamine (L1) and 4,7,10,13-tetraazahexadecane-1,16-diamine (L4) and of the cyclophane 2,6,10,13,17,21-hexaaza[22]paracyclophane (L3). All the systems form mono- and dinuclear complexes whose stability and pH range of existence depend on the type of hydrocarbon chains and molecular topology. The effects of the cyclic or open-chain nature and of the presence of the pyridine rings on the protonation and formation of mono- and dinuclear complexes are discussed. Stopped-flow kinetic measurements on the acid-promoted decomposition of the Cu(II) complexes have been carried out for the different systems. With respect to the decomposition of the dinuclear complexes, because the size of the macrocycles forces both metal ions to be close to each other, the release of the first ion occurs within the mixing time of the stopped-flow except for the dinuclear complexes of L2. However, the most interesting kinetic result is the observation of different kinetics of decomposition for the different mononuclear complexes formed by a given ligand. This effect is especially evident for L3 and L6 and indicates a change in the coordination mode of the ligand for the different mononuclear species. Therefore the Cu(II) ion performs a slippage motion through the macrocyclic cavity driven by pH changes. The stopped-flow experiments are an excellent tool to detect these slippage processes that may be present for the complexes with other macrocycles.
ASSESSING AGE AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERCEIVED RISK AND FEAR OF CRIME
Much of the research on fear of crime indicates that women and older persons are highly afraid of crime. These findings, especially older persons' fear of crime, are widely communicated in the scientific and popular media. This study examines age and gender differences in perceived risk and fear of crime. The data are from telephone interviews of 320 randomly selected residents in a southeastern metropolitan area of the United States. The relationships of age and gender to fear of crime are compared using a National Crime Survey (NCS) measure of fear of crime and 11 alternative indicators of fear of specific offenses. Women reported signifcantly greater perceived risk and fear of crime than men regardless of how fear of crime was measured and older adults reported the greatest fear of crime when the NCS measure was used. but not when the alternative individual measures of fear of crime were used. A LISREL model with latent constructs for fear of personal crime and fear of property crime also indicates that older adults do not have higher levels of fear of crime. In short, the extent of fear in the everyday lives of most older persons has been overestimated in many previous studies because of measurement problems.