Group 10 metal macrocycles and chelates: supramolecular chemistry; biopolymer modification and anti-cancer properties

我们对开发基于大环的新材料感兴趣-大环是一种环状分子，可以与各种金属结合，形成非常稳定的化合物。 一个目标是将大环化合物附着到壳聚糖上-壳聚糖是一种通过改性甲壳素制成的生物聚合物（甲壳素本身是龙虾和蟹壳中存在的主要生物聚合物）。 这些新材料可能具有重要的特性，我们计划研究它们的能力：（a）结合金属离子（用于净化污染的沃茨）;（B）结合磷酸根离子（用于清除透析患者体内的磷酸盐毒素）。 我们工作的第二个目标是继续探索“侧臂大环”（顾名思义，是附加了其他分子的大环）与环糊精（6或7个糖分子连接成一个环的链）的相互作用。 这些相互作用被称为“超分子”，因为它们不涉及两种反应物质的键合，而是涉及非键合的分子间吸引力。 超分子化学是一个快速发展的重要领域，许多有机或无机化合物之间的非键相互作用的研究已经被探索。然而，对过渡金属大环化合物的研究很少，我们计划探索这一领域。 我们研究的第三个目标是制造含有钯金属的新材料，研究它们的反应性，并确定它们是否能有效杀死人类癌细胞。这项工作是在体外进行的，其中市售的人类癌细胞（例如卵巢癌、乳腺癌和结肠癌）用新化合物处理，使用顺铂作为对照，以确定它们作为潜在抗癌剂的功效。本研究不仅加深了对过渡金属大环化合物反应机理的理解，而且可能对人类健康有重要的应用价值。 该研究计划还为本科生和研究生提供研究培训，他们将学习对未来职业有价值的研究方法。

We are interested in the development of new materials based on macrocycles - which are ring-shaped molecules that can bind to a wide range of metals forming very stable compounds.  One goal is to attach macrocycles to chitosan - a biopolymer made by modifying chitin (which itself is the major biopolymer present in lobster and crab shells).  The new materials may have important properties, and we plan to study their ability to (a) bind metal ions (for purification of polluted waters); and (b) bind phosphate ion (which would be useful in removing phosphate toxins from dialysis patients).      A second goal of our work is to continue to explore the interaction of "pendant-arm macrocycles" (which, as the name implies, are macrocycles that have other molecules appended) with cyclodextrins (which are chains of 6 or 7 sugar molecules connected in a ring).  These interactions are termed "supramolecular", since they do not involve bonding of the two reaction species, but involve non-bonding, intermolecular forces of attraction.  Supramolecular chemistry is a rapidly growing and important field, where many studies of non-bonding interaction between organic or inorganic compounds have been explored. There is, however, a paucity of research on transition metal macrocycles, and we plan to explore this area.      The third goal of our research is to make new materials containing palladium metal, to study their reactivity and determine if they are effective in killing human cancer cells. This work is carried out in vitro, where commercially available human cancer cells (ovarian, breast and colon, for example) are treated with the new compounds, using cisplatin as a control, to determine their efficacy as potential anti-cancer agents. This research not only adds to our understanding of mechanisms of reactions of transition metal macrocycles, but may have important application to human health.  The research program also provides research training to undergraduate and graduate students, who will learn research methods valuable to their future careers.