Groove specificity. Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides are well-known for their specific interactions with the minor groove of DNA. Here we demonstrate that polyamides do not similarly bind duplex RNA, and offer a structural rationale for the molecular-level discrimination of nucleic acid duplexes by minor groove binding ligands.

The title compound, [Ag(2)(C(16)H(14)N(6))(2)](BF(4))(2), forms a centrosymmetric 22-membered metallamacrocycle via two Ag(I) ions bridging two 2,3-bis-(imidazol-1-ylmeth-yl)quinoxaline ligands. The Ag(I) ions are coordinated by two N donors of the imidazole groups, forming an approximately linear coordination geometry.

In the title compound, [Zn(C(5)H(3)N(4))(2)], the Zn(II) cation is in a nearly regular tetra-hedral coordination by purinate ligands. Each purinate ligand chelates two Zn(II) cations through two imidazole N atoms of the purinate anion ligand, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional network.

New Ir-NHC complexes based on different heterocyclic moieties like imidazole, benzimidazole and imidazolidine are presented and tested in transfer hydrogenation catalysis. A broad range of steric and electronic properties of NHC ligands is covered to give an idea for catalyst design from the experimental point of view.

The title compound, [Co(2)Cl(4)(C(7)H(8)N(4))(2)], contains a dinuclear complex molecule in which each Co(II) atom is tetra-hedrally coordinated by two N atoms and two chloride ions. The 1,1'-methyl-enebis(1H-imidazole) ligands adopt a bis-monodentate bridging mode linking two Co(II) atoms.

The imidazole ring is part of the lateral chain of histidine. One of the main features of this amino acid is the ability to coordinate copper, especially Cu(2+), because of the intermediate base nature of its imidazole ring, which has a great biological relevance. Proteins such as cytochrome c oxidase, a crucial enzyme in the respiratory chain, and β-amyloid peptide, implicated in the pathology...

We have identified a P450(cam) mutation, L244A, that mitigates the affinity for imidazole and substituted imidazoles while maintaining a high affinity for the natural substrate camphor. The P450(cam) L244A crystal structure solved in the absence of any ligand reveals that the I-helix is displaced inwards by over 1 A in response to the cavity created by the change from leucine to alanine. Furthe...

All-trans-retinoic acid (atRA) is the active metabolite of vitamin A. atRA is also used as a drug, and synthetic atRA analogs and inhibitors of retinoic acid (RA) metabolism have been developed. The hepatic clearance of atRA is mediated primarily by CYP26A1, but design of CYP26A1 inhibitors is hindered by lack of information on CYP26A1 structure and structure-activity relationships of its ligan...

A family of well-defined Fe(II) complexes of the type {BnN(N-CH2(CH2)n-N'-tert-butyl-imidazole-2-ylidene)2}FeCl2 (Bn = benzyl; n = 1 (1) or 2 (2)), {BnN(N-CH2(CH2)n-N'-methylbenzimidazole-2-ylidene)2}FeCl2 (n = 1 (3) or 2 (4)) and {BnN(N-CH2CH2CH2-N'-methylbenzimidazole-2-ylidene)2}FeBr2 (5) has been synthesized. These complexes are rare examples of Fe species supported by bidentate NHC ligands...