Front Cover: Dinucleating N-donor Ligands with 1,2-Diethynylbenzene Backbone for the Copper-Mediated Monooxygenation of Phenols (Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 4/2024)

Abstract

This cover picture shows an artistic representation of the conversion of monophenols to ortho-quinones mediated by dinuclear copper(I) complexes supported by tweezer-like ligands, thus serving as small-molecule model systems for the enzyme tyrosinase. We describe the first synthesis and characterization of the three different tweezer-like ligands Tw1-3 and their corresponding copper(I) complexes. In the picture, this class of ligands is exemplified by the pyrazole-terminated ligand Tw2. The hand holding the tweezers illustrates the ligand design that enables the corresponding complexes to hold dioxygen between their “tweezer arms”, mimicking the dinuclear active site of the enzyme and inducing the reaction with phenols. We would like to thank Philippa Kramer for the artistic design (DOI: 10.1002/zaac.202300237).