Wheat seed ageing viewed through the cellular redox environment and changes in pH.

To elucidate biochemical mechanisms leading to seed deterioration, we studied 23 wheat genotypes after exposure to seed bank storage for 6-16 years compared to controlled deterioration (CD) at 45 °C and 14 (CD14) and 18% (CD18) moisture content (MC) for up to 32 days. Under two seed bank storage conditions, seed viability was maintained in cold storage (CS) at 0 °C and 9% seed MC, but significantly decreased in ambient storage (AS) at 20 °C and 9% MC. Under AS and CS, organic free radicals, most likely semiquinones, accumulated, detected by electron paramagnetic resonance, while the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) was partly lost and partly converted to glutathione disulphide (GSSG), detected by HPLC. Under AS the glutathione half-cell reduction potential (EGSSG/2GSH) shifted towards more oxidising conditions, from -186 to -141 mV. In seeds exposed to CD14 or CD18, no accumulation of organic free radicals was observed, GSH and seed viability declined within 32 and 7 days, respectively, GSSG hardly changed (CD14) or decreased (CD18) and EGSSG/2GSH shifted to -116 mV. The pH of extracts prepared from seeds subjected to CS, AS and CD14 decreased with viability, and remained high under CD18. Across all treatments, EGSSG/2GSH correlated significantly with seed viability (r = 0.8, p<.001). Data are discussed with a view that the cytoplasm is in a glassy state in CS and AS, but during the CD treatments, underwent transition to a liquid state. We suggest that enzymes can be active during CD but not under the seed bank conditions tested. However, upon CD, enzyme-based repair processes were apparently outweighed by deteriorative reactions. We conclude that seed ageing by CD and under seed bank conditions are accompanied by different biochemical reactions.

Bipodal acylthiourea ligands as building blocks for Bi-, tetra-, and polynuclear oxorhenium(V) complexes.

Reactions of (NBu4)[ReOCl4] and 3,3,3',3'-tetraalkyl-1,1'-isophthaloylbis(thioureas), H2phth(R2tu)2 where R = Et, i-Bu, in hot MeOH with the addition of Et3N give red products of the composition [ReO(OMe){phth(R2tu)2}]2 (8a, R = Et; 8b, R = i-Bu). X-ray structures of 8 reveal symmetric binuclear complexes containing two almost coplanar organic ligands, each of which coordinates to two rhenium centers via the two bidentate-O,S moieties. The octahedral coordination spheres of the rhenium atoms are completed by each one oxo and one methoxido ligand which are directed perpendicular to the plane defined by the {phth(R2tu)2}(2-) ligands. While in 8a, both methoxido ligands point to the same side of the described plane and form a syn isomer, the MeO(-) ligands in 8b are located at opposite sides and form an anti isomer. Studies in solution show that there exists a reversible equilibrium between the anti and syn isomers. Dimerization/condensation of complexes 8 with the formation of tetranuclear complexes of the composition [{ReO{phth(R2tu)2}}2O]2 (9) and/or polynuclear species is observed in solutions, which do not contain MeOH.

Dependence of the chemical properties of macrocyclic [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CR)](+) complexes on the basicity of the carboxylato coligands (L(2-) = macrocyclic N(6)S(2) ligand).

The dependence of the properties of mixed ligand [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CR)](+) complexes (where L(2-) represents a 24-membered macrocyclic hexaamine-dithiophenolato ligand) on the basicity of the carboxylato coligands has been examined. For this purpose 19 different [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CR)](+) complexes (2-20) incorporating carboxylates with pK(b) values in the range 9 to 14 have been prepared by the reaction of [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-Cl)](+) (1) and the respective sodium or triethylammonium carboxylates. The resulting carboxylato complexes, isolated as ClO(4)(-) or BPh(4)(-) salts, have been fully characterized by elemental analyses, IR, UV/vis spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography. The possibility of accessing the [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CR)](+) complexes by carboxylate exchange reactions has also been examined. The main findings are as follows: (i) Substitution reactions between 1 and NaO(2)CR are not affected by the basicity or the steric hindrance of the carboxylate. (ii) Complexes 2-20 form an isostructural series of bisoctahedral [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CR)](+) compounds with a N(3)Ni(µ-SR)(2)(µ-O(2)CR)NiN(3) core. (iii) They are readily identified by their ν(as)(CO) and ν(s)(CO) stretching vibration bands in the ranges 1684-1576 cm(-1) and 1428-1348 cm(-1), respectively. (iv) The spin-allowed (3)A(2g) → (3)T(2g) (ν(1)) transition of the NiOS(2)N(3) chromophore is steadily red-shifted by about 7.5 nm per pK(b) unit with increasing pK(b) of the carboxylate ion. (v) The less basic the carboxylate ion, the more stable the complex. The stability difference across the series, estimated from the difference of the individual ligand field stabilization energies (LFSE), amounts to about 4.2 kJ/mol [Δ(LFSE)(2,18)]. (vi) The "second-sphere stabilization" of the nickel complexes is not reflected in the electronic absorption spectra, as these forces are aligned perpendicularly to the Ni-O bonds. (vii) Coordination of a basic carboxylate donor to the [Ni(II)(2)L](2+) fragment weakens its Ni-N and Ni-S bonds. This bond weakening is reflected in small but significant bond length changes. (viii) The [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CR)](+) complexes are relatively inert to carboxylate exchange reactions, except for the formato complex [Ni(II)(2)L(µ-O(2)CH)](+) (8), which reacts with both more and less basic carboxylato ligands.