The novel [Cuphen(VBA)₂H₂O] complex (phen: phenanthroline, VBA: vinylbenzoate) was prepared and used as a functional monomer to preorganize a new ion-imprinted polymer (IIP). By leaching the Cu(II) from the molecular imprinted polymer (MIP), [Cuphen(VBA)₂H₂O-co-EGDMA]_n (EGDMA: ethylene glycol dimethacrylate), the IIP was obtained. A non-ion-imprinted polymer (NIIP) was also prepared. The crystal structure of the complex and some physicochemical, spectrophotometric techniques were also used for the MIP, IIP, and NIIP characterization. The results showed that the materials are nonsoluble in water and polar solvents, which are the main features of polymers. The surface area of the IIP is higher than the NIIP demonstrated by the blue methylene method. The SEM images show monoliths and particles smoothly packed together on spherical and prismatic-spherical surfaces in the morphology of MIP and IIP, respectively. Moreover, the MIP and IIP could be considered as mesoporous and microporous materials, shown by the size of the pores determined by the BET and BJH methods. Furthermore, the adsorption performance of the IIP was studied using copper(II) as a contaminant heavy metal. The maximum adsorption capacity of IIP was 287.45 mg/g at 1600 mg/L Cu²⁺ ions with 0.1 g of IIP at room temperature. The Freundlich model was found to best describe the equilibrium isotherm of the adsorption process. The competitive results indicate that the stability of the Cu-IIP complex is higher than the Ni-IIP complex with a selectivity coefficient of 1.61.

Multi-ion-imprinted polymers (MIIPs) are materials with a wide range of applications mainly focused on environmental recovery, mining, technology, sensors, etc. MIIPs can incorporate ions such as heavy metals, transition metals, rare earth elements, radionuclides, and other types of ions. The chemical structures of MIIPs can be designed for different purposes and with certain morphologies, such as gels, crystals, or powders, and the surface area and porosity are also considered. All these properties provide the material with several desirable characteristics, like high selectivity, high specificity, adequate efficiency, good stability, the possibility of reusability, and strategy technology adaptation. In this review, we show the multitude of challenges of multi-ion imprinted polymer chemical synthesis based on the different and interesting methods reported previously.

Most diseases that affect human beings across the world are now treated with drugs of organic origin. However, some of these are associated with side effects, toxicity, and resistance phenomena. For the treatment of many illnesses, the development of new molecules with pharmacological potential is now an urgent matter. The biological activities of metal complexes have been reported to have antitumor, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-infective and antiparasitic effects, amongst others. Metal complexes are effective because they possess unique properties. For example, the complex entity possesses the effective biological activity, then the formation of coordination bonds between the metal ions and ligands is controlled, metal ions provide it with extraordinary mechanisms of action because of characteristics such as d-orbitals, oxidation states, and specific orientations; metal complexes also exhibit good stability and good physicochemical properties such as water solubility. Platinum is a transition metal widely used in the design of drugs with antineoplastic activities; however, platinum is associated with side effects which have made it necessary to search for, and design, novel complexes based on other metals. Copper is a biometal which is found in living systems; it is now used in the design of metal complexes with biological activities that have demonstrated antitumoral, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, amongst others. In this review, we consider the open horizons of Cu(II)- and Pt(II)-based complexes, new trends in their design, their synthesis, their biological activities and their targets of action.

Metal-organic frameworks or MOFs are coordination polymers consisting of cationic metal centers liked by ligands. These coordination polymers have repeating entities that extend in one, two, or three dimensions through various Metal-ligand covalent bonds. The structural diversity of MOFs allows for the fine-tuning of properties like pore size, stability, and functionality, making them ideal for a wide range of industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. Basolite C-300, HKUST-1 or [Cu₃(btc)₂(H₂O)₃], is one of the most studied three-dimensional porous frameworks. It is a commercially available MOF, easily produced under laboratory conditions. Its unique cubic structure, with multiple pore and adsorption sites, enhances its properties. This article reviews the conventional, new, and non-conventional methods of MOF and Basolite C-300 synthesis. In addition, the structural and spectral characterization of Basolite C-300 and its analogues is described, using spectroscopic and complementary multi-techniques to obtain fundamental knowledge about their structure. Finally, the applications of Basolite C-300 and similar MOFs are discussed, emphasizing their importance in industry and materials, technologies aimed at addressing global environmental and energy-related challenges, and biomedical applications.

A new Cu(II) paddle-wheel-like complex with 4-vinylbenzoate was synthesized using acetonitrile as the solvent. The complex was characterized by X-ray crystal diffraction, FT-IR, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric, differential scanning calorimetric, magnetic susceptibility, and electronic paramagnetic resonance analyses. The X-ray crystal diffraction analysis indicated that each copper ion was bound at an equatorial position to four oxygen atoms from the carboxylate groups of the 4-vinylbenzoate ligand in a square-based pyramidal geometry. The distance between the copper ions was 2.640(9) Å. The acetonitrile molecules were coordinated at the axial position to the copper ions. Exposure of the Cu(II) complex to humid air promoted the gradual replacement of the coordinated acetonitrile by water molecules, but the complex structure integrity remained. The EPR spectra exhibited signals attributed to the presence of a mixture of the monomeric (S = ½) and dimeric (S = 1) copper species in a possible 3:1 ratio. The magnetic studies revealed a peak at 50–100 K, which could be associated with the oxygen absorption capacity of the Cu(II)–vba complex.

Dye-sensitized solar cells transform solar light into electricity. One commonly used dye is a ruthenium complex. However, the use of ruthenium has been shown to have several disadvantages. In this study, via singular spectrum analysis using HypSpec software, we determined the formation constants and calculated individual electronic spectra of species of iron(III) with several ligands (1,2-diaminoethane, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 2,2′-bipyridyl, 5,5-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, 1,10-phenanthroline, and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) in methanol solution. We present a spectral comparison of the complexes reported here to the ruthenium complex: tris-(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II).