Ruthenium(II/IV) complexes with potentially tridentate Schiff base chelates containing the uracil moiety

Abstract

Herein we report the synthesis and characterization of trans-[Ru^IICl₂(PPh₃)₃] with potentially tridentate Schiff bases derived from 5,6-diamino-1,3-dimethyl uracil (H₂ddd) and two 2-substituted aromatic aldehydes. In the diamagnetic ruthenium(II) complexes, trans-[RuCl(PPh₃)₂(Htdp)] (1) {H₂tdp = 5-((thiophen-3-yl)methyleneamino)-6-amino-1,3-dimethyluracil} and trans-[RuCl(PPh₃)₂(Hsdp)] (2) {H₂sdp = 5-(2-(methylthio)benzylideneamino)-6-amino-1,3-dimethyluracil}, the Schiff base ligands (i.e. Htdp and Hsdp) act as mono-anionic tridentate chelators. Upon reacting 5-(2-hydroxybenzylideneamino)-6-amino-1,3-dimethyluracil (H₃hdp) with the metal precursor, the paramagnetic complex, trans-[Ru^IVCl₂(ddd)(PPh₃)₂] (3), was isolated, in which the bidentate dianionic ddd co-ligand was formed by hydrolysis. The metal complexes were fully characterized via multinuclear NMR-, IR-, and UV–Vis spectroscopy, single crystal XRD analysis and conductivity measurements. The redox properties were probed via cyclic voltammetry with all complexes exhibiting comparable electrochemical behavior with half-wave potentials (E_½) at 0.70 V (for 1), 0.725 V (for 2), and 0.68 V (for 3) versus Ag|AgCl, respectively. The presence of the paramagnetic metal center for 3 was confirmed by ESR spectroscopy.

Keywords:

• Ruthenium(II/IV)
• Schiff base
• Uracil
• Crystal structure
• Spectral characterization

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the National Research Foundation of South Africa for financial support.