Synthesis, structure, and DNA-binding studies of a dicopper(II) complex with N-phenolato-N′-[2-(dimethylamino) ethyl]oxamide as ligand

Abstract

A new µ-oxamido-bridged dicopper(II) complex, [Cu₂(pdmaeox)(bpy)(H₂O)](pic) · H₂O [H₃pdmaeox = N-phenolato-N′-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]oxamide, Hpic = 2,4,6-trinitrophenol, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine], has been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductivity measurement, infrared, and electronic spectra studies, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The complex crystallizes in the triclinic system, P 1 space group, with crystallographic data: a = 10.7815(2) Å, b = 11.3598(2) Å, c = 14.1389(3) Å, and z = 2. In [Cu₂(pdmaeox)(bpy)(H₂O)]⁺, one copper(II) resides in the inner site with a square-planar coordination geometry and the other is chelated by the two exo-oxygen atoms of the cis-pdmaeox³⁻ ligand in a square-pyramidal environment. The Cu···Cu separation through cis-pdmaeox³⁻ bridge is 5.1834(4) Å. The crystal structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions. The interaction of the dicopper(II) complex with herring sperm-DNA (HS-DNA) has been investigated by electronic absorption titration, fluorescence titration, electrochemical titration, and viscosity measurements. The results reveal that the interaction of the dicopper(II) complex with HS-DNA might be electrostatic binding. The effects of bridging ligand on the interaction of the dinuclear complex with HS-DNA were preliminarily investigated.

Keywords:

• Crystal structure
• Binuclear copper(II) complex
• DNA interaction
• µ-Oxamido-bridge

Acknowledgments

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21071133), the Natural Science Foundation of Qingdao City (No. 09-1-3-73-jch), and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT0944).