Phosphoester hydrolysis promoted by quinoline functionalized Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes

Abstract

A quinoline functionalized nitrogen-based bidentate ligand (L) was synthesized and used for the preparation of mononuclear Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes which differ only by the halide ion attached to the respective metal center. All complexes of this series show closely related crystal packing regardless of the halide ion and metal center (Ni/Zn). All the complexes were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques such as UV-vis, emission, IR and NMR spectroscopies, ESI-MS, single-crystal XRD and thermogravimetry. All the complexes were examined for hydrolysis of a phosphoester bond in the DNA-model substrate 4-nitrophenyl phosphate (NPP) and bis(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate (BNPP). All complexes were able to hydrolyze BNPP and NPP and showed better rate of hydrolysis with diesters as compared to monoesters.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Biphenyl backbone
• quinoline moiety
• BNPP and NPP hydrolysis

Acknowledgement

We gratefully acknowledge UGC for fellowship, Central Instrumentation Facility, Pondicherry University for NMR spectra, DST-FIST for the single-crystal X-ray diffraction facility and the Department of Chemistry, Pondicherry University for other facilities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.