NMR, CD and MCD studies of vanadate-nucleoside complexes

Complex formation between tetraoxovanadate(V) and each of the nucleosides adenosine, guanosine, cytidine and uridine has been studied in a constant salt medium at pH 7. 13C- and 51V NMR studies show that only complexes with the formula V2L2 (V = vanadate, L = nucleoside) are formed, and their formation constants have been determined. They have 51V NMR resonances around -523 ppm relative to VOCl3 and they exhibit no CD in the spectral region of the charge-transfer transitions. MCD spectra were also measured, and all experiments are in accord with a molecular structure composed by two edge-sharing VO6 octahedra forming an O4V(mu-O)2VO4 skeleton with each of the nucleoside ligands bridging the two vanadium centres through the ribose 2',3'-oxygens, which are the oxygens outside the V2O6 plane. Admixture of imidazole-HCl buffer at pH 7 gives rise to additional complexes of 1:1 stoichiometry. They have been characterized by 51V NMR and CD, and their formation constants are reported. Vanadate(V) and the deoxynucleosides deoxyadenosine, deoxyguanosine, deoxycytidine and thymidine form very weak complexes which cannot be detected by 51V NMR or CD under conditions for which vanadate and the nucleosides form complexes.