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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

The Synthesis, Characterization and Reactivity of a Series of Ruthenium N-triphosPh Complexes
Published on: April 10, 2015
Synthesis, characterization, and reactivity studies of heterodinuclear complexes modeling active sites in purple acid
Martin Jarenmark1, Matti Haukka, Serhiy Demeshko
1Inorganic Chemistry Research Group, Chemical Physics, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. ebbe.nordlander@chemphys.lu.se
Abstract:
To model the heterodinuclear active sites in plant purple acid phosphatases, a mononuclear synthon, [Fe(III)(H(2)IPCPMP)(Cl(2))][PF(6)] (1), has been generated in situ from the ligand 2-(N-isopropyl-N-((2-pyridyl)methyl)aminomethyl)-6-(N-(carboxylmethyl)-N-((2-pyridyl)methyl)amino methyl)-4-methylphenol (IPCPMP) and used to synthesize heterodinuclear complexes of the formulas [Fe(III)M(II)(IPCPMP)(OAc)(2)(CH(3)OH)][PF(6)] (M = Zn (2), Co (3), Ni (4), Mn (5)), [Fe(III)Zn(II)(IPCPMP)(mpdp)][PF(6)] (6) (mpdp = meta-phenylene-dipropionate), and [Fe(III)Cu(II)(IPCPMP) (OAc)}(2)(μ-O)][PF(6)] (7). Complexes 2-4, 6, and 7 have been crystallographically characterized. The structure of 6 is a solid state coordination polymer with heterodinuclear monomeric units, and 7 is a tetranuclear complex consisting of two heterodinuclear phenolate-bridged Fe(III)Cu(II) units bridged through a μ-oxido group between the two Fe(III) ions. Mössbauer spectra confirm the presence of high spin Fe(III) in an octahedral environment for 1, 3, and 5 while 2 and 4 display relaxation effects. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate weak antiferromagnetic coupling for 3, 4, and 5 and confirm the assignment of the metal centers in 2-5 as high spin Fe(III)-M(II) (M = Zn, Co (high spin), Ni (high spin), Mn (high spin)). Complexes 2-5 are intact in acetonitrile solution as indicated by IR spectroscopy (for 2-4) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) but partly dissociate to hydroxide species and a mononuclear complex in water/acetonitrile solutions. UV-vis spectroscopy reveal pH-dependent behavior, and species that form upon increasing the pH have been assigned to μ-hydroxido-bridged Fe(III)M(II) complexes for 2-5 although 2 and 3 is further transformed into what is propsed to be a μ-oxido-bridged tetranuclear complex similar to 7. Complexes 2-5 enhance phosphodiester cleavage of 2-hydroxy-propyl-p-nitrophenyl phosphate (HPNP) and bis(2,4-dinitrophenyl)phosphate (BDNPP), but the reactivities are different for different complexes and generally show strong pH dependence.

