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Updated: May 8, 2026

Anticancer Metal Complexes: Synthesis and Cytotoxicity Evaluation by the MTT Assay
Published on: November 10, 2013
Important cytotoxicity of novel iron(II) cyclopentadienyl complexes with imidazole based ligands
Ana Cristina Gonçalves1, Tânia S Morais, M Paula Robalo
1Centro de Ciências Moleculares e Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
Abstract:
Four new compounds of general formula [FeCp(dppe)L][CF3SO3] with L=imidazole substituted ligands, and dppe=ethylenebis(diphenylphosphane) have been synthesized and characterized with the aim to evaluate their anticancer properties. The new compounds were fully characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods and the structure of [Fe(η(5)-C5H5)(dppe)(1-BuIm)] [CF3SO3] (1), [Fe(η(5)-C5H5)(dppe) (ImH)][CF3SO3] (3) and [Fe(η(5)-C5H5)(dppe)(1HmIm)][CF3SO3] (4) (where 1-BuIm=1-butylimidazole, and 1HmIm=N-hydroxymethylimidazole) was determined by X-ray diffraction studies. Apparently, these compounds are the first reported 'Fe(η(5)-C5H5)' half sandwich derivatives presenting high cytotoxic activity against a set a human tumor cell lines predicting their potential value as antitumor drugs.
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