Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Amide Coupling Reaction for the Synthesis of Bispyridine-based Ligands and Their Complexation to Platinum as Dinuclear Anticancer Agents
Published on: May 28, 2014
Undervalued N3 Coordination Revealed in the Cisplatin Complex with 2'-Deoxyadenosine-5'-monophosphate by a Combined
Barbara Chiavarino1, Maria Elisa Crestoni1, Simonetta Fornarini1
1Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie del Farmaco, Università di Roma "La Sapienza" , Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Roma, Italy.
Abstract:
The complex obtained by the reaction of cisplatin and 2'-deoxyadenosine-5'-monophosphate (5'-dAMP) in water has been isolated and detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The so-formed cis-[PtCl(NH3)2(5'-dAMP)]+ complex has been studied in detail by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in two spectral ranges, namely, 700-1900 and 2800-3800 cm-1, backed by quantum-chemical calculations at the B3LYP/LACV3P/6-311G** level of theory. In agreement with the computational results, the vibrational spectroscopic characterization of cis-[PtCl(NH3)2(5'-dAMP)]+ shows that the sampled ionic population comprises two major isomers, differentiated in the X-H stretching region by their distinct fragmentation patterns. One of these species presents coordination of the platinum moiety at the N3 position of adenine, whereas in the second one, platinum is bound at the N1 position of adenine. IRMPD kinetics have allowed an estimation of their relative proportions. Surprisingly, the most abundant component of cis-[PtCl(NH3)2(5'-dAMP)]+ is the N3 isomer, although it is slightly less stable than the other potential isomers in the gas phase. In contrast, the lowest-energy species, namely, the one showing cisplatin binding to the N7 position of adenine, seems to be the one less represented in the sampled ionic population. These findings suggest that the reaction of cisplatin with 5'-dAMP is governed by the kinetics of the process occurring in solution rather than by the thermodynamic factors.
Related Concept Videos
Valence Bond Theory
Stereoisomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula.
Transition metal complexes often exist as geometric isomers, in which the same atoms are connected through the same types of bonds but with differences in their orientation in space. Coordination complexes with two different ligands in the cis and trans positions from a ligand of interest form isomers. For example, the octahedral [Co(NH3)4Cl2]+ ion has two isomers (Figure 1) In the cis...

