Ruthenium complexes containing mPTA and thiopurines bis(8-thiotheophylline)-(CH2)n (n = 1 – 3; mPTA = N-methyl-1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane)

Thiopurines bis(S-8-thiotheophylline)methane (MBTTH₂), 1,2-bis(S-8-thiotheophylline)ethane (EBTTH₂), and 1,3-bis(S-8-thiotheophylline)propane (PBTTH₂) were reacted with [RuClCp(mPTA)₂](CF₃SO₃)₂ in water to afford the bis-ruthenium complexes [{RuCp(mPTA)₂}₂-μ-(L-κN7,N′7)](CF₃SO₃)₄ (1: L = MBTT; 2: L = EBTT; 3: L = PBTT), which have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR, and multinuclear NMR (¹H, ¹³C{¹H}, ³¹P{¹H} and ¹⁹F{¹H}) spectroscopy). Diffusion experiments for 1 were carried out. Proposed structures for the three complexes were also supported by theoretical calculations. Cyclic voltammetry showed that these complexes are characterized by two one-electron irreversible oxidative response (Ru^II – Ru^II/Ru^III – Ru^II; Ru^III – Ru^II/Ru^III – Ru^III). Complexes showed poor antiproliferative activity against cisplatin-sensitive T2 human cell line and the cisplatin-resistant SKOV3 cell line.     

Oxidative Coordination versus C3−C(O)Me Bond Cleavage in Acetylacetonate Iridium Complexes

Iridabicycles [Ir{κ³-N,C,O-(pyC(H)=C(C(O)Me)₂}(Cl)(L−L)](L−L=cod (cod=1,5-cyclooctadiene), 1 a ; bipy (bipy=2,2’-bipyridine), 1 b ) have been obtained by oxidative coordination of 3-(pyridine-2-yl-methylene)pentane-2,4-dione L1 , to the complexes [{Ir(μ-Cl)(cod)}₂] and [{Ir(μ-Cl)(coe)₂}₂] (coe=cis-cyclooctene), the latter in the presence of bipy. Remarkably, cleavage of the C³−C(O)Me bond of L1 has instead been achieved in the reaction with [Ir(Cl)(dmb)₂] (dmb=2,3-dimethylbutadiene), yielding a compound formulated as [Ir{κ²-N,C-(pyC(H)C(C(O)Me))}(CO)(μ-Cl)(Me)]₂, 2 . Treatment of dimer 2 with DMSO or PMe₃ produced the complexes[Ir{κ²-N,C-(pyC(H)C(C(O)Me)}(CO)Cl(Me)L] (L=DMSO, 3 a ; PMe₃, 3 b ). Plausible mechanisms for the reactions leading to complexes 1 and 2 are proposed by means of DFT calculations.