Abstract: | Two new nickel complexes, [Ni(L1)2]?·?2(CH3OH) (1) and [Ni(L2)2]?·?2(CH3OH) (2), where HL1 is 4-chloro-2-((2-hydroxy-ethylimino)methyl)phenol and HL2 is 4-fluoro-2-((2-hydroxy-ethylimino)methyl)phenol, have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and UV-Vis absorption spectra. The coordination polyhedron of nickel(II) in each complex can be described as distorted octahedral. The interactions between the complexes and calf thymus (CT)-DNA/DNA were investigated by UV-Vis spectra and agarose gel electrophoresis. The results show that the complex transforms supercoiled to nicked form and exhibits effective DNA cleavage activity via hydrolytic cleavage mechanism. |