Chromone-based Schiff base metal complexes as catalysts for catechol oxidation: Synthesis,kinetics and electrochemical studies

Two new Schiff base ligands with chromone moiety and their transition metal complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility, molar conductance and TGA analyses, FT IR, UV-Vis, NMR and mass spectroscopy. All the complexes synthesized have been investigated as functional models for catechol oxidase (catecholase) activity by employing 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol as a model substrate. The two mononuclear copper(II) and two mononuclear iron(II) complexes show catecholase activity with turnover (k_cat) numbers lying in the range 27.2–1328.4 h^?1. According to the kinetic measurement results, the rate of catechol oxidation follows first order kinetics and iron(II) complexes were found to have higher catalytic activity than those of copper(II) complexes. Electron-donating substituent on Schiff base ligand enhanced the catalytic activity of metal complexes while the electron-withdrawing substituent led to a decrease in activity. The electrochemical properties of two Schiff bases and their metal complexes were also investigated by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) using glassy carbon electrode (GCE) at various scan rates. Electrochemical processes of all the compounds were observed as irreversible.