Synthesis of new dinuclear dicopper(II) and dinickel(II) complexes. The kinetics of catechol oxidase and electrochemistry of a dicopper(II) complex

A new dinuclear ligand L, ethyleneOO-bis-salicylidene--diketone] bearing two symmetrical coordination sites was synthesized by the condensation of salicylaldehyde and acetylacetone, L, with 1,2-dibromoethane under reflux. The ligand L in a 1:1 ratio was treated with CuCl₂ and NiCl₂ to yield the complexes, tetrachloro bisOO-bis- salicylidene--diketone copper(II)] and bisOO-bis-salicylidene--diketone nickel(II)] chloride. The complexes were subsequently characterized by spectroscopic techniques, elemental analysis, i.r., ¹H-n.m.r., ¹³C-n.m.r., u.v.–vis., e.p.r. spectroscopy, and conductance measurements. The conductance measurements in DMF reveal that the Cu^II complex is covalent while the Ni^II complex is ionic and the spectral data support the Cu^II complex to be distorted octahedral whereas the Ni^II complex has square-planar geometry. The dioxygen binding was studied spectrophotometrically by the oxidation of tetrachloro bisOO-bis-salicylidene--diketone copper(II)] with pyrocatechol in the presence of oxygen. The kinetic experiments were performed with the copper complex in DMF by monitoring the increase in absorbance over time at pH 8.0 in the presence of pyrocatechol at 25 °C. The kinetic parameters V_max and K_M were determined on the Michaelis–Menten Approach. Redox behavior of the dinuclear copper(II) complex was investigated by cyclic voltammetry in the presence of O₂ with the pyrocatechol (substrate) and also without the substrate. The large difference in potentials E⁰ is indicative of reversible oxygen binding of the complex and distinct catalytic activity.