2‐{[Bis(2‐pyridylmethyl)amino]­methyl}‐6‐[(2‐hydroxy­anilino)­methyl]‐4‐methyl­phenol: a novel binucleating asymmetric ligand as a precursor to synthetic models for metalloenzymes

The title compound (H₂L), C₂₇H₂₈N₄O₂, is an asymmetric binucleating ligand with well defined soft (N₃O‐donor) and hard (NO₂‐donor) sides. H₂L was designed as a ligand for the preparation of heterodinuclear mixed‐valence M^III/M′^II complexes which are models for heterobimetallic active sites of enzymes, principally calcineurin. The mol­ecular structure of H₂L shows a spatial pre‐organization of the donor groups for coordination. This conformation is stabilized by bifurcated intra‐ and inter­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds involving both phenol groups. The inter­molecular hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules of H₂L into chains running parallel to the crystallographic c axis.