The synthesis and characterization of new copper coordination complexes containing an asymmetric coordinating chelate ligand: Application to enzyme active site modeling

A new class of ligand which produces a binuclear metal complex with coordination asymmetry has been designed and synthesized. A binuclear copper complex has been prepared and characterized including a single crystal x-ray structure analysis. The structure reveals that one copper is 5-coordinate (distorted square pyramidal) while the other copper is only 4-coordinate (distorted square planar) and are separated by an endogenous {mu}-alkoxo oxygen and a bridging acetate. Although this structural type of chelator has been found in biological systems, it has not been previously described for inorganic coordination complexes prepared by design. It is anticipated that this ligand and derivatives of it will play an important role in mimicking chemical reactivity of enzyme active sites that function by substrate interaction at only one metal of a multimetal active site.