Abstract
An unsymmetrical oxo-bridged diiron(III) complex [Fe
2
L
2
(μ-O)], {H
2
L = trans-N,N′-bis-(2hydroxy-1-naphthalidehydene)-cyclohexanediamine} has been synthesized and characterized by various physico-chemical techniques. In the complex, each deprotonated bi-anionic L
2−
serves as a terminal tetradentate ligand (N
2
O
2
) and coordinates to one Fe to form a [FeL]
+
unit. Two [FeL]
+
units are further linked by an oxo-bridge to construct the binuclear oxo-Fe species with intramolecular Fe-Fe separation of 3.38 Å. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies revealed a strong antiferromagnetic interaction between two iron centers with J of −112 cm
−1
. The interaction of the complex with CT-DNA was studied by various spectroscopic and viscosity measurements, which indicated that the complex could interact with CT-DNA through intercalation. In addition, the complex is able to cleave pBR322 DNA in the presence of H
2
O
2
. Furthermore, the interaction of the compound with BSA was also investigated, which indicated that the complex could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA by a static quenching mechanism.
An unsymmetrical oxo-bridged diiron(III) complex has been synthesized and its biological activities have been characterized by various physico-chemical techniques.