Linkage Isomerization in PtII–9-Methyladenine Complexes

Abstract

Bis(9-methyladenine) complexes of cis-PtII(NH3)2 undergo slow linkage isomerization from the N7 to the N1 site in aqueous solution at elevated temperatures. The ratio of the isomeric complexes during the isomerization process indicates that whilst PtII prefers the N(7) site in the adenine moiety kinetically, it is the N(1) coordination mode which is thermodynamically more stable. The crystal structures of the isomers do not reveal any unusual features; the few apparently structurally significant differences in the bond angles in the N(1)-bound bis(complex) merely reflect the poor quality of the crystal and/or crystal packing effects rather than a direct result emanating from the coordination mode of the ligand.