Adducts of guanine with chromium(III), iron(III) and oxovanadium(IV) chlorides

The preparation of well-defined adducts of the M(guH)(₂Cl₃ (M = Cr, Fe) and VO(guH)Cl₂ types (guH = neutral guanine), by refluxing ligand and metal chloride mixtures in ethanol-triethyl orthoformate, is reported. Characterization studies suggest that the new complexes are probably linear chain-like polymeric species, involving single bridges of bidentate guH ligands between adjacent metal ions. Bidentate bridging guH is most probably coordinated through the N(7) and N(9) imidazole nitrogens. The chloro ligands present in the adducts are exclusively terminal. Infrared evidence rules out the possibility of coordination of guanine through either of its exocyclic potential binding sites (i.e., CO oxygen and NH₂ nitrogen) 1].