The reaction in water of the
N-benzyliminodiacetate-copper(II)chelate ([Cu(NBzIDA)]) and the adenine:thymine base pair complex(AdeH:ThyH) with a Cu/NBzIDA/AdeH/ThyH molar ratio of 2:2:1:1yields [Cu
2(NBzIDA)
2(H
2O)
2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-N7,N9-Ade(N3)H)]·3H
2O and freeThyH. The compound has been studied by thermal, spectral, andX-ray diffraction methods. In the asymmetric dinuclear complexunits both Cu(II) atoms exhibit a square pyramidal coordination,where the four closest donors are supplied by NBzIDA in a
mer-tridentate conformation and the N7 or N9 donors of AdeH, whichis protonated at N3. The
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-N7,N9 bridge represents a newcoordination mode for nonsubstituted AdeH, except for someadeninate(1-)-[methylmercury(II)] derivatives studied earlier. Thedinuclear complex is stabilized by the Cu-N7 and Cu-N9 bondsand N6-H(exocyclic)···O(carboxyl) and N3-H(heterocyclic)···O(carboxyl) interligand interactions, respectively. The structure ofthe new compound differs from that of the mononuclear compound[Cu(NBzIDA)(Ade(N9)H)(H
2O)]·H
2O, in which the unusual Cu-N3(AdeH) bond is stabilized by a N9-H···O(carboxyl) interligandinteraction and where alternating benzyl-AdeH intermolecular
![](/images/gifchars/pi.gif)
,
![](/images/gifchars/pi.gif)
-stacking interactions produce infinite stacked chains. The possibilityfor ThyH to be involved in the molecular recognition between [Cu(NBzIDA)] and the AdeH:ThyH base pair is proposed.