Tetrakis- and tris(1-Methyluracil) complexes of Pt(II): formation and properties of a carbon-bonded nucleobase species as well as of heternonuclear derivatives.

The reaction of K2PtCl4 with an excess of 1-methyluracilate (1-MeU) in water at 60 degrees C leads to the formation of two major products, K2[Pt(1-MeU-N3)4].10H2O (1) and trans-K[Pt(1-MeU-N3)2(1-MeU-C5)(H2O)].3H2O (2). Addition of CuCl2 to an aqueous solution of 2 yields the mixed-metal complex trans-[PtCl(1-MeU-N3,O4)2(1-MeU-C5,O4)Cu(H2O)].H2O (4). Single-crystal X-ray analysis was carried out for 1 and 4. In both compounds, the heterometals (K+ in 1 and Cu2+ in 4) are bonded to exocyclic oxygens atoms of the 1-MeU ligands, giving rise to intermetallic distances of 3.386(2) and 3.528(2) A in 1 and 2.458(1) A in 4. The shortness of the Pt-Cu separation in 4 is consistent with a dative bond between PtII and CuII. The aqua ligand in 2 is readily substituted by a series of other ligands (e.g., 1-MeC, 9-MeGH, and CN-), as demonstrated by 1H NMR spectroscopy, with 3J(195Pt-1H(6)) coupling constants being sensitive indicators. Acid-base equilibria of 1 and 2 have been studied in detail and reveal some unexpected features: 1 has a relatively high basicity, with protonation starting below pH 5, and first and second pKa values being ca. 3.4 and 0.4, respectively. These pKa values are markedly higher than those of related neutral 2:1 or cationic 1:1 complexes and are attributed to both charge effects (-2 charge of 1) and a favorable stabilization of oxygen-protonated species by the arrangement of four exocyclic oxygen groups of 1-MeU ligands at either sides of the platinum coordination planes. Whereas in 2, H+ affinities of the three uracil ligands are in the normal range, there is a surprisingly low acidity of N(3)H of the C5-bonded uracil with a pKa of approximately 12.2, which compares with 9.75 for free 1-methyluracil. This implies that the C5-bonded PtII does not induce the typical acidifying effect of a PtII metal entity when bonded to a ring nitrogen atom of a neutral nucleobase. Rather, the effect is qualitatively similar to that of a metal ion bonded to N3 of an anionic 1-MeU ligand, which likewise increases its overall basicity as compared to neutral 1-MeUH.