Speciation study of an imidazolate-bridged copper(II)-zinc(II) complex in aqueous solution

The solution equilibrium and the binding mode of the species in the five-component system containing two metal ions (copper(II) and zinc(II)) and three ligands (A = diethylenetriamine, B = imidazole, C = tris(2-aminoethyl)amine) were investigated by pH-potentiometric titration, UV-visible spectrophotometry and EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) spectroscopic titration in aqueous solution in the 2-11 pH range. An imidazolate-bridged heterobinuclear complex (ACuBH−1ZnC) was found to evolve above pH = 7 and was stable between pH 7 and 11. The existence of the ACuBH−1ZnC complex (by determination of its molecular weight) was proved by mass spectrometry (ESI-MS (electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) and MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization) techniques). The electrochemical behaviour and the superoxide dismutase activity of this complex were also tested by cyclic voltammetry and the Riboflavin/NBT (nitro blue tetrazolium) assay, respectively.