Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surfaces and DNA cleavage investigation of two copper(II) complexes containing polypyridine and salicylide ligands

•Two copper complexes derived from polypyridine and salicylide ligands have been prepared.•Intermolecular interactions in them have been investigated by using Hirshfeld surfaces.•These two complexes can intercalation with DNA.

Two copper complexes 1 [Cu2(phen)2(salicylaldehyde)2(ClO4)2] and 2 [Cu2 (2,2′-dipyridyl)2(salicylaldehyde)2(ClO4)2] have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. These two complexes were display binuclear structure with CuII ions in distorted octahedral environment but antipodal orientation of the binuclear units between them. Molecular Hirshfeld surfaces revealed that the crystal structures of 1 and 2 were supported mainly by H–H, C–H⋯π, π⋯π (C–C), and C–H⋯O intermolecular interactions. DNA cleavage experiments of complexes 1 and 2 revealed that these complexes can intercalation with DNA.

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