New route to the synthesis of bis{N-(2-aminoethyl)salicylaldiminato}chromium(III) chloride monohydrate

The reaction of [Cr(urea)6]Cl3·3H2O with H2salen (H2salen = N,N′-ethylenebis(salicylaldimine) in water-methanol mixture (40:60 v/v) under reflux yielded the complex bis{N-(2-aminoethyl)salicylaldiminato}chromium(III) chloride monohydrate, [Cr(aesaldmn)2]Cl·H2O. The complex was characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility, spectroscopic (UV-vis and IR) data and X-ray diffraction studies. The new ligand, N-(2-aminoethyl)salicylaldimine, Haesaldmn, possibly resulted from the hydrolytic cleavage of one end of the H2salen ligand during reflux. Binding of this chromium(III) complex to CT DNA has been studied using UV-vis spectroscopy with an apparent binding constant of 2.68 × 103 M−1. It shows that the binding mode is electrostatic while the emission of ethidium bromide to CT DNA in the absence and in the presence of the complex show that it binds DNA with partial intercalation.