Investigating the interaction between novel polynuclear iron(III) and copper(II) complexes and carbohydrates: Synthesis, structure, and spectroscopic study of their interactions with monosaccharides

Abstract: Carbohydrates represent the most abundant class of organic molecules in the biosphere, playing vital roles in numerous biological processes and serving as biofuels. Despite their significance, the study of metalloenzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism, such as Xylose/Glucose isomerase (XGI), using synthetic models remains relatively underexplored. This presentation focuses on the synthesis of novel bi- and tetranuclear copper(II) and iron(III) complexes derived from a highly versatile, carboxylic-rich, heptadentate ligand, N,N’-Bis[2-carboxybenzomethyl]-N,N’-Bis[carboxymethyl]-1,3-diaminopropan-2-ol (H5ccdp). This research is part of our investigation into the interactions between these complexes and biologically significant monosaccharides, which have important implications for various biological systems and renewable energy technologies. We have fully characterized the complexes K4[Fe4(ccdp)2(o-phth)2(OH)2] and Na3[Cu2(ccdp)(µ-CO3)]5H2O using single crystal X-ray and spectroscopic techniques. Additionally, we have explored the interactions of these complexes with glucose, xylose, mannose, and xylitol in aqueous solution under varying pH conditions through spectroscopic methods. The characterizations, modes of sugar binding, and the apparent binding constants calculated for each monosaccharide with each complex will be discussed.