No abstract

The mononuclear Cu(II) complex [Cu(phen)-(H 2 O)(NO 3 ) 2 ] (1), obtained by the reaction of 1,10-phenanthroline with Cu(NO 3 ) 2 Á3H 2 O in methanol solution, reacts with anionic ligands SCN -, AcO -, N 3 -and PhCO 2 -in MeOH solution to form the stable binuclear complexes [Cu 2. The molecular structure of complex 3 was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. These complexes were characterized by electronic, IR, ESR, magnetic moments and conductivity measurements. The electrochemical behaviour of the complexes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The interactions of these complexes with calf thymus DNA have been investigated using absorption spectrophotometry. Their DNA cleavage activity was studied on doublestranded pBR322 plasmid DNA using gel electrophoresis experiments in the absence and presence of H 2 O 2 as oxidant.