The synthesis and spectroscopic characterisation of novel mononuclear Ru(III)(edta)(hydroxamato) complexes of general formula [Ru(H2edta)(monoha)] (where monoha = 3- or 4-NH2, 2-, 3- or 4-C1 and 3-Me-phenylhydroxamato), as well as the first example of a Ru(III)-N-aryl aromatic hydroxamate, [Ru(H2edta)(N-Me-bha)].H2O (N-Me-bha = N-methylbenzohydroxamato) are reported. Three dinuclear Ru(III) complexes with bridging dihydroxamato ligands of general formula [{Ru(H2edta)}2(mu-diha)] where diha = 2,6-pyridinedihydroxamato and 1,3- or 1,4-benzodihydroxamato, the first of their kind with Ru(III), are also described. The speciation of all of these systems (with the exception of the Ru-1,4-benzodihydroxamic acid and Ru-N-methylbenzohydroxamic systems) in aqueous solution was investigated. We previously proposed that nitrosyl abstraction from hydroxamic acids by Ru(III) involves initial formation of Ru(III)-hydroxamates. Yet, until now, no data on the rate of nitric oxide (NO) release from hydroxamic acids has been published. We now describe a UV-VIS spectroscopic study, where we monitored the decrease in the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer band of a series of Ru(III)-monohydroxamates with time, with a view to gaining an insight into the NO-releasing properties of hydroxamic acids.

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