A Trinuclear Zinc–Schiff Base Complex: Biocatalytic Activity and Cytotoxicity

A novel trinuclear zinc(II) complex [Zn 3 L 2 (μ‐O 2 CCH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 OH) 4 ] ( 1 ) that contains an N,O‐donor Schiff base ligand {H 2 L = 2‐[(2‐hydroxyphenylimino)methyl]‐6‐methoxyphenol} has been synthesized and crystallographically characterized. The X‐ray crystal structure of 1 contains three zinc(II) centers, which have distorted‐octahedral coordination geometry, and the molecule crystallizes in the Pbcn space group. The zinc(II) complex displays significant catecholase oxidation activity in methanolic medium through a ligand‐centered radical pathway. This is the first example of catecholase oxidation through a trinuclear zinc(II)–Schiff base complex by means of the formation of a mononuclear intermediate as [ZnL(dtbc)] (dtbc = 3,5‐di‐ tert ‐butylcatechol). The fluorescence property of 1 indicates that it can serve as a potential photoactive material. It effectively cleaves the double strand of pBR 322 plasmid DNA at a given concentration (25 μ M ). The complex shows remarkable cytotoxicity against a human hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2).