Ternary complexes in solution. XII. Models for biological mixed-ligand complexes: 2,2'-bipyridyl-Cu 2+ -oligoglycine systems.

The stability constants of the binary Cu2+ complexes of glycine amide, diglycine, diglycine amide, triglycine, and tetraglycine were determined, as were those of the mixed-ligand Cu2+ systems containing 2,2'-bipyridyl and one of the mentioned oligoglycines. The results evidence that all these complexes have the same structure and, therefore, the binding sites of the ligands have to be the terminal amino group and the oxygen of the neighbored amide group. The stability differences between the ternary and the binary complexes are in agreement with this interpretation. It is of interest to note that these ternary complexes are significantly more stable than expected on statistical reasons. With increasing pH, the amide groups in the binary complexes are successively deprotonated. Thus, with tetraglycine finally all three amide protons are displaced, and the amide nitrogens are bound to the square-planar coordination sphere of Cu2+. As in the Cu2+-2,2'-bipyridyl 1 : 1 complex, only two coordination positions are left for the binding of the oligoglycine, in the tenary complexes, only one amide group can be deprotonated. An increase in pH with deprotonation of other amide groups leads to a displacement of 2,2'-bipyridyl, i. e. the simple binary complexes result. No evidence could be observed for the coordination of a deprotonated amide group to an apical position of the coordination sphere of Cu2+. Additionally, while the displacement of the first amide proton in the several binary Cu2+ oligoglycine complexes occurs over a large pH range (4 to 7 ) , the deprotonation in all the mixed-ligand complexes takes place at pH approximately 8.