Self-Assembly of Manganese(II)–Phytate Coordination Polymers: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Physicochemical Properties

myo-Inositol phosphates are an important group of biomolecules that are present in all eukaryotic cells. The most abundant member of this family in nature is InsP6 (phytate, L12- in its fully deprotonated form). Phytate interacts strongly with inorganic and organic cations, and this interaction is essential for determining the possible functions of this biomolecule. Herein, the chemical, thermodynamic, and structural characterization of phytate–MnII species is presented in a study aimed at understanding how the interaction of the two components modulates their biological roles and their bioavailability. Polynuclear complexes Mn5(H2L)·16H2O (1) and (H2terpy)2[Mn(H6L)(terpy)-(H2O)]·17H2O (terpy=terpyridine) (2) were prepared and characterized by different techniques. The isolation of 1 and thedetermination of its solubility, together with potentiometric titrations of the MnII–phytate system, allow the full description of this binary system. The preparation and crystal structure of 2 show a novel coordination mode of phytate, that is, the formation of infinite polymeric chains through equatorial phosphate groups.