Synthesis and coordination properties of a new ligand designed for surface functionalization of carbon substrates

The new ligand H2L, constituted by a tetraethylenepentamine functionalized with terminal 6-amino-3,4-dihydro-3-methyl-5-nitroso-4-oxopyrimidine groups, has been synthesized with the ultimate goal of preparing Pd2+-containing heterogeneous single metal ion catalysts based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-L-Pd) and graphene (G-L-Pd) for catalytic applications. In this paper, we report the synthesis of the ligand and a preliminary characterization of its coordination properties performed by using Zn2+ and Cu2+ as test cations. The high stability constants, determined for the complexes with these metal ions in aqueous solution, the fast kinetic of the complexation reactions as well as the calculated structural features of the complexes are promising prerequisites supporting a successive study on the application of MWCNT-L-Pd and G-L-Pd catalysts.