Chiral bridge-substituted manganese(III) complexes of
N,
N′-bis-(2-hydroxynaphthalene-1-carbaldehyde)-(1R,2R)-(−)-diaminocyclohexane and
N,
N′-bis-(2-hydroxynaphthalene-1-carbaldehyde)-(1S,2S)-(+)-diaminocyclohexane have been synthesized. The interaction of these
complexes with calf thymus DNA(CT-DNA) was investigated by spectroscopic, thermal denaturation studies, circular dichroism
(CD), and viscosity measurements. Results of spectroscopic and viscosity measurements suggest that the two complexes bind
to DNA via an intercalative mode and display enantioselectivity. These Mn(III) complexes have been found to promote the cleavage
of plasmid DNA pBR322 in the presence of H
2O
2.