SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF COMPLEXES OF TRIALKYLPHOSPHINE AND TRIARYLPHOSPHINE GOLD(I) WITH THIOLATED PURINES AND PYRIMIDINES - A CLASS OF BIFUNCTIONAL COMPOUNDS WITH POTENTIAL ANTITUMOR-ACTIVITY

New complexes of the type R3PAuL or (R3PAu)2(mu-L) where R=ethyl or ph enyl and L=6-thioguanine, 2,6-dithioxanthine, 2,4-dithiouracil and/or dithioerythritol have been prepared. These complexes have been identif ied by using elemental analysis, H-1, C-13 and P-31 NMR spectroscopy. The structures have been proposed based on these spectroscopic studies . Sulfur appears to be the binding site in disubstituted complexes of 2,4-dithiouracil and 1,4-dithioerythritol, while the phosphine gold(I) moieties appear to be S and N bonded in 2,6-dithioxanthine and 6-thio guanine. The potential use of these complexes as antitumor drugs is di scussed.