Crystal structure of 16-ferrocenylmethyl-3β-hydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-one: a potential chemotherapeutic drug

Abstract

A new ferrocene complex, 16-ferrocenylmethyl-3β-hydroxyestra-1,3,5(10)-trien-17-one dimethyl sulfoxide monosolvate, [Fe(C5H5)(C24H27O2)]·C2H6OS, has been synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The molecule crystallizes in the space group P21 with one molecule of dimethyl sulfoxide. A hydrogen bond links the phenol group and the dimethyl sulfoxide O atom, with an O...O distance of 2.655 (5) Å. The ferrocene group is positioned in the β face of the estrone moiety, with an O—C—C—C torsion angle of 44.1 (5)°, and the carbonyl bond length of the hormone moiety is 1.216 (5) Å, typical of a C=O double bond. The average Fe—C bond length of the substituted Cp ring [Fe—C(Cp*)] is similar to that of the unsubstituted one [Fe—C(Cp)], i.e. 2.048 (3) versus 2.040 (12) Å. The structure of the complex is compared with those of estrone and ethoxymethylestrone.

Keywords

• crystal structure
• anticancer compound
• ferrocene
• medicinal chemistry