We
report a detailed study of a promising photoactivatable metal-based
anticancer prodrug candidate, trans,trans,trans-[Pt(N3)2(OH)2(py)2] (C1; py = pyridine), using vibrational
spectroscopic techniques. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform
infrared (ATR-FTIR), Raman, and synchrotron radiation far-IR (SR-FIR) spectroscopies
were applied to obtain highly resolved ligand and Pt-ligand vibrations
for C1 and its precursors (trans-[Pt(N3)2(py)2] (C2) and trans-[PtCl2(py)2] (C3)). Distinct IR- and Raman-active vibrational modes were assigned
with the aid of density functional theory calculations, and trends
in the frequency shifts as a function of changing Pt coordination
environment were determined and detailed for the first time. The data
provide the ligand and Pt-ligand (azide, hydroxide, pyridine) vibrational signatures for C1 in the mid- and
far-IR region, which will provide a basis for the better understanding
of the interaction of C1 with biomolecules.