Coordination chemistry of Zn 2+ with Sal(ph)en ligands: Tetrahedral coordination or penta‐coordination? a DFT analysis

Synthesis, characterization, biological studies and DFT study of Schiff Bases and their complexes derived from aromatic diamine compounds with cobalt (II)

Based on vanillin and diamine compounds (ortho phenylene diamine, meta phenylene diamine, 3,4- diamine toluene), derivation of two new Schiff base ligands (L1 and L2) was done, after which synthesis and treatment with Co (II) chloride was performed at a metal-to-ligand ratio of 1:1 to get two new complexes, i.e. [CoL3(H2O)2]Cl2 and [CoL1(H2O)2]Cl2. These complexes and ligands were characterized by employing NMR, IR, atomic absorption, UV visible absorption, molecular weight determination, molar conductance, and magnetic measurement techniques. As per the data, the ligands were found to be bidentate ligands that were linked to two azomethine nitrogen sites. It was suggested that these complexes were paramagnetic electrolyte compounds that possessed coordination number four. Screening of the ligands and metal complexes was done to assess their antimicrobial activities against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, which was found to show biological activity. Calculations using quantum chemistry were done to examine the molecule geometry. The investigation includes several quantum chemical characteristics derived from frontier molecular orbitals. Keywords: Schiff bases, transition metal complexes, vanillin, diamine aromatic compounds, antibacterial activity, DFT study.

On the Aggregation and Sensing Properties of Zinc(II) Schiff-Base Complexes of Salen-Type Ligands

The zinc(II) ion forms stable complexes with a wide variety of ligands, but those related to Schiff-bases are among the most largely investigated. This review deals with the peculiar aggregation characteristics of Zn(II) Schiff-base complexes from tetradentate N2O2 salen-type ligands, L, derivatives from salicylaldehydes and 1,2-diamines, and is mostly focused on their spectroscopic properties in solution. Thanks to their Lewis acidic character, ZnL complexes show interesting structural, nanostructural, and aggregation/deaggregation properties in relation to the absence/presence of a Lewis base. Deaggregation of these complexes is accompanied by relevant changes of their spectroscopic properties that can appropriately be exploited for sensing Lewis bases. Thus, ZnL complexes have been investigated as chromogenic and fluorogenic chemosensors of charged and neutral Lewis bases, including cell imaging, and have shown to be selective and sensitive to the Lewis basicity of the involved species. From these studies emerges that these popular, Lewis acidic bis(salicylaldiminato)Zn(II) Schiff-base complexes represent classical coordination compounds for modern applications.