Bent and linear trinuclear nickel complexes with ligands derived from N -acylsalicylhydrazide ligands: structural characterization and bioactivity

Abstract

Two trinuclear Ni(II) complexes Ni3(L1)2(py)2(DMF)(H2O) (1) and Ni3(L2)2(py)2(DMF)2 (2) with two new trianionic pentadentate ligands N-(3,5-dimethylbenzoyl)-salicylhydrazide (H3L1) and N-(phenylacetyl)-5-nitrosalicylhydrazide (H3L2) have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Nickel ions in the two complexes have square-planar/octahedral/square-planar coordination. Central metal ion and two terminal metal ions in the two complexes are combined by two bridging deprotonated ligands, forming a trinuclear structural unit with an M–N–N–M–N–N–M core. Studies on the trinuclear Ni(II) complexes show that the β-branched N-acylsalicylhydrazide ligands with sterically flexible Cα methylene groups yield linear trinuclear Ni(II) complexes, while α-branched N-acylsalicylhydrazide ligands tend to form bent trinuclear Ni(II) complexes. Antibacterial screening data in a previous study indicates that bent trinuclear Ni(II) compound 1 is more active than linear compound 2 and less active than a tetranuclear nickel compound.