Chemical Synthesis, Spectral Characterization and Antimicrobial Studies on Complexes of Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) with N, N-di (o-hydroxybenzenoylmethylene) Ethylenediamine

Abstract

The Schiff’s base ligands and their complexes with Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis molar conductivity, infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The ligands, ethylenedianil of o-hydroxyphenylglyoxal, C18H16N2O4, have been synthesized by condensation of ethylenediamine and orthohydroxyphenylglyoxal. The metal complexes were prepared by mixing of saturated solutions of ligands and metal salts in appropriate molar ratio in acetone and methanol solvents. The study also confirmed the formation of mono-, di- and trinuclear isopolystructures of the complexes in square planar geometry except for Zn(II), which has tetrahedral stereochemistry. The synthesized ligands and their metal complexes were screened for their antimicrobial activities against two bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureous and Xanthomonas holcicola), and two fungal strains (Aspergillus niger and Fusarium oxysporum) using a disc diffusion method. The tests showed that the complexes have higher antimicrobial activity than the free Schiff’s base.