Spectroscopic studies and biological activity of some transition metal complexes of unusual Schiff base

Abstract

Unusual Schiff base ligand, 4-ethanimidoyl-6-[(1E)-N-(2-hydroxy-4-methylphenyl)ethanimidoyl]benzene-1,3-diol, L, was synthesized via catalytic process involving the interaction of some metal ions with a macrocyclic Schiff base (MSB). The transition metal derivatives [ML(H2O)4](NO3)3, M=Cr(III) and Fe(III), [NiL(H2O)4](NO3)2, [ML(H2O)2](NO3)2, M=Zn(II) and Cd(II), [Cl2Pd(μ-Cl)2PdL], [PtL(Cl)2] and [PtL(Cl)4] were also synthesized from the corresponding metal species with L. The Schiff bases and complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of L was determined by X-ray analysis. The spectroscopic studies revealed a variety of structure arrangements for the complexes. The biological activities of L and metal complexes against the Escherchia coli as Gram-negative bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus as Gram-positive bacteria, and the two fungus Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans were screened. The cytotoxicity of [PtL(Cl)2] complex, a cis-platin analogous, was checked as an antitumor agent on two breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and T47D) and human liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2).