Synthesis and detailed characterization of cis-dichloridobispicolinatoruthenate(III) as solid and in solution

Abstract

Three water-soluble ruthenium(III) compounds, Y[cis-RuCl2(pic)2]⋅nH2O (where pic = picolinate anion, Y = H(Hpic)2+ (1), H2pic+ (2) or K+ (3), n = 2, 1.5, and 2.5, respectively), were synthesized and their X-ray structures determined. Compound 1 was fully characterized both as solid and in aqueous solution by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility measurements, EPR, IR and UV-visible spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, microwave plasma atomic emission, and mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis and chromatographic methods. It was shown that the coordination geometry around the low spin (S = ½) RuIII center is distorted octahedral with the chlorido ligands in a cis configuration. Furthermore, all the measurements showed that the structures in the solid state and solution are absolutely identical with the cis-[RuCl2(pic)2]− anion being inert in aqueous solution. Microbial studies showed that 1 exerts a strong inhibition on the growth and increased mortality level of the bacterial strains – Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas sp., Sarcina sp., Micrococcus sp., Serratia sp., Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis and yeast – Saccharomyces cerevisiae.