Synthesis and structural characterization of zinc(II) and cobalt(II) complexes based on multidentate hydrazone ligands

Abstract

Two multidentate Schiff base ligands containing a hydrazone unit have been synthesized and investigated for zinc(II) and cobalt(II) coordination chemistry. The reactions of the 4-pyridyl derived hydrazone ligand HL1 with zinc(II) or cobalt(II) salts gave three mononuclear complexes that were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis. The results revealed that the ligand could adopt different coordination modes when various counter anions were employed. While in the case that zinc dichloride was used as a metal salt a neutral mononuclear mono-ligand complex was formed, the deprotonation of hydrazone occurred when zinc(II) or cobalt(II) nitrate were present and two new isostructural mononuclear bis-ligand complexes were isolated. Modification of the hydrazone ligand with oxygen donors was found to have a significant impact on the ligand reactivity, and a similar reaction of H2L2 with cobalt(II) nitrate gave a protonated product of H2L2 without the incorporation of cobalt(II), which features a one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network in the solid state.