Spectroscopic, structural and antibacterial properties of copper(II) complexes with biorelevant 5-methyl-3-formylpyrazole N(4)-benzyl-N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone

The coordination behaviour of the title ligand, 5-methyl-3-formylpyrazole N(4)-benzyl-N(4)-methylthiosemicarbazone (HMPz4BM), is reported with solid state isolation of copper(II) complexes, [Cu(HMPz4BM)X-2] (X = Cl, Br, NO3, ClO4 and BF4) which have been spectroscopically and structurally characterised. I.r. data for the free ligand and its Cu(II) complexes indicate that HMPz4BM exhibits a neutral NNS tridentate function via the pyrazolyl nitrogen(tertiary), azomethine nitrogen and thione sulphur. Electronic spectral data are suggestive of a square pyramidal environment for the seemingly pentacoordinated Cu(II) species. E.s.r parameters (RT and LNT) of the reported copper(II) complexes are indicative of a d(x2-y2) ground state for the reported species. Cyclic voltammograms of Cu(II) complexes show a quasireversible Cu-II/Cu-III couple and also an irreversible Cu-II/Cu-I couple. X-ray crystallography of a representative species, [Cu(HMPz4BM)(NO3)(2)] (C2/c, monoclinic), has unambiguously documented the conjectural findings from i.r. data that coordinating sites of the title ligand are pyrazolyl (tertiary) nitrogen, azomethine nitrogen and the thione sulphur (NNS); and the oxygen of one of the nitrate ions has occupied the basal plane; the fifth coordination position has been occupied by the oxygen of another nitrate ion in a square pyramidal geometry. The antibacterial properties of the ligand and its copper(II) complexes studied on microorganism, Staphylococcus aureus have pointed out that most of the complexes have higher activities than that of the free ligand.