Ruthenium(II) carbonyl complexes with tridentate Schiff bases and their antibacterial activity

The products obtained by reacting ruthenium (II) complexes [RuHCl(CO)(PPh3)(2)(B)] [B = PPh3, pyridine (py) or piperidine (pip)] with tridentate Schiff base ligands derived by condensing salicylaldehyde or o-vanillin with o-aminophenol and o-aminothiophenol, have been characterised by analytical, i.r., electronic, H-1-n.m.r. and P-31-n.m.r. spectral studies and formulated as [Ru(L)(CO)(PPh3)(B)] (L = bifunctional tridentate Schiff base anion, B = PPh3, py or pip). An octahedral structure has been tentatively proposed for the new complexes. Some have been tested for the in vitro growth inhibitory activity against bacteria Escherichia coli, Bacillus sp. and Pseudomonas sp.