Synthesis and characterization of Hg(II) and Zn(II) complexes based on 3-[(4-chlorophenylamido)]propenoic acid

3-[(4-Chlorophenylamido)]propenoic acid has been synthesized by reaction of maleic anhydride and 4-chloroaniline in 1:1 molar ratio in glacial acetic acid and its metal complexes have been synthesized by the reaction of 3-[(4-chlorophenylamido)]propenoic acid with HgCl2 and [Zn(CH3COO)(2)] center dot 2H(2)O in 2: 1 molar ratio, respectively. All the synthesized compounds have been characterized by the elemental analysis, IR, UV/Vis and NMR (H-1, C-13) spectroscopy. Conductance for the reported compounds has been recorded in ethanol and suggests the non-electro lytic nature of complexes. IR data of metal complexes shows that the ligand is bound to the metal via both carboxylate oxygen atoms and complexes exhibits 4-coordinated geometry in solid state. NMR (H-1, C-13) study confirms the structure of the 3-[(4-chlorophenylamido)]propenoic acid and the reported complexes.