Syntheses, crystal structures and antimicrobial activities of polynuclear CoII, NiII and ZnII complexes derived from the N,N′-bis (4-fluorosalicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine Schiff base

A series of new cobalt(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II) complexes [Co{CoL(CH3COO)}(2)] (1), [Ni{NiL(CH3COO)}(2)] (2), [Zn{ZnL(CH3COO)}(2)] (3), [Ni2ClL(mu(2)-1,5-dca)]](n), (4), [Zn2BrL(mu(1,1)-N-3)](2) (5), Zn2ClL(mu(1,1)-N-3)](2) (6), where L is the doubly deprotonated form of N,N'-bis(4-fluorosalicylidene)-1,3-propanediamine (H2L), dca is dicyanoamide, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, infrared and electronic spectroscopy, and single crystal X-ray determination. Complexes 1, 2 and 3 are isostructural acetato- and phenolato-bridged trinuclear compounds. Complex 4 is a mu(2)-1,5-dca and phenolato-bridged polymeric compound. Complexes 5 and 6 are isostructural end-on azido- and phenolato-bridged tetranuclear compounds. The compounds were evaluated for their antibacterial (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia cob, and Pseudomonas fiuorescens) and antifungal (Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger) activities by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) method.

Automated summary

A series of new cobalt, nickel, and zinc complexes, including trinuclear and tetranuclear compounds, were synthesized and characterized by various methods. These compounds exhibited antibacterial and antifungal activities against a range of bacterial and fungal strains, suggesting their potential as antimicrobial agents.