Zinc(II) and nickel(II) benzoate complexes from the use of 1-methyl-4,5-diphenylimidazole

Abstract

Two new complexes, [Zn (O2CPh)2 (L)2] · 2MeOH (1 · 2MeOH) and [Ni2(O2CPh)) 4(L)2] · 2MeCN (2 · 2MeCN), have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray analysis in the course of an ongoing investigation of the MII/X-/L[MII =Co,Ni,Cu,Zn; X- = Cl-, Br-, I-, NCS-, NO3-, N3-, PhCO2-; L = 1 -methyl-4,5-diphenylimidazole] reaction system, aiming at understanding and assessing the relative strength and the way in which the intermolecular interactions control the supramolecular organization of these compounds. In the mononuclear complex 1 · 2MeOH, the benzoate ion acts as a monodentate ligand resulting in a distorted tetrahedral N2O 2coordination environment. Complex 2 · 2MeCN exhibits a dinuclear paddle-wheel structure; each NiII has a square pyramidal NiNO4 chromophore with four benzoate oxygens in the basal plane and the pyridine-type nitrogen atom of one ligand L at the apex. The structure of 1 · 2MeOH is stabilized by intramolecular - interactions between aromatic rings of adjacent 4,5-diphenylimidazole moieties; it is a feature also evidenced in similar compounds of the type [MX2L2]. Copyright © 2010 Konstantina A. Kounavi et al.