Crystal Structure and Spectroscopic Characterization of Zinc(II) and Mercury(II) Complexes of N-(Pyridin-2-ylmethylene)benzene-1,4-diamine

The behavior of N,N′‐bis(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylene)benzene‐1,4‐diamine (L) towards zinc(II), cadmium(II), and mercury(II) chlorides was studied in methanol solutions. In the presence of metal ions, the organic molecule was decomposed to N‐(pyridin‐2‐ylmethylene)benzene‐1,4‐diamine (L′), and complexes of general formula M(L′)Cl2 were isolated from the mixture. The complexes were identified by elemental analysis, IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectra, and their structures were further confirmed by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis of Zn(L′)Cl2 and Hg(L′)Cl2. In the solid state of both complexes, the molecules are stabilized by N–H···Cl hydrogen bonds and aromatic π–π stacking interactions.