Green synthesis and structural and cytotoxic properties of a new silver(I) complex: Solid-state, single-source precursor of Ag and Ag2O NPs

•A novel silver(I) complex was prepared through a facile green synthesis route.•The complex was used as a solid-state precursor to prepare nano-sized Ag and Ag2O.•The complex exhibited good antibacterial activities.•The complex showed anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 cancer cells.•The proposed approach is facile, green, and user-friendly. A new silver complex, [Ag(2-pymc)(NO3)] (Ag-1) [2-pymc = methyl-2-(pyridine-2yl-methylene) hydrazinecarboxylate], was prepared and subjected to elemental analysis including Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopic methods. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) study demonstrated [Ag(2-pymc)(NO3)] monomers in the crystal structure. The silver ion is triple coordinated by an N, N-chelating 2-pymc and one oxygen atom of a monodendate nitrate anion. Interestingly, Ag-1 acted as a single-source, solid-state molecular precursor (SSMP) for synthesizing both Ag and Ag2O nanoparticles (NPs) at different reaction conditions. The crystallinity and purity of the as-synthesized Ag and Ag2O NPs were investigated by powder XRD, whereas the size and surface morphology were determined by TEM analysis. The results showed that the formed Ag NPs were well dispersed and spherically shaped with an average diameter of 30–32 nm. The Ag2O NPs were not homogeneous but showed irregular shapes with an average diameter of 40–42 nm. Ag-1 showed antibacterial activity against selected Gram-positive (Bacillus megaterium) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas Stutzeri) bacteria. The cytotoxicity of Ag-1 against MCF-7 cancer cells was also tested. [Display omitted]