Novel valproate half-sandwich rhodium and iridium conjugates to fight against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria

New valproate Ir( iii ) and Rh( iii ) half-sandwich conjugates containing a C,N-phenylbenzimidazole chelated ligand have been synthesized and characterized. The valproic acid conjugation to organometallic fragments seems to switch on the antibacterial activity of the complexes towards Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus Gram-positive bacteria. The valproic acid conjugation to Ir( iii ) and Rh( iii ) half-sandwich complexes seems to switch on their antibacterial activity towards Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus Gram-positive bacteria.