Synthesis, structural and spectroscopic studies of novel azo-containing N,O-bonded complexes in the α-Iminoketone and Azophenolate forms

This article describes the synthesis and the spectroscopic and structural characterization of two novel azo-containing complexes, cis-bis[4-nitro-2-(4-nitrophenylazo)-phenolate-κN1]bis(piridino-κN)cadmium(II), 1, and cis-bis[2-(4-phenylazo-phenylimino)-2H-acenaphthylen-1-one]dichloromercury(II), 2. In spite of the different metal centres, both complexes show an N,O-bidentate complexation to the metal. In 1 the metal coordinates to an azo N and to a phenolate O atom, whereas in 2 the metal binds to an O and an N atom of the α-iminoketone. Both complexes show intramolecular π-π interactions, which play an important role in their molecular structures. In addition they also present non-classical H-bonding, which is crucial to their supramolecular arrangements. Moreover, 2 is the first case in the literature of a complex with a new class of ligand, an azoiminoketone, as well as the first case of an α-iminoketone Hg complex.