Spectral, thermal, electrochemical, biological and DFT studies on nanocrystalline Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes with a tridentate ONO donor Schiff base ligand

Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) Schiff base complexes derived from 3-hydrazinoquionoxaline-2-one and 1,2-diphenylethane-1,2-dione were synthesized. The compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, FTIR, UV–vis, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ESR, and mass spectral studies. Thermal studies of the ligand and its metal complexes were also carried out to determine their thermal stability. Octahedral geometry has been assigned for Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) complexes, while Cu(II) complex has distorted octahedral geometry. Powder XRD study was carried out to determine the grain size of ligand and its metal complexes. The electrochemical behavior of the synthesized compounds was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. For all complexes, a 2 : 1 ligand-to-metal ratio is observed. The ligand and its metal complexes were screened for their activity against bacterial species such as E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus and fungal species such as A. niger, C. albicans, and A. flavus by disk diffusion method. The DNA-binding of the ligand and its metal complexes were investigated by electronic absorption titration and viscosity measurement studies. Agarose gel electrophoresis was employed to determine the DNA-cleavage activity of the synthesized compounds. Density functional theory was used to optimize the structure of the ligand and its Zn(II) complex.