Three new mononuclear group 12 complexes with benzimidazole
Three iso-structural Zn(II), Cd(II), and Hg(II) complexes with 1-benzyl-2-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole (BPB), ZnBPB, CdBPB, and HgBPB, respectively, were synthesized by reaction of the ligand with the corresponding metal chlorides in methanolic solutions. The complexes [MCl2(BPB)2], where M = Zn(II), Cd(II), or Hg(II), were characterized by elemental analysis, 13C, 1H, and [1H–15N] heteronuclear multiple bond coherence NMR measurements, and Raman spectroscopy. The structures of the cadmium and mercury complexes were solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, while the structure of the zinc complex was determined by X-ray powder diffraction. The three compounds crystallize in the triclinic system in P-1 space group with the metal ions lying in a distorted tetrahedral environment. The zinc complex shows high luminescence in the solid state at room temperature.
