Electrochemical synthesis and crystal structures of nickel(II), copper(II), zinc(II) and cadmium(II) complexes with N,N′-bis[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]ethylenediamine

The electrochemical oxidation of anodic metal (nickel, copper, zinc and cadmium) in acetonitrile solutions containing N,N′-bis[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]ethylenediamine H₂L and an additional nitrogen coligand, such as 1,10-phenanthroline, yielded mixed complexes of general formula [ML(phen)₂] (M=Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd). The compounds have been characterized by microanalysis, IR and UV-Vis (Ni, Cu complexes) spectroscopy, FAB mass spectrometry, ¹H NMR spectroscopic studies (Zn, Cd complexes) and EPR spectroscopy (Cu and Ni complexes). All compounds have also been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The molecular structures of these compounds consist of individual monomeric molecules in which the metal atom is in an [MN₆] distorted octahedral environment.