Affiliations: Department of Chemistry, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan | Department of Chemistry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia | PAEC, Islamabad GPO, Pakistan
Note: [] Corresponding author: Anvarhusein A. Isab, Department of Chemistry, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: aisab@kfupm.edu.sa.
Abstract: Mercury(II) complexes of thiolates having the general formula [Hg(RS)Cl2]− and [Hg(RS)2] have been prepared and characterized by IR and NMR (1H and 13C) spectroscopy (RSH = 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (Aet), cysteine (Cys), thiosalicylic acid (Ts) and 2-mercaptonicotinic acid (Mnt)). The spectral data suggests that the coordination of thiolates to mercury(II) occurs through the sulfur as indicated by the absence of S–H vibrations in IR and significant downfield shifts in the C–S resonance in 13C NMR. However, in Mnt complexes, coordination through both sulfur and nitrogen is indicated. Antimicrobial activities of the complexes were evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration and the results showed that the complexes exhibited a wide range of activities against gram-negative bacteria (E. coli, P. aeruginosa), while moderate activity was observed against a mold, P. citrinum.
