N-acetyl-DL-leucinate cobalt(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II) complexes

Summary Complexes of the type M(AcLeu)₂ · B₂ (M = Co^II, Ni^II or Zn^II; B = H₂O, py, 3-pic, 4-pic; AcLeu =N-acetyl-DL-leucinate ion) and M(AcLeu)₂ B (M = Co^II or Zn^II and B = o-phen) were prepared and investigated by means of magnetic and spectroscopic measurements. The i.r. spectra of all the complexes are consistent with bidentate coordination of the amino acid to the metal ion. The room temperature solid state electronic spectra indicate that the symmetry of this species is closer toD _4h and that MO₆ and MO₄N₂ chromophores are present in the M(AcLeu)₂ · 2 H₂O and M(AcLeu)₂B_n · x H₂O (B = py, 3-pic, 4-pic, n=2 and x=0 for M = Ni^II; B = o-phen, n=1 and x=0 for M = Co^II; B = py, 3-pic, 4-pic, n=1 and x=1 for M = Co^II) complexes, respectively. By comparing the Dq values of the amino acid and those of other N-substituted amino acids previously studied, a spectrochemical series of the the cobalt(II) and nickel(II) complexes is proposed. The¹ H n.m.r. spectra of the zinc(II) complexes confirm the proposed stereochemistry.