Complexes of zinc,cadmium and mercury(II) with the zwitter-ionic form of NN′-ethylenebis (salicylideneimine)

The Schiff base NN′-ethylenebis(salicylideneimine), H₂ salen reacts with hydrous and anhydrous Zinc, Cadmium and Mercury(II) salts to give complexes M(H₂ salen)X₂·nH₂O (M = Zn, Cd, Hg; XCl, Br, I, NO₃; MZn, X₂SO₄; n = 0?2). Spectroscopic and other evidence indicated that; (i) halide and sulphate are coordinated to the metal ion, whereas the nitrate group is ionic in mercury nitrate compound and covalently bonded in zinc and cadmium nitrato complexes, (ii) the Schiff base is coordinated through the negatively charged phenolic oxygen atoms and not the nitrogen atoms, which carry the protons transferred from phenolic groups on coordination, (iii) therefore the coordination numbers suggested are 4-, in mercury and 4- or 6- in zinc and cadmium Schiff base complexes.