Zinc(II) Complexes with Asymmetric 3,5-Substituted 1H-Pyrazoles

Two new pyrazolate-based ligands, N'-[1-(3-acetyl-4-methyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)ethylidene]-2-(hydroxyimino)propanehydrazide (L1) and 5-[(E)-1-(2-{(E)-2-(hydroxyimino}propanoyl}hydrazono)ethyl]-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid (L2), were synthesized and studied for zinc(II) complexation. A set of pH-dependent UV/Vis measurements has been performed to determine the complex formation properties of L2. According to the calculations, in solution, L2 forms variously protonated mononuclear (ZnII/L2 = 1:1) and dinuclear (ZnII/L2 = 2:1) complexes. The reaction of the deprotonated ligands with hydrated ZnII salts and slow diffusion of ammonia into the reaction mixtures gave mononuclear [Zn(L1-2H)(NH3)2]center dot DMF (1) and trinuclear mu-pyrazolato-bridged [Zn3(L2-3H)2(NH3)5]center dot 4H2O (3). In both complexes, the zinc ions are in the same distorted trigonal-bipyramidal environment, coordinated to two nitrogen atoms of the ammonia and one oxygen and two nitrogen atoms of the pyrazolate and hydrazide groups. The molecular structures of all of the ligands and complexes have been elucidated by X-ray crystallography.