Copper(II), nickel(II) and cobalt(II) complexes of 4-cyanobenzonic acid: syntheses, crystal structures and spectral properties

Three new metal complexes, Cu(4-Hcba)2(4-cba)2(Py)2 (4-Hcba=4-cyanobenzoic acid) 1 and M[H(4-cba)2]2(Py)2 (M=Ni 2, Co 3), have been prepared by the treatment of 4-Hcba with the respective metal nitrate M(NO3)2 (M=Cu, Ni, Co) in the presence of pyridine (Py). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses (3 is isostructural to 2) show that the obtained complexes are of isolated mononuclear and the metal atoms have distorted octahedral coordination environment. Two different types of intramolecular hydrogen bonds exist: asymmetrical O-H⋯O for 1 and symmetrical O⋯H⋯O for 2 and 3. The crystal packing between the molecular complexes is controlled mainly by T-shaped C-H⋯π interactions between pyridine and phenyl rings. Preliminary discussions on IR, UV-VIS and fluorescent spectra have also been carried out.