Syntheses, structural characterization and in vitro cytotoxic activity of triorganotin(IV) complexes based on 1,7-dihydroxycarbonyl-1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane ligand

•Seven novel carborane-based triorganotin compounds were synthesized.•There exists two kinds of complexes, the binuclear monomer and the polymers.•Most of the complexes show higher cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines.

Seven novel triorganotin(IV) compounds containing m-CDC2− (m-CDCH2 = 1,7-dihydroxycarbonyl-1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane) have been synthesized and structural characterized. The central tin atoms are five-coordinated to assume a distorted trigonal bipyramidal configuration not only in the binuclear monomers 1, 3 and 4 but also in the polymers 2, 5, 6 and 7. It was observed that complexes 3, 4 and 5 could be obtained only in the presence of the ancillary carboxylate ligands, 2,3-pyrazinedicarboxylic acid, 2-pyridinecarboxylic acid and 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, respectively. The reaction of m-CDCH2 with (n-Bu3Sn)2O in the presence of the bridging ligands 4,4′-bipyridine and 4,4′-vinylenedipyridine afforded one-dimensional coordination polymers 6 and 7, respectively. Most of the complexes exhibit higher cytotoxic activities than cis-platin against two cancer cell lines, K-562 and Hela.

Graphical abstractSeven novel triorganotin compounds with 1,7-dihydroxycarbonyl-1,7-dicarba-closo-dodecaborane as the ligand were synthesized and characterized. Most of the complexes exhibit higher cytotoxic activities against two cancer cell lines, K-562 and Hela.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide