Synthesis, characterization, X-ray crystal structure, luminescence, electrochemical and solvatochromism studies of new dimer of nickel and palladium complexes containing ferrocenyl imine ligand

•A new ferrcenyl imine ligand and its homobimetallic nickel and palladium complexes were synthesized.•A new thiazolidine containing ferrocene group was synthesized.•Fluorescence and electrochemistry of the Schiff base ligand and its complexes were investigated.•The Schiff base ligand revealed solvatochromic behavior.•The electrochemical of the Schiff base ligand and its complexes were investigated.

The synthesis of a new Schiff base ligand was investigated by the reaction of ferrocenecarboxaldehyde, [(η5(C5H5) (η5(C5H4CHO)], with 2-aminoethanethiol at room temperature. For this product, ring closure was also observed in the crystalline form which thiazolidine was obtained. Furthermore, new homobimetallic complexes of nickel(II) and palladium(II) were synthesized by the reaction of the new Schiff base ligand with nickel chloride and palladium chloride in 1:1 M ratio. In nickel and also palladium complexes the ligands were coordinated to the metals via the imine N atoms and the chlorido-bridged unit for the reported complexes was suggested. The complexes have been found to possess 1:1 metals to ligands stoichiometry. The emission and absorption spectra of the ligand and its complexes were studied in methanol solvent. Electrochemical properties of the ligand and its metal complexes were investigated in CH3CN solvent at the 100 mVs−1 scan rate. The Schiff base ligand and its metal complexes showed both reversible and irreversible processes at this scan rate. These compounds have been characterized by IR, 1H NMR, UV/Vis and elemental analysis. The crystal structure of the thiazolidine has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Graphical abstractA new ferrocenyl imine ligand and two new homobimetallic of nickel and palladium complexes were synthesized. Tetrahedral geometry was proposed for these complexes by spectroscopic data. X-ray crystal structure determination of the ferrocenyl imine ligand showed ring closure in the crystalline form and thiazolidine obtained.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide