Syntheses, characterization and antifungal activity of heteroleptic nickel(II) complexes with N-alkylsulfonyldithiocarbimates and phosphines

•Six new nickel(II) complexes with N-alkylsulfonyldithiocarbimate and phosphines were prepared.•Their structures were investigated by X-ray diffraction, IR, NMR, UV–Vis and HR-ESI-MS.•They are active against pathogenic fungi Botrytis, Colletotrichum and Alternaria.•The complexes with PPh3 are more active than the analogs with dppe.•The longer alkyl carbon chain improves the biological activity.

Four nickel(II) complexes of general formula [Ni(RSO2NCS2) (PPh3)2] where R = CH3 (2a), CH3CH2 (2b), CH3(CH2)3 (2c) and CH3(CH2)7 (2d) and PPh3 = triphenylphosphine; and two nickel(II) complexes of general formula [Ni(RSO2NCS2)dppe] where R = CH3(CH2)3 (3c) and CH3(CH2)7 (3d) and dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphine)ethane) were prepared. These new complexes were obtained by the reaction of nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate with potassium N-alkylsulfonyldithiocarbimates and the appropriate phosphine using ethanol/water as solvent. The IR, UV–Vis and 1H, 13C and 31P NMR spectra, elemental analysis of Ni and the HR-ESI-MS were consistent with the formation of square planar nickel(II) complexes with mixed ligands. The structures of the compounds 2b and 2c were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The compounds are isostructural and crystallize in the space group P1¯ of the triclinic system. The activities of the complexes were investigated in vitro against Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum acutatum and Alternaria solani, fungi species that affect various commercially important plants. All the complexes were active.

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