Structural investigation of group 10 metal complexes with thiosemicarbazone: crystal structure, mass spectrometry, Hirshfeld surface and in vitro antitumor activity

• Published in: Structural chemistry 2020-10, Vol.31 (5), p.2093-2103
• Main Authors: Almeida, Carolane M., de Carvalho, João G. M., Fujimori, Mahmi, França, Eduardo L., Honorio-França, Adenilda C., Parreira, Renato L. T., Orenha, Renato P., Gatto, Claudia C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anticancer properties; Chemical bonds; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Computational chemistry; Computer Applications in Chemistry; Coordination compounds; Crystal structure; Crystallography; Hydrogen bonds; Mass spectrometry; Molecular ions; Original Research; Palladium; Physical Chemistry; Platinum; Scientific imaging; Selectivity; Single crystals; Spectroscopy; Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
• ISSN: 1040-0400; 1572-9001
• DOI: 10.1007/s11224-020-01564-2

The current work reports the synthesis and structural investigation of three novel complexes with 2-acetyl-pyridine-N(4)-phenylthiosemicarbazone (HL 1 ), [Ni(L 1 )Cl] ( 1 ), [Pd(L 1 )Cl] ( 2 ) and [Pt(L 1 )PPh 3 ]Cl•2MeOH ( 3 ). The compounds were structurally characterized by means of single-crystal X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic techniques. All three complexes exhibit tetracoordinated metal centers in a square planar fashion with the thiosemicarbazone acting as a tridentate NNS -donor atoms. Intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π···π stacking interactions, building supramolecular assemblies in the complexes, were analyzed using the Hirshfeld surface. Mass spectrometry data showed the presence in solution of the characteristic fragmentation with the [M+H] + molecular ion for all complexes. The thermochemical data, estimated by computational chemistry, allowed elucidate the relative intensity of the peaks present in the mass spectrum of the compounds investigated. The antitumor activity and selectivity of the free thiosemicarbazone ligand and their M(II) complexes (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) were evaluated against MCF-7, PBMC, and healthy cells. All compounds studied showed the death of cancer cells observing a great selectivity for the Ni(II) complex. Graphical abstract