A series of Rh III and Ir III half-sandwich compounds of the type [(η 5 -Cp* R )M(β-diketonato)Cl] were synthesized and characterized, including 17 X-ray crystallographic structures. In general, the complexes were synthesized in short reaction times and in good yield. The antimicrobial properties of these complexes were tested against a variety of microbes, and several complexes were found to have good activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis.

A series of Rh III and Ir III piano-stool complexes of the form [(η 5 -Cp* R )M(NHC)Cl 2 ] was synthesized and characterized, including 12 X-ray crystallographic structures. The antimicrobial properties of these complexes were screened against a variety of microbes, with several achieving high activities, most notably against Mycobacterium smegmatis (MICs as low as 0.45 μM). In general, the Rh complexes were more potent than their Ir analogues, and activity increased with the hydrophobicity of the Cp* R and NHC ligands. Article pubs.acs.org/Organometallics

SARS-CoV-2 emerged in 2019 as a devastating viral pathogen with no available preventative or treatment to control what led to the current global pandemic. The continued spread of the virus and increasing death toll necessitate the development of effective antiviral treatments to combat this virus. To this end, we evaluated a new class of organometallic complexes as potential antivirals. Our findings demonstrate that two pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) rhodium piano stool complexes, Cp*Rh(1,3-dicyclohexylimidazol-2-ylidene)Cl2 (complex 2) and Cp*Rh(dipivaloylmethanato)Cl (complex 4), have direct virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2. Subsequent in vitro testing suggests that complex 4 is the more stable and effective complex and demonstrates that both 2 and 4 have low toxicity in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells. The results presented here highlight the potential application of organometallic complexes as antivirals and support further investigation into their activity.

Iridium based antimicrobial agents have shown efficacy against S. aureus, including MRSA, and appear to be safe in mice.