The preparation, spectroscopic characterization, and X-ray crystal structure of two novel one-dimensional compounds of formula [MII(tppz)­(NCS)­(μ-1,3-NCS)] n [tppz = 2,3,5,6-tetrakis­(2-pyridyl)­pyrazine and M = Co­(1) and Ni (2)] are reported. 1 and 2 are isomorphous compounds, and they crystallize in the P21/n space group. Their structures are made up of zigzag chains of cobalt­(II) (1) and nickel­(II) ions (2) bridged by single end-to-end thiocyanate groups with a tridentate tppz molecule and a terminally bound thiocyanate-N ligand achieving distorted MN5S octahedral surroundings around each metal center. The main source of the distortion of the ideal octahedron is due to the geometrical constraints issued from the occurrence of two fused five-member chelate rings of the tridentate tppz ligand, the values of the N–M–N bond angles covering the range 75.58(9)–78.66(9)°. The M–N bond lengths vary in the range 2.025(3)–2.116­(29 (1) and 2.001(2)–2.079(2) Å (2), and they are shorter than the M–S bond distance [2.6395(10) (1) and 2.5225(9) Å (2)]. The values of the intrachain metal–metal separation are 6.4197(7) (1) and 6.3257(5) Å (2). The magnetic properties of 1 and 2 have been investigated in the temperature range 1.9–300 K. Both compounds exhibit intrachain ferromagnetic interactions with values of the magnetic coupling (J) of +4.60 (1) and +7.82 cm–1 (2) [the spin Hamiltonian being defined as Ĥ = −JΣ i = 1 n–1 Ŝ i Ŝ i+1].

This is the first comprehensive study demonstrating the antiproliferative effect of vanadium complexes bearing 8-hydroxyquinoline (quinH) ligands, including the parent and –CH3 (Me), –NO2, –Cl and –I substituted ligands, on HCT116 and A2780 cancer cell lines.

The preparation and spectroscopic and structural characterization of three cobalt(II) complexes of formulas [Co(tppz)](dca) (1), [Co(tppz)][Co(NCS)]·MeOH (2), and [Co(tppz)][Co(NCO)]·2HO (3) [tppz = 2,3,5,6-tetrakis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine and dca = dicyanamide] are reported here. Compounds 1-3 have in common the presence of the cationic [Co(tppz)] entity where each mer-tridentate tppz ligand coordinates to the cobalt(II) ion equatorially through two pyridyl donors and axially via the pyrazine, completing the six-coordination. The electroneutrality is achieved by the organic dca group (1) and the anionic tetrakis(thiocyanato-κN)cobaltate(II) (2) and tetrakis(cyanato-κN)cobaltate(II) (3) complexes. Direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 in the temperature range 1.9-400 K show the occurrence of a thermally induced spin crossover behavior of the [Co(tppz)] unit from a high spin (S = 3/2) at higher temperatures to a low-spin (S = 1/2) at lower temperatures, with the low spin phase being reached at T ≤ 200 K. X-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements in solution at low temperatures were used to characterize the low spin state. An analytical expression based on the combination of the spin-orbit coupling and both first- and second-order Zeeman effects for a d electronic configuration was used to fit the magnetic data of 1, the values of the best-fit parameters being C = 0.1367(9), λ = -168(2) cm, α = 1.12(1), Δ = 1626(15) cm, and g = 2.12(1). The magnetic behavior of the four-coordinate cobalt(II) ions [Co(NCS)] (2) and [Co(NCO)] (3) with a A ground state overlaps with the spin crossover of the [Co(tppz)] entity, the abrupt decrease of the χT product below 15.0 K being due to zero-field splitting effects between the spin components |±1/2> and |±3/2>. The combined analysis of the dc magnetic data and the Q-band EPR spectra in the solid state of 2 and 3 led to the following sets of best-fit parameters: C = 0.105(5), λ = -170(4) cm, α = 1.10(2), Δ = 1700(25) cm, g = 2.10(1), g = 2.27(1), and |D| = 3.80(2) cm (2) and C = 0.100(1), λ = -169(5) cm, α = 1.10(3), Δ = 1500(30) cm, g = 2.10(1), g = 2.28(1), and |D| = 4.30(2) cm (3). Some evidence of slowing of the relaxation of the magnetization has been found in the out-of-phase ac signal at very low temperatures under applied dc fields of 0.1-0.4 T for 3, suggesting the occurrence of single-ion magnet behavior of its [Co(NCO)] anionic entity.

Three cobalt(ii) complexes of formulae [Co(dca)2(bim)4] (), [Co(dca)2(bim)2]n () and [Co(dca)2(bmim)2]n () [dca = dicyanamide, bim = 1-benzylimidazole and bmim = 1-benzyl-2-methylimidazole] were prepared and structurally analyzed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Compound is a mononuclear species where the cobalt(ii) ion is six-coordinate with four bim molecules in the equatorial positions [Co-Nbim = 2.1546(15) and 2.1489(15) Å] and two trans-positioned dca ligands [Co-Ndca = 2.1575(18) Å] in the axial sites of a somewhat distorted octahedral surrounding. The structures of and consist of two-dimensional grids of cobalt(ii) ions where each metal atom is linked to the other four metal centres by single dca bridges exhibiting the μ1,5-dca coordination mode [Co-Ndca = 2.190(3)-2.220(3) () and 2.127(3)-2.153(3) Å ()]. Two trans-coordinated bim ()/bmim () molecules achieve the six-coordination around each cobalt(ii) ion [Co-Nbim = 2.128(3)-2.134(4) Å () and Co-Nbmim = 2.156(3)-2.163(39) Å ()]. The values of the cobalt-cobalt separation through the single dca bridges are 8.927(2) and 8.968(2) Å in and 8.7110(5) and 8.7158(5) Å in . Magnetic susceptibility measurements for in the temperature range of 2.0-300 K reveal that these compounds behave as magnetically isolated high-spin cobalt(ii) ions with a significant orbital contribution to the magnetic moment. Alternating current (ac) magnetic susceptibility measurements for show a frequency dependence of out-of-phase susceptibility under static applied fields in the range of 500-2500 G, a feature which is characteristic of the single-ion magnet behaviour (SIM) of the Co(ii) ion in them. The values of the energy barrier for the magnetic relaxation (Ea) are 5.45-7.74 (), 4.53-9.24 () and 11.48-15.44 cm(-1) (). They compare well with those previously reported for the analogous dca-bridged 2D compound [Co(dca)2(atz)2]n () (Ea = 5.1 cm(-1) under an applied static field of 1000 G), which was the subject of a previous report.

A novel two-dimensional coordination polymer of the formula [Co(dca)2(atz)2]n () resulted from assembling trans-bis(2-amino-1,3,5-triazine)cobalt(ii) motifs by dicyanamide spacers. Variable-temperature dc and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements of show that the high-spin cobalt(ii) ions act as single ion magnets (SIMs).

Two gold(iii) complexes incorporating 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine derivatives have been synthesised and characterized, and the possibility of tuning the cytotoxic activity by structural modifications of a terpy ligand has been examined. Both complexes [AuCl(4'-R-terpy)](PF) (1) and [AuCl(4'-R-terpy)](PF) (2), where R is 2-pyridyl and R is 3-pyridyl, show good anti-proliferative activities against HCT116, which are higher in relation to those of the free ligands, [AuCl(terpy)](PF) and standard anticancer drug cisplatin. The cytotoxic properties of the gold complexes were examined by MTS assay, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis, ROS measurements, determination of mitochondrial membrane potential and mass, and staining of phosphatidylserine with Annexin-V antibody FITC-conjugated together with PI.

The preparation, X-ray crystal structure, spectroscopic and variable-temperature dc and ac magnetic properties of two six-coordinate cobalt(ii) complexes of formula [Co(bim)4(tcm)2] (1) and [Co(bmim)4(tcm)2] (2) are reported.

The six-coordinate cobalt(II) complex of formula [Co(tppz)2](tcm)2 exhibits a thermally induced spin-crossover behavior from a high spin (S = 3/2) at higher temperatures to a low spin (S = ½) at lower temperatures, with the low-spin phase being achieved at T ≤ 200 K.