Two new trinuclear zinc(II) complexes, [Zn3I2L2(H2O)2] (1) and [Zn3(CH3OH)(DMF)L2(NCS)2] (2), where L is the dianionic form of N,N'-bis(5-bromosalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamine (H2L), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, IR and UV spectra. Structures of the complexes were further confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Both complexes are trinuclear zinc compounds. Both compounds are solvated, with water ligand for 1 and methanol ligand for 2. The outer two Zn atoms are in square pyramidal coordination, while the inner one is in octahedral coordination. The effect of the complexes on the antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans were evaluated, and gave interesting results.
Keywords: Antimicrobial activity; Crystal structure; Schiff base; Trinuclear complex; Zinc complex.