Syntheses, crystal structures and Hirshfeld surface analysis of (Z)-3-[(3-acetyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)amino]-2-bromoprop-2-enal and a novel Zn^II complex

A novel zero-dimensional dinuclear zinc complex, di-μ-acetato-1:2κ⁴O:O'-(μ-2-acetyl-6-{[(Z)-2-bromo-3-oxoprop-1-en-1-yl]azanidyl}phenolato-1κ²O¹,O²:2κ³O¹,N,O⁶)(N,N-dimethylacetamide-1κO)dizinc(II), [Zn₂(C₁₁H₈BrNO₃)(CH₃COO)₂(C₄H₉NO)] or [Zn₂(L)(CH₃COO)₂(DMA)], 1, was synthesized using (Z)-3-[(3-acetyl-2-hydroxyphenyl)amino]-2-bromoprop-2-enal (H₂L), which was synthesized from 1-(3-amino-2-hydroxyphenyl)ethanone and 2-bromomalonaldehyde. H₂L and 1 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Theoretical calculations of the bond orders and excited state of H₂L confirmed that there is extensive electron delocalization in the H₂L molecules. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction shows that the two Zn atoms are pentacoordinated in distorted trigonal bipyramidal configurations in the crystals of 1. The thermogravimetric analysis of 1 shows that the main frame of the complex remains stable to about 190 °C. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis shows that 1 possesses high purity and acid and alkali resistance. The intermolecular interactions of H₂L and 1 were analyzed using Hirshfeld surface analysis and the results indicate that the H...H and O...H interactions of H₂L and 1 play a considerable role in stabilizing the self-assembly process.