Synthesis, X-ray characterization, and in vitro biological approach of dimeric and polymeric mercury(II) complexes with α-keto stabilized sulfur ylide

Reaction of alpha-keto stabilized sulfur ylide (Me)(2)SCHC(O)C6H4-p-CN (Y) with HgX2 (X = Cl, Br, and I) led to the formation of new dinuclear products of the type [HgX2(Y)](2) (X = Cl (1), Br (2), and I (3)). Furthermore, the reaction of the corresponding sulfur ylide (Y) with Hg(NO3)(2)center dot H2O in equimolar ratio, using methanol as a solvent, was shown to produce the polynuclear complex [(Y)Hg(NO3)(2)](n) (4). The obtained compounds were characterized using elemental analysis, IR, H-1 and C-13 NMR techniques. The structures of compounds Y and 1 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Also, in order to confirm the crystalline nature of complexes 1-3, powder XRD pattern was used. Likewise, the antioxidant property of the complexes was examined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging which revealed the strong-to-moderate radical scavenging ability (IC50; 0.163 +/- 0.004 to 0.936 +/- 0.012 mg center dot mL(-1)) of the synthesized compounds. Further, results from this study indicated that the compounds possess moderate antibacterial activity