Bis(4-fluorophenylsulfonyldithiocarbimato) zincate(ii) salts: new antifungals for the control of botrytis blight

Botrytis blight or gray mold is a highly destructive disease caused by Botrytis spp., that infects flowers, trees vegetables, fruit, especially grapevines and strawberry. Three new compounds with general formula (A)2[Zn(4-FC6H4SO2N=CS2)2], where A = PPh3CH3 (2a), PPh3C2H5 (2b), PPh3C4H9 (2c), and the previously published compounds where A = PPh4 (2d) and NBu4 (2e), were synthesized by the reaction of 4-fluorophenylsulfonyldithiocarbimate potassium dihydrate and zinc(II) acetate dihydrate with the appropriate counter cations (A) halides. The new compounds were characterized by infrared, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopies. All these salts inhibited the growth of Botrytis cinerea, with compounds 2c and 2d showing greater antifungal activity than zinc dimethyldithiocarbamate, the active principle of the fungicide Ziram. The bis(dithiocarbimate)zincate(II) salts are also active against the bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus