Abstract
The coordination chemistry and cationic binding properties of 2,6-bis(pyrazol-1-ylmethyl)pyridine (L1), 2,6-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)pyridine (L2), and 2,6-bis(3,5-ditertbutylpyrazol-1-ylmethyl)pyridine (L3) with zinc(II) and cadmium(II) have been investigated. Reactions of L2 with zinc(II) and cadmium(II) nitrate or chloride salts produced monometallic complexes [Zn(NO3)2(L2)] (1), [ZnCl2(L2)] (2), [Cd(NO3)2(L2)] (3), and [CdCl2(L2)] (4). Solid state structures of 1 and 3 confirmed that L2 binds in a tridentate mode. While the nitrates in the zinc complex (1) adopt monodentate binding fashion, in cadmium complex (3), they exhibit bidentate mode. L1–L3 show binding efficiencies of 99% for zinc(II), 60% for lead(II), and 30% for cadmium(II) cations from aqueous solutions of the metal ions. Theoretical studies using Density Functional Theory were consistent with the observed extraction results.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the International Foundation for Science (Grant No. W4857-1), University of Johannesburg and National Council for Science and Technology, Kenya (NCST/5/003/PG/21) for financial assistance.