Syntheses, Structures, and Antimicrobial Activities of Gold(I)- and Copper(I)- N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC) Complexes Derived from Basket-Shaped Dinuclear Ag(I)-NHC Complex.

Novel dinuclear gold(I)- and copper(I)- N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC, L-1a) complexes [M2(L-1a)](PF6)2 (M = AuI (Au-1·PF6) and M = CuI (Cu-1·PF6)) were synthesized by transmetalation of the dinuclear silver(I)-NHC complex [Ag2(L-1a)](PF6)2 (Ag-1·PF6) with [AuCl(Me2S)] or CuI in over 70% yield. These NHC complexes were characterized by CHN elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, and solution (1H and 13C) NMR spectroscopy. X-ray crystallography revealed that Au-1·PF6 and Cu-1·PF6 are dinuclear molecules consisting of two linear intramolecular C-M-C bonds (M = AuI and CuI), one M···M interaction, and two metal atoms arranged in a T-shaped geometry; their molecular structures are very similar to the basket-shaped cage structure of the parent complex Ag-1·PF6. Because of the smaller ionic radius of copper(I), Cu-1·PF6 has the smallest upper space of the basket among the three complexes. Au-1·PF6 and Cu-1·PF6 were very stable in the solid state and in solution. They did not undergo nucleophilic reaction with thiols 2-mercaptoethanol and 2-benzimidazolethiol (Hbmt) at least for several hours, whereas Ag-1·PF6 did react, forming precipitates of silver(I) thiolate and the free ligand L-1a·PF6. The minimum inhibitory concentration values toward a panel of bacteria, yeasts, and molds were examined in a water-suspension system and a solution system containing dimethyl sulfoxide. The antimicrobial spectra of the three compounds were metal-dependent, and Au-1·PF6 showed the greatest activity toward Gram-positive bacteria.

Synthesis, characterization, and structure-activity relationship of the antimicrobial activities of dinuclear N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-silver(I) complexes.

The three dinuclear silver(I) complexes of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands, [Ag2(L-1a)](PF6)2·2CH3CN (Ag-1a), [Ag2(L-2)2](PF6)2·H2O (Ag-2), and [Ag2(L-4)2](PF6)2·2CH3CN (Ag-4), were synthesized by reactions of Ag2O with the corresponding PF6- salt of the NHC precursors indicated as H4L-1(PF6)4, H2L-2(PF6)2, and H2L-4(PF6)2. H4L-1(PF6)4, which is the precursor of ligand L-1, was formed as mixed crystals of two geometric isomers, i.e., H4L-1a(PF6)4 (major) and H4L-1b(PF6)4 (minor), each of which was not isolated as single species. Ag2O reacted with the mixed isomers of H4L-1(PF6)4 to give a single, pure crystalline silver(I) complex Ag-1a with one isomer (L-1a) as the major product. The molecular structures of the precursors and their silver(I) complexes were determined by X-ray crystallography. A mononuclear NHC-silver(I) complex (Ag-3) was prepared by the reaction of Ag2O with the precursor HL-3Cl. The silver(I) complexes and NHC precursors prepared here were characterized by CHN elemental analysis, FTIR, Thermogravimetry/Differential thermal analysis, X-ray crystallography and solution (1H and 13C) NMR spectroscopy. Organometallic silver(I) complexes Ag-1a, Ag-2, and Ag-4 were dinuclear C-Ag-C bonding complexes, whereas Ag-3 was a mononuclear C-Ag-Cl bonding complex. These complexes are highly soluble in organic solvents such as acetone, acetonitrile, and dimethyl sulfoxide, and light-stable in the solid-state and in solution over one year. The antimicrobial activities of four silver(I) complexes and their NHC precursors against selected bacteria, yeasts, and molds in water-suspension systems were evaluated via the minimum inhibitory concentration; the activities were strongly dependent on the molecular structures of the dinuclear silver(I) complexes, which suggests a structure-activity relationship.