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

Reaction of α-keto stabilized sulfur ylide (Me)₂SCHC(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·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, ¹H and ¹³C 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·mL⁻¹) of the synthesized compounds. Further, results from this study indicated that the compounds possess moderate antibacterial activity.