N-acetyl-DL-leucinate cobalt(II), nickel(II) and zinc(II) complexes.

Complexes of the type M(AcLeu)2 · B2 (M = CoII, NiII or ZnII; B = H2O, py, 3-pic, 4-pic; AcLeu =N-acetyl-DL-leucinate ion) and M(AcLeu)2 B (M = CoII or ZnII and B = o-phen) were prepared and investigated by means of magnetic and spectroscopic measurements. The i.r. spectra of all the complexes are consistent with bidentate coordination of the amino acid to the metal ion. The room temperature solid state electronic spectra indicate that the symmetry of this species is closer to D4 h and that MO6 and MO4N2 chromophores are present in the M(AcLeu)2 · 2 H2O and M(AcLeu)2Bn · x H2O (B = py, 3-pic, 4-pic, n=2 and x=0 for M = NiII; B = o-phen, n=1 and x=0 for M = CoII; B = py, 3-pic, 4-pic, n=1 and x=1 for M = CoII) complexes, respectively. By comparing the Dq values of the amino acid and those of other N-substituted amino acids previously studied, a spectrochemical series of the the cobalt(II) and nickel(II) complexes is proposed. The1 H n.m.r. spectra of the zinc(II) complexes confirm the proposed stereochemistry.