Three Compounds Constructed from 2-Chloro-4-ferrocenylbenzoate and N-Containing Ligands: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Microbiological Studies

Self-assemblies of the flexible ferrocenyl 2-chloro-4-ferrocenylbenzoate with Cd 2+ cations in the presence of N-containing ligands result in three compounds, namely, [Cd(η 1 -OOCClH 3 C 6 Fc)(η 2 -OOCClH 3 C 6 Fc)(Рhen)(H 2 O)] ( I ), [Cd(η 2 -OOCClH 3 C 6 Fc) 2 (2,2'-bipy)] ( II ) and [(HOOCClH 3 C 6 Fc) 2 (4,4'-bipy)] ( III ) (Fc = (η 5 -C 5 H 4 )Fe(η 5 -C 5 H 5 ), phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, 2,2'-bipy = 2,2'-bipyridine, 4,4'-bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine). Their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses (CIF files CCDC nos. 1874492 ( I ), 1874493 (II), 1874494 ( III )) and further characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra. Crystallographic characterization shows that both I and II are mononuclear complexes exhibiting the 0D structures, while compound III gives a supramolecular structure. Notably, various C−H∙∙∙π interactions and C−H∙∙∙Cl interactions are discovered in I − III , and they have significant contributions to self-assembly, which extend mononuclear structures to infinite 3D supramolecular networks. Moreover, the microbiological properties of I − III were studied. Compared with clinical drugs, I showed pretty good antibacterial activity. We presumed that the good lipophilic nature of I and the strong toxicity of Cd 2+ ion may be responsible for the good antibacterial activities.