Syntheses, characterization and antimicrobial activity of the first complexes of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) with N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine. X-ray crystal structure of the polymeric Cd(II) complex

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/j.ica.2007.06.041

For the first time, complexes of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) (1-3) with N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine have been synthesized and characterized. The complexes adopt tetrahedral, pentagonal-bipyramidal and octahedral geometry, respectively. The structure of the polymeric cadmium complex was resolved by single crystal X-ray analysis. The cadmium ion has a distorted pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination formed by two water molecules and two N-benzyloxycarbonylglycinato ligands (N-Boc) coordinated in different fashions, one as bidentate and the second connecting three cadmium atoms. In a rather complicated 2D supramolecular structure, the phenyl rings interact mutually exclusively by the CH?π interactions. Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of the obtained complexes and N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine revealed that the ligand does not inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, whereas the newly synthesized complexes suppress the growth of this human fungal pathogen.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/j.ica.2007.06.041

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
www.elsevier.com/locate/ica
Syntheses, characterization and antimicrobial activity of the
first complexes of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) with
N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine
X-ray crystal structure of the polymeric Cd(II) complex
a,
b
a
*
´
´
´
Djenana U. Miodragovic , Dragana M. Mitic , Zoran M. Miodragovic ,
c
a
a
d
ˇ
-
´
´
´
Goran A. Bogdanovic , Zeljko J. Vitnik , Maja D. Vitorovic , Milanka D. Radulovic ,
a
a
a
-
´
´
´
Branislav J. Nastasijevic , Ivan O. Juranic , Katarina K. Andelkovic
a
Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, P.O. Box 158, Studentski trg 12-16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
b
Faculty of Stomatology, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotic´a 8, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Vincˇa institute of Nuclear Sciences, Laboratory of Theoretical Physics and Condensed Matter Physics, 11000 Belgrade, P.O. Box 522, Serbia
Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 14, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
c
d
Received 14 March 2007; received in revised form 8 June 2007; accepted 17 June 2007
Available online 6 July 2007
Abstract
For the first time, complexes of Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) (1–3) with N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine have been synthesized and charac-
terized. The complexes adopt tetrahedral, pentagonal-bipyramidal and octahedral geometry, respectively. The structure of the polymeric
cadmium complex was resolved by single crystal X-ray analysis. The cadmium ion has a distorted pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination
formed by two water molecules and two N-benzyloxycarbonylglycinato ligands (N-Boc) coordinated in different fashions, one as biden-
tate and the second connecting three cadmium atoms. In a rather complicated 2D supramolecular structure, the phenyl rings interact
mutually exclusively by the CHꢀ ꢀ ꢀp interactions.
Investigation of the antimicrobial activity of the obtained complexes and N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine revealed that the ligand does
not inhibit the growth of Candida albicans, whereas the newly synthesized complexes suppress the growth of this human fungal pathogen.
ꢀ 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Zinc(II), Cadmium(II) and Cobalt(II) complexes; N-Boc-glycine; X-ray; DFT; Microbiological assay
1. Introduction
complexes having N-benzyloxycarbonyl protected amino
acids as ligands were examined. The presence of a phenyl
ring, as a part of a group attached to the primary amino
group of an amino acid enabled investigations on non-cova-
lent p-interactions to be continued. It is interesting to note
that the N-benzyloxycarbonyl-protected amino acids and
their derivatives were reported as anti-convulsant, anti-
inflammatory and anti-neoplastic agents [16–21]. The inves-
tigated ligand, N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine (N-Boc-glyH),
having optimal distribution properties for the penetration
of the blood–brain barrier, exhibits better anti-convulsant
activity than glycine itself [16–18,21].
Metal complexes with aromatic amino acids have proved
to be simple model systems for studying weak, non-covalent
p-interactions in which the aromatic rings participate [1–6].
It was shown that these interactions are very important for
many biological molecules [7–10]. In our previous articles,
the metal complexes containing aromatic amino acids were
described [11–15]. As a continuation, in this study, new metal
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +381 11 3336743; fax: +381 11 184330.
´
E-mail address: dmiodrag@chem.bg.ac.yu (D.U. Miodragovic).
0020-1693/$ - see front matter ꢀ 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ica.2007.06.041

D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
87
Hitherto, only one crystal structure of a complex com-
pound with a coordinated N-Boc-gly anion is described
in the literature. In the binuclear complex, each Cu(II)
ion shows a slightly distorted square-pyramidal geometry,
formed by the bidentate 2,20-bipyridine and two monoden-
tate N-Boc-gly ligands in the equatorial plane, with a pro-
pan-2-ol molecule in the apical position [22]. The authors
pointed out that the crystal packing is mainly determined
by the intermolecular stacking interactions between the
bipy ligands and by the intermolecular hydrophobic inter-
actions between the phenyl groups of the N-Boc-gly
moieties.
In this article, the first syntheses of Zn(II), Cd(II) and
Co(II) complexes with N-Boc-glycinato ligand are
described. The very interesting polymeric structure of the
Cd(II) complex was resolved by a single crystal X-ray dif-
fraction analysis. In this complex, non-covalent interac-
tions in which the aromatic rings participate are
discussed. The modes of coordination of the ligand in the
three complexes are compared. As N-Boc-glycine itself
has favorable membrane penetration properties, it was sup-
posed that in neutral complexes, the ligand could facilitate
the migration of the metal ions through the biological
membranes. Thus, the antibacterial and antifungal activi-
ties of the synthesized neutral complexes were investigated.
The magnetic momentum at room temperature (293 K)
of the new Co(II) complex with N-Boc-gly was deter-
mined using a magnetic susceptibility balance (MSB-MK
1), the Sherwood Scientific Ltd. The susceptibility was
corrected for the diamagnetic contribution per Pascal’s
rule.
The electronic absorption spectrum of the synthesized
Co(II) complex in DMSO solution was recorded on a
GBC Cintra 40 UV–Vis spectrophotometer.
Thermal behavior of Zn(II) complex was investigated
from the room temperature to 1273 K using a SDT Q600
simultaneous DTA–TGA instrument (TA Instruments)
with a
heating rate of 5 K minꢁ1 under dynamic
(100 cm3 minꢁ1) N2 atmosphere.
2.2. Syntheses
2.2.1. Synthesis of [Zn(N-Boc-gly)2] (1)
To a 50 mL flask containing 0.2 g (1 mmol) of N-benzyl-
oxycarbonylglycine in 5 mL of ethanol–water mixture (1:1)
was added 0.07 g (0.5 mmol) of ZnCl2 dissolved in a mini-
mal volume of water. The flask was placed on a water bath
at 50 ꢁC and its content stirred with a magnetic stirrer. The
pH value of the system was then adjusted to 5–6 with a
sodium hydroxide solution. The obtained suspension was
heated for one hour under constant stirring. The reaction
mixture was then filtered to remove the precipitate and
the obtained filtrate was left to stand at room temperature.
After a few days, colorless crystals were obtained from the
filtrate. The crystals of the Zn(II)-complex were separated
by filtration and left standing at room temperature. The
colorless crystals, obtained in 45.7% (220 mg) yield, were
soluble in DMSO, and insoluble in water, methanol, etha-
nol and chloroform. Anal. Calc. for ZnC20H20N2O8 or
[Zn(N-Boc-gly)2]: C, 49.86; H, 4.15; N, 5.82. Found: C,
49.48; H, 4.17; N, 5.81%. Selected IR bands (KBr pellets,
cmꢁ1): 3314 (m(N–H)), 1695 (m(C@O)), 1571 (m(COOasym)),
2. Experimental
2.1. General remarks
All the employed reagents and solvents were of analyti-
cal grade. N-Boc-glycine and the metal salts were obtained
from Aldrich and were used without further purification.
Elemental analyses for C, H, N were performed on a Vario
III CHNOS Elemental analyzer, Elementar Analysensys-
teme GmbH. The solid state IR spectra (KBr pellets) were
measured on a Perkin–Elmer FT-IR 1726X spectrometer.
1
1
The H NMR (200 MHz) spectra were recoded using a
1400 (m(COOsym)). H NMR, d: H3 7.28 (t), H(7,70,8,80,9)
Varian Gemini 2000 spectrometer at room temperature in
the DMSO-d6 solution. N-Boc-glycine (Scheme 1). d: H1
12.5 (s), H3 7.60 (t), H (7,70,8,80,9) 7.36 (m), H5 5.07 (s),
H2 3.73 (d).
7.34 (m), H5 5.02 (s), H2 3.55 (d). 13C NMR, d: C1
175.2, C4 156.7, C6 137.6, C8,80 128.7, C9 128.1, C7,70
128.0, C5 65.5, C2 43.7 (Scheme 1).
The 13C NMR (50.3 MHz) spectra were obtained in the
DMSO-d6 solution. The solvent peak at 39.7 ppm was used
to calibrate the scale of the chemical shifts. N-Boc-glycine
d: C1 172.2, C4 157.1, C6 137.5, C8,80 128.9, C9 128.4,
C7,70 128.3, C5 66.0, C2 42.6.
2.2.2. Synthesis of [Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]n (2)
The colorless crystals of the cadmium(II) complex were
obtained in the same manner as the Zn(II)-complex, using
CdCl2 Æ 2.5H2O as the cadmium source. Yield: 79.7%
(319 mg). The complex is soluble in DMSO and methanol,
and insoluble in water, ethanol and chloroform. Anal.
Calc. for CdC20H24N2O10 or [Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]: C,
41.86; H, 4.29; N, 4.96. Found: C, 41.71; H, 4.17; N,
4.88%. Selected IR bands (KBr pellets, cmꢁ1) 3690–3125
(m(H2O) + m(N–H)), 1704 (m(C@O)), 1588 (m(COOasym)),
1403 (m(COOsym)).
1H NMR, d: H3 7.24 (t), H (7,70,8,80,9) 7.30 (m), H5
5.02 (s), H2 3.58 (d). 13C NMR, d: C1 176.1, C4 156.6,
C6 137.5, C8,80 128.7, C9 128.0, C7,70 128.0, C5 65.5, C2
43.6.
Scheme 1. N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine (N-Boc-glyH) with labeled atoms.

88
D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
Table 1
2.2.3. Synthesis of [Co(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)4] Æ 2H2O (3)
To a 50 mL flask, containing 0.35 g (1.7 mmol) of N-
benzyloxycarbonylglycine in 7 mL of ethanol–water mix-
ture (1:1) was added 0.20 g (0.84 mmol) of CoCl2 Æ 6H2O
dissolved in a minimal volume of water. The flask was
placed on a water bath at 50 ꢁC and its content stirred with
a magnetic stirrer. The pH value of the obtained solution
was then adjusted to 6 by the addition of a sodium hydrox-
ide solution. The obtained pink suspension was heated for
1 h under constant stirring. During the reaction, a small
volume (5 mL) of ethanol was added to dissolve the formed
pink precipitate. The reaction mixture was then filtered and
after a few days, pink crystals were obtained from the fil-
trate. The crystals of Co(II)-complex was separated by fil-
tering and left standing at room temperature. The pink
crystals, obtained in 59.3% (288 mg) yield, were soluble
in DMSO, and insoluble in water, methanol, ethanol and
chloroform.
Crystallographic data for {[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n complex
Empirical formula
Formula weight
Crystal size (mm3)
Temperature (K)
Wavelength (A)
Crystal system
Space group
C20H24CdN2O10
564.81
0.42 · 0.36 · 0.24
293(2)
0.71073
monoclinic
P21/a
˚
Unit cell dimensions
˚
a (A)
9.549(3)
9.998(2)
23.201(6)
90
96.01(2)
90
2202.8(10)
4
1.703
˚
b (A)
˚
c (A)
a (ꢁ)
b (ꢁ)
c (ꢁ)
3
˚
V (A )
Z
Dcalc (Mg mꢁ3
)
Absorption coefficient (mmꢁ1
)
1.051
Theta range for data collection (ꢁ) 1.77–26.00
Index ranges
Anal. Calc. for CoC20H32N2O14 or [Co(N-Boc-
gly)2(H2O)4] 2H2O: C, 41.17; H, 5.49; N, 4.80. Found: C,
41.20; H, 5.99; N, 4.44%. Selected IR bands (KBr pellets,
0 6 h 6 11, 0 6 k 6 12, ꢁ27 6 l 6 27
Reflections collected
Independent reflections [Rint
Data/parameters
Goodness-of-fit on F2
Final R indices [I > 2r(I)]
4580
]
4301 [0.0561]
4301/298
0.910
cmꢁ1
)
3650–2920 (m(H2O)), 3414 (m(N–H)), 1700
(m(C@O)), 1633 (m(COOasym)), 1397 (m(COOsym)).
R1 = 0.0678, wR2 = 0.1609
2.3. X-ray measurements
GAUSSIAN03 program [37]. Various rotamers of compound
1 were computed, but they reveal a single most stable struc-
ture. The optimized geometry of complex 1 is given in
Fig. 1.
The computational study of the [Co(N-Boc-gly)2-
(H2O)4] Æ 2H2O complex (3) was particularly challenging
because of existence of the conformational and geometrical
isomers of it. The geometries of all conformers of the com-
plex were fully optimized using LANL2DZ basis set. The
optimized geometries and energies of the geometrical iso-
mers of the [Co(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)4] Æ 2H2O complex (3)
were obtained, too.
The single crystal X-ray data for the {[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2-
(H2O)2]}n complex were collected on an Enraf-Nonius
CAD-4 diffractometer [23] using Mo Ka radiation
˚
(k = 0.71073 A) and x/2h scans in the 1.77–26.00ꢁ h range.
The cell constants and an orientation matrix for the data
collection, obtained from 23 centered reflections in the h
range 11.16–13.71ꢁ, corresponded to a monoclinic cell.
(The unit cell dimensions and other crystallographic data
are given in Table 1). The data were corrected for Lorentz
and polarization effects [24].
The crystal structure was solved by the direct methods
[25] and the difference Fourier methods and refined on F2
by the full-matrix least-square method [26]. All H atoms
were included in the refinement at their geometrically cal-
culated positions but the H atoms from the water mole-
cules were taken from the DF map and refined
As the starting point for the calculation, the conforma-
tion of the N-Boc-residue obtained by the single crystal
˚
isotropically with the O–H distance fixed at 0.85 A. The
anisotropic displacement parameters were refined for all
non-hydrogen atoms. The software used for the prepara-
tion of the crystallographic materials for publication were
PLATON [27,28], WINGX [29], PARST [30] and ORTEPIII [31].
2.4. Density functional method calculation
The studied compounds (1 and 3) were subjected to
geometry optimization using the density functional theory
(DFT) with the Becke three-parameter exchange functional
(B3) [32] and the Lee–Yang–Parr (LYP) correlation func-
tional [33]. The DFT method was used as it gives good
results for all first row transition metal complexes [34–
36]. These B3LYP calculations were performed with the
Fig. 1. Proposed tetrahedral geometry of [Zn(N-Boc-gly)2] complex
(structure optimized using B3LYP//LANL2DZ).

D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
89
X-ray method [22,38] was used. The arrangement of the
ligands in the cobalt(II) complex was initially estimated
by analogy to the measured glycine [39] and/or N-acetyl-
DL-phenylglycinato complexes [40].
On the basis of the differences in the frequencies
(1600–1350 cmꢁ1 region) of the asymmetric and symmet-
ric skeletal vibration of the carboxylic group (Dm), it has
been proposed that the mode of coordination of the car-
boxylic group in complexes 1–3 is different [44]. Namely,
2.5. Microbiological assay
it was proposed that in the case of complex 3
(Dm = 236 cmꢁ1), monodentate coordination of the car-
boxylic group occurs, while in the case of complex 1
(Dm = 171 cmꢁ1), chelate bidentate coordination of the
carboxylic group and a tetrahedral geometry around the
Zn(II) ion was proposed (structure optimized using
B3LYP//LANL2DZ, Fig. 1). In the case of complex 2
(Dm = 185 cmꢁ1), the Dm value is close to that of the N-
Boc-gly anion (Dm = 198 cmꢁ1), which could possibly
indicate that the carboxylic group is in the bridging
mode. However, in comparison with the corresponding
bands in the IR spectra of complexes 1 and 3, the bands
assigned to m(COOasym) and m(COOsym) in the IR spec-
trum of complex 2 are broad. The broadening of these
bands is explained by the solving of the crystal structure
of complex 2.
N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine and its Zn(II), Cd(II) and
Co(II) complexes were screened for their in vitro antifungal
activity against Candida albicans (ATCC 24433) and Asper-
gillus niger and their antibacterial activity against: Esche-
richia coli (ATCC 25922, Gram negative), Staphylococcus
aureus (ATCC 25923, Gram positive) and Micrococcus
lysodeicticus (ATCC 4698, Gram positive); (‘‘Collection
of Microorganisms’’, Department of Chemistry, Institute
of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy, University of
Belgrade). The screening on the antifungal and antibacte-
rial activity was performed by determining the minimal
inhibitory concentration (MIC) [41].
3. Results and discussion
3.3. Description of the crystal structure of the polymeric
{[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n complex (2)
3.1. Syntheses of the Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) complexes
(1–3)
The solid state structure of complex 2, determined by
the single crystal X-ray experiment, together with the atom
labeling scheme is illustrated in Fig. 2.
The new complexes (1–3) were synthesized via a simple
reaction between ZnCl2, CdCl2 Æ 2.5H2O, or CoCl2 Æ 6H2O
and N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine in a 1:2 molar ratio in
an ethanol–water mixture at pH 5–6 (Scheme 2).
Initially, when analysing the coordination around the
Cd(II) ion, two different coordination behaviors of the N-
Boc-glycinato ligands must be recognized, in Fig. 2 labeled
as ligands A and B, respectively. Namely, ligand B coordi-
nates to only one metal atom as a bidentate ligand, forming
the O1b–Cd–O2b–C1b four-membered chelate ring
(Fig. 2). Its M–O1b and M–O2b bond lengths differ by
3.2. IR spectroscopy of complexes 1–3
The IR spectra of complexes 1–3 are different, especially
in the 3500–3000 cmꢁ1 and 1600–1350 cmꢁ1 region. In the
3500–3000 cmꢁ1 region in the IR spectrum of complex 1, a
sharp band of m(N–H) is observed, which indicates that the
complex crystallizes without water molecules (in agreement
with the elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis
– the first decomposition step of complex 1 occurs in the
temperature region from 178 to 264 ꢁC with 48.3% mass
loss). On the contrary, in the IR spectrum of complex 3,
broad bands in this region can be attributed to the
m(H2O) vibration associated with both the coordinated
˚
0.45 A, which is not rare for the coordinated COO groups
[45]. However, ligand A coordinates three cadmium atoms,
playing the role of a bridging ligand (Fig. 2). The O1a atom
is directly bonded to two Cd-atoms with Cd–O1a and Cd–
i
˚
O1a bond lengths of 2.286(6) and 2.422(6) A, respectively.
As a consequence of the different coordination behavior,
the C–O bond lengths in the COO groups of two ligands
are different (Table 2). Of the O1a, O2a, O1b and O2b
˚
atoms, the O2b forms the weakest M–O bond (2.75 A)
and crystal water molecules (m(N–H) at 3281 cmꢁ1
)
and, consequently, its C–O bond is the shortest one
[42,43]. In the IR spectrum of complex 2, one broad band
is observed.
˚
(1.22 A). The other bond lengths in ligands A and B are
more or less similar. The Cd(II)-ions with two N-Boc-gly
ligands and two coordinated water molecules per one metal
atom (Fig. 2a) form a rather complicated 2D supramolec-
ular structure. The building unit in this 2D polymer struc-
ture is the binuclear structure presented in Fig. 2b. These
binuclear units are further mutually interconnected using
ligand A as a bridging ligand. In this way, 2D supramolec-
ular layers are formed, the structure of which will be
explained in the text below.
The cadmium ion has a distorted pentagonal-bipyrami-
dal coordination (Fig. 2c), formed by two water molecules,
Scheme 2. Reaction of the simple metal salts with N-benzyloxycar-
bonylglycine.

90
D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
Fig. 2. (a) Asymmetric unit of the polymeric {[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n complex showing atom-numbering scheme. (Displacement ellipsoids are drawn at
40% level.) (b) Binuclear building unit in the 2D supramolecular structure of the {[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n complex; (c) Coordination geometry of the
cadmium atom. (The –CH2–NH–C(@O)–O–CH2–C6H5 residuals bonded to the C1 atoms are omitted for clarity.)
Table 2
than the O1b–Cd–O2b coordination angle of 50.6(2)ꢁ.
˚
Selected bond lengths and angles (A, ꢁ) for {[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n
The axially coordinated atoms are the O1a and O2a oxygen
complex (symmetry codes (i) ꢁx, ꢁy, ꢁz + 1; (ii) ꢁx + 1/2, y + 1/2,
atoms, which form O1a–Cd–O2a of 159.7(2)ꢁ, that signifi-
cantly deviates from 180ꢁ. Probably all the above quoted
distortions could be explained by the formation of a 2D
polymer structure, which influences the coordination
geometry of the cadmium atom.
As mentioned above, ligand A plays a crucial role in the
formation of the 2D supramolecular structure. Binuclear
units are mutually connected by –C1a–O2a– groups, as
shown in Fig. 3a and b. In this way each unit is bonded
to another four units forming a 2D supramolecular layer
in the crystal packing. In addition to the Cd–O1a–Cd–
O1a four-membered rings, the layers are composed of 16-
membered rings with four Cd–O1a–C1a–O2a repeating
fragments, (Cd–O1a–C1a–O2a)4 (see Fig. 3).
ꢁz + 1)
Cd–O5
2.370(6)
2.276(6)
2.286(6)
2.422(6)
2.292(7)
2.300(6)
2.750(7)
1.253(10)
1.251(10)
1.347(12)
1.396(12)
1.227(13)
1.326(13)
1.455(11)
1.272(11)
1.218(11)
1.345(10)
1.459(13)
1.210(12)
1.317(12)
1.445(11)
O6–Cd–O1a
O6–Cd–O2aii
O1a–Cd–O2aii
O6–Cd–O1b
O1a–Cd–O1b
O2aii–Cd–O1b
O6–Cd–O5
O1a–Cd–O5
O2aii–Cd–O5
O1b–Cd–O5
O6–Cd–O1ai
O1aCd–O1ai
O2aii–Cd–O1ai
O1b–Cd–O1ai
O5–Cd–O1ai
88.0(2)
101.7(3)
159.7(2)
156.8(2)
93.8(2)
84.3(2)
75.2(2)
107.2(2)
92.5(2)
82.2(2)
75.7(2)
74.9(2)
90.2(2)
127.1(2)
150.7(2)
Cd–O6
Cd–O1a
Cd–O1ai
Cd–O2aii
Cd–O1b
Cd–O2b
O1a–C1a
O2a–C1a
O3a–C3a
O3a–C4a
O4a–C3a
N1a–C3a
N1a–C2a
O1b–C1b
O2b–C1b
O3b–C3b
O3b–C4b
O4b–C3b
N1b–C3b
N1b–C2b
In the crystal packing, the 2D supramolecular layers are
(mutually) parallel and stacked along the z-axis with an
interlayer distance equal to the c unit cell dimension
˚
(23.20 A). The space between the layers is occupied by
the residual parts of the N-Boc-gly ligands –CH2–NH–
C(@O)–O–CH2–C6H5. Although ligands A and B possess
terminally bonded phenyl rings capable of rotating around
the C4–C5 bonds, a pꢀ ꢀ ꢀp interaction does not exist
between them. However, the phenyl rings mutually interact
exclusively by the CHꢀ ꢀ ꢀp interactions (Table 3). The same
type of non-covalent interactions stabilize the structure of a
dimeric copper(II) complex previously described in the lit-
erature [22]. The middle part of the ligands (–CH2–NH–
C(@O)–O–CH2–) participates in the formation of hydro-
gen bonds. The most important H bonds are: O5–H. . .O1b,
O5–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀO2b, O6–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀO4b, O6–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀO2b, N1a–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀO4b
and N1b–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀO4a.
one molecule of ligand B and even three molecules of
ligand A. The equatorial coordination plain consists of
the O1a, O1b, O2b, O5 and O6 oxygen atoms, which are
almost coplanar (including the metal atom). The mean dis-
placement of these atoms from the least-square plain
˚
defined by the same atoms is 0.058 A. Contrary to this reg-
ularity of the planarity of equatorial coordination plane,
the coordination angles within the plane and the Cd–O
bonds lengths are mutually rather different (Table 2). Thus,
the shortest Cd–O bond length is Cd–O6 of 2.276(6) A,
while the longest one is Cd–O2b of 2.750(7) A. The O5–
Cd–O6 and O6–Cd–O1a coordination angles are very sim-
ilar (75.2(2)ꢁ and 75.7(2)ꢁ, respectively) and are the largest
ones in the equatorial plane and are significantly larger
˚
˚
Taking in account all the mentioned inter-ligand interac-
tions and H-bonds, it can be concluded that the {[Cd(N-
Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n complex forms a very compact 2D
supramolecular structure with two non-polar surfaces com-

D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
91
Fig. 3. (a) Crystal lattice fragment showing how the binuclear units are interconnected; (b) schematic representation of one 2D supramolecular layer with
bonding mode of binuclear polymer units.
Table 3
The 13C NMR signal of the C1 atom shifted the most
Geometrical parameters for C–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀp interactions in crystal structure of
toward higher ppm values upon coordination. This is an
additional indication that coordination through the carbox-
ylic group occurs. The signal of the C4 atom was slightly
shifted toward lower ppm value upon coordination, which
indicates that the nitrogen atom does not participate in
the coordination to the metal ion, as confirmed by the single
crystal X-ray analysis of the cadmium complex.
{[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)2]}n complex
˚
C–H group
Phenyl ring
d (A)
b (ꢁ)
C–Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀX (ꢁ)
147.3
135.5
169.3
C4a–H
C10a–H
C10b–H
ring A
ring A
ring B
2.98
3.07
2.83
22.8
10.9
7.6
X is the midpoint of the phenyl ring; d is the shortest distance between H
atom and mean plane of phenyl ring; b is angle between Hꢀ ꢀ ꢀX vector and
normal to plane of phenyl ring.
3.5. Cobalt(II) complex (complex 3)
posed of phenyl rings interconnected by CHꢀ ꢀ ꢀp
interactions [46]. Similarly, as in our previous work, where
CHꢀ ꢀ ꢀp, NHꢀ ꢀ ꢀN and other intramolecular interactions
played a decisive role in the conformation of a very flexible
tetradentate ligand [47], the same type of weak interactions
in the present crystal structure of {[Cd(N-Boc-gly)2-
(H2O)2]}n complex are of crucial importance, but in
this case for the formation of the 2D supramolecular
structure.
On the basis of the results of the elemental analysis, it is
supposed that an octahedral complex of composition
[Co(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)4] Æ 2H2O was obtained. The pre-
sumption that the N-Boc-glycinato anions are monoden-
tate coordinated in this complex is supported by the IR
data (the Dm value is significantly higher than that of the
free ligand). The IR spectrum exhibited a broad band at
3560–3325 cmꢁ1, which is attributed to m(OH) of the asso-
ciated water molecules, while the band observed at
843 cmꢁ1 is assigned to the coordinated water molecules
[42].
1
3.4. H and 13C NMR spectroscopy of complexes 1 and 2
Electronic absorption spectrum of the Co(II)-complex is
in accordance with an octahedral CoIIO6 chromophore; in
The complexes of Zn(II) and Cd(II) were also character-
ized by H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. The H NMR
spectra of the investigated complexes are in accordance
with coordination through the carboxylic group (disap-
pearance of the –COOH proton signal). In both the com-
plexes, the N–H proton is more shielded than the N–H
proton in non-coordinated N-Boc-glycinato ligand, which
indicates that the nitrogen atom does not participate in
the coordination. The supposition that coordination
through the nitrogen atom does not occur (except in the
complexes of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) with N-sulfonila-
mino acids) is in accordance with the data concerning the
coordination abilities of other N-substituted amino acids
[48–50].
the visible region one asymmetric maximum at kmax =
1
1
556 nm (4A2g 4T1g(F) and 4T1g(P) 4T1g(F) transitions)
[51].
The magnetic susceptibility value for the solid Co(II)
complex is indicative of three unpaired electrons per Co(II)
ion (leff = 4.38 BM), which is consistent with their octahe-
dral environment [52].
The two monodentate N-Boc-glycinato ligands could be
in the cis or trans position. To determine which geometry is
more stable, DFT calculations were applied. The DFT cal-
culations were performed for the two geometrical isomers
and several conformations of the –CH2–NH–C(@O)–O–
CH2–C6H5 residuals.

92
D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
Table 4
The conformational search was performed by variation
Antimicrobial activities of N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine and complexes 1–
3 evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC; mg/mL)
of the Co–O torsion angle. Each starting geometry was
allowed to fully optimize its geometry.
Microorganism
N-Boc-glyH
1
2
3
The DFT calculations revealed that two trans-isomers,
with a C2 axis and center of symmetry (Figs. 4 and 5,
respectively), are the most stable. These two conformations
differ by less than 0.1 kcal/mol. For the corresponding cis-
isomer, two low-energy conformations were found, differ-
ing by 1.13 kcal/mol in energy. The most stable trans-form
is approximately 4.6 kcal/mol more stable than the most
stable cis-isomer.
Candida albicans
Aspergillus niger
>10
>10
>10
>10
>10
0.625
>10
>10
>10
>10
0.625
0.078
0.039
>10
0.568
>10
>10
>10
>10
Escherichia coli
Staphylococcus aureus
Micrococcus lysodeicticus
0.0195
3.6. Microbiological assay
Thus, the two monodentate N-Boc-glycinato ligands
should be in the trans-position. This finding is in agreement
with the X-ray crystal structure of the [Co(glyH)2(H2O)4]2+
ion [39], in which two monodentate glycine ligands are in
the trans-position.
The complexes 1–3 and N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine
were screened for their in vitro antifungal and antibacterial
activity against the representative strains. The minimal
inhibitory concentrations are presented in Table 4, which
shows that all the investigated complexes exhibited inhibi-
tory activity against the human fungal pathogen C. albi-
cans. N-Boc-glycine was inactive against this pathogen, as
well as against all the other investigated strains. The Zn(II)
and Co(II) complexes (1 and 3) were selective and acted
only on C. albicans. However, the MIC values for the
newly synthesized complexes 1 and 3 are higher in compar-
ison to those obtained for example for the Ag(I)-complex
with N-acetylglycine, but the latter is unselective and acts
on all the investigated bacterial and fungal strains [53].
The cadmium complex (2) inhibited the growth of the fungi
C. albicans and A. niger, as well as the bacteria E. coli and
M. lysodeicticus, but was inactive against S. aureus.
As mentioned above, the ligand itself does not inhibit
the growth of the investigated fungal and bacterial strains.
The process of chelation of the N-benzyloxycarbonylglyci-
nato anions to a metal ion reduces the polarity and
increases the liphophilic nature of the central metal ion,
which in turn favors its permeation through the lipid layer
of the cell membrane of a microorganism [54]. This could
be the reason for the higher inhibitory activities of the
newly synthesized complexes in comparison with the
ligand.
Fig. 4. trans-Isomer of [Co(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)4] complex with C2 axis
(intramolecular H-bonds are presented by dashed lines).
4. Conclusion
In this study, the first Zn(II), Cd(II) and Co(II) com-
plexes with N-benzyloxycarbonylglycine were synthesized
and characterized. On the basis of different techniques, it
is proposed that the complexes have different geometries
and that the N-benzyloxycarbonylglycinato ligand is coor-
dinated through its carboxylic group in several different
ways. In the case of the zinc(II) complex, tetrahedral geom-
etry with two N-benzyloxycarbonylglycinato ligands coor-
dinated as O,O bidentate is proposed. Octahedral geometry
was obtained in the case of the cobalt(II) complex with the
two N-Boc-gly ligands in the trans-position coordinated in
a monodentate fashion. The structure of the polymeric cad-
mium(II)-complex was resolved using the single crystal X-
ray diffraction method. The cadmium ion has a distorted
pentagonal-bipyramidal coordination formed by the two
Fig. 5. trans-Isomer of [Co(N-Boc-gly)2(H2O)4] complex with center of
symmetry (intramolecular H-bonds are presented by dashed lines).

D.U. Miodragovic´ et al. / Inorganica Chimica Acta 361 (2008) 86–94
93
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different fashions (one as a bidentate and the second con-
necting three cadmium atoms), forming a rather compli-
cated 2D supramolecular structure.
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Centre, 12 Union Road, Cambridge CB2 1EZ, UK; fax:
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