Imino-quinolyl palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes: Synthesis, characterization, molecular structures and cytotoxic effect

Imino-quinolyl ligands L1–L5 were synthesized by condensation reactions and obtained in good yields. Reactions of the ligands with either PdCl2(cod) or K2[PtCl4] gave the corresponding palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes 1–10 also in good yields. All the compounds were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. X-ray crystallography was used to confirm the structures of these compounds. Molecular structures of 3 and 5 showed that the ligands coordinate to the metal center through the two nitrogen atoms, generating a distorted square planar geometry around the palladium atom. The new complexes exhibited remarkable cytotoxic activities against MCF-7 and HT-29 cancer cell lines.