Organometallic Schiff bases derived from 5-nitrothiophene and 5-nitrofurane: Synthesis, crystallographic, electrochemical, ESR and antiTrypanosoma cruzi studies

In the search for new therapeutic tools for the treatment of American trypanosomiasis, a series of novel ferrocene and cyrhetrene imine compounds, derived from 5-nitro-heterocycles, were designed, synthesized and characterized. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra indicated that these compounds adopted an anti-(E) conformation in solution, and this was confirmed by X-ray crystallography for one of the complexes (NT2). To study the relationship between the physical–chemical properties of N-iminyl substituents of nitrofurfuryl and nitrothienyl groups and their antitrypanosomal activity, we have carried out cyclic voltammetry and electron spin resonance studies of a series of organometallic imine compounds. The results demonstrated that the electronic properties of the side chain of the 5-nitroheterocyclic compound could be correlated to its trypanocidal effect.