Spectral, thermal, XRD and SEM studies of charge-transfer complexation of hexamethylenediamine and three types of acceptors: pi-, sigma- and vacant orbital acceptors that include quinol, picric acid, bromine, iodine, SnCl4 and ZnCl2 acceptors

In this work, structural, thermal, morphological and pharmacological characterization was performed on the interactions between a hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) donor and three types of acceptors to understand the complexation behavior of diamines. The three types of acceptors include pi-acceptors (i.e., quinol (QL) and picric acid (PA)), sigma-acceptors (i.e., bromine and iodine) and vacant orbital acceptors (i.e., tin(IV) tetrachloride (SnCl4) and zinc chloride (ZnCl2)). The characterization of the obtained CT complexes was performed using elemental analysis, infrared (IR), Raman, H-1 NMR and electronic absorption spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Their morphologies were studied using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX). The biological activities of the obtained CT complexes were tested for their antibacterial activities. The complex containing the QL acceptor exhibited a remarkable electronic spectrum with a strong, broad absorption band, which had an observed lambda(max) that was at a much longer wavelength than those of the free reactants. In addition, this complex exhibited strong antimicrobial activities against various bacterial and fungal strains compared to standard drugs. The complexes containing the PA, iodine, Sn(IV) and Zn(II) acceptors exhibited good thermal stability up to 240, 330, 275 and 295 degrees C, respectively. The complexes containing bromine, Sn(IV) and Zn(II) acceptors exhibited good crystallinity. In addition to its good crystallinity properties, the complex containing the bromine acceptor exhibits a remarkable morphology feature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.