Abstract
Three new transition-metal complexes were produced by refluxing azodicarbonamide (ADCA) with nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II) solutions in a mixture of 50% (v/v) methanol and water. The magnitude of chelation between metal ions and ligand molecules was assessed by FT-IR, UV, elemental analysis, TGA, conductivity, mass, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. FT-IR analysis suggested a bi-dentate chelation in all complexes, which takes place through the N-azo and O-carbonyl groups. Based on the measurement of magnetic moments and spectral analysis, a distorted octahedral geometry was proposed for Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes, whereas zinc complex showed a hexa-coordinated geometry. The optical band gaps of the nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes were found to be 1.91, 2.50, and 1.96 eV, respectively, which means that they can be employed as semiconductors and that they are in the same range as highly effective photovoltaic materials. The Urbach energy parameters were also estimated from other optical parameters. The biological activity of azodicarbonamide and its synthesized complexes has been screened against the selected gram bacteria (+ve) and fungi.