The structure and photophysics of di-iodo-zinc(II) complexes of long alkyl chain substituted imidazolyl motif of arylazoimidazoles and the DFT computation.

Distorted tetrahedral structure of [Zn(Haai-C10H21)2I2] (Haai-C10H21, 1-decayl-2-(arylazo)imidazole) has been supported by single crystal X-ray diffraction study. The structures of other complexes, [Zn(Raai-CnH2n+1)2I2] (n=10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22) have been determined by spectroscopic data (FT-IR, UV-vis, (1)H NMR). The complexes show light induced photoisomerisation, E-to-Z (trans-to-cis) of coordinated, Raai-CnH2n+1.