Effect of cobalt(II) complexes with dipyridylamine and salicylaldehydes on cultured tumor and non-tumor cells: synthesis, crystal structure investigations and biological activity.

The synthesis of eight mixed-ligand cobalt(II) complexes with 2,2'-dipyridylamine (dpamH) and substituted salicylaldehydes (X-saloH) was undertaken in an effort to discover new compounds with anticancer activity. The complexes with the general formula [Co(dpamH)(2)(X-salo)]Y, (Y=Br or Cl) were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR and UV-visible spectroscopy, magnetic and conductivity measurements. The structures of two of them [Co(dpamH)(2)(5-CH(3)-salo)]Br and [Co(dpamH)(2)(3-OCH(3)-salo)]Cl, as well as of the precursors [Co(dpamH)(3)]Br(2) and [Co(dpamH)(2)Cl(H(2)O)]Cl, were determined by X-ray crystallography revealing octahedral coordination of cobalt(II) and mononuclear complexes.