Exploring the structural diversities of three Co(II) complexes constructed from a new quinoline-containing N3O-cavity half-salamo type ligand and various counteranions

Three new Co(II) complexes containing half-salamo type ligand HL viz. [Co(L)Cl] (1), [Co(L)(NO3)] (2) and [Co (L)(NCS)] (3) were synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The results showed that the central Co(II) atoms in mononuclear complexes 1-3 are all located in the N3O cavity of the deprotonated ligand (L)- unit, while coordinated with different counteranions. The presence of counteranions in complexes 1-3 are Cl-, NO3- and NCS-, respectively. The spectral properties of these complexes were investigated in detail. In addition, the structural descriptions were corroborated with theoretical calculations. The Hirshfeld surface analysis combined with 2D fingerprint plots revealed the short-range intermolecular interactions of these complexes.