Theoretical studies and evaluation of anticancer properties of two cobalt(III) Schiff base complexes derived from 3,5-dichloro-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 1,2-phenylene diamine

•Two new Co(III) Schiff base complexes were identified by FT-IR, CHNS, and UV spectroscopy then confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.•The Hirshfeld surface analysis (HS), 2D fingerprint plots (FPs), and HOMO–LUMO energies within the crystal structures were evaluated.•Electrochemistry of the complexes was also studied.•Molecular docking analyses and SW-480 cancer cell studies were used to examine the biological characteristics of the compounds.