LAUSR

Abstract A new Schiff base ligand (H2L) was designed and synthesized by the condensation of 2,2′-(piperazine-1,4-diyl)dianiline and 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde. The copper(II) and cobalt(II) complexes were synthesized by direct reaction the metal ions and the ligand in 1:1 molar ratio in ethanol. The molecular structures of H2L and the cobalt(II) complex were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses, showing that the cobalt(II) in a relatively rare trigonal prismatic environment coordinated by all six donor atoms of the (N4O2) hexadentate ligand. The study of the photophysical properties shows that H2L has a medium fluorescence emission at 440 nm, which is strongly enhanced in the presence of silver, meaning that the ligand may be able to be used as a chemosensor for detection of Ag+ ions in the environment.