Solution Studies on Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), and Zn(II) Complexes of Hexamethylenetetramine in Aqueous and Non-Aqueous Solvents

Potentiometric studies in aqueous medium and spectrophotometric study in non-aqueous medium were used to understand the behavior of hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) complexes. The protometric studies of HMTA enabled us to confirm that only one basic site of this ligand is protonated in acidic medium and this ligand is decomposed in acidic medium. In aqueous medium, only hexa-aqua complexes in which HMTA is present in the second coordination sphere forming H-bonds with hydrogen atoms of coordinated and uncoordinated water molecules are obtained. In non-aqueous solvents, HMTA coordinates to metal ions displaying diversity in the structures of the resulting complexes in which HMTA can either be monodentate, bridged bidentate, tridentate, or tetradentate.