Application of salicylaldehyde based-metal binuclear dithiocarbamate complexes for iron and copper removal from wastewater

Abstract This research includes synthesization and characterization of dinuclear transition metal(II) macrocyclic dithiocarbamate complexes (DTC) of the general formula [M(L)]2, where M(II) could be Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, while L is the potassium mono-dithiocarbamate. Then, these complexes were used to remove iron and copper from wastewater. DTC complexes are prepared via a one-pot reaction by mixing secondary amine, CS2, KOH, and metal chloride. All compounds are characterized by FTIR, UV-visible, mass spectra, magnetic moment, conductance, melting point, mass spectroscopy, and 1H-, 13C-NMR spectroscopy. The complexes of divalent metal ions appear to be tetrahedral geometry for Fe(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) complexes, while octahedral geometry is suggested for Mn(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) complexes. The ligands showed effective Cu and Fe removal efficiency of up to 75.96, 48.9% from wastewater.