Two conjugated b-diketones (HL) have been synthesized by the reaction of benzoylacetone with aromatic aldehydes (cinnamaldehyde and naphthalene-2-carbaldehyde) under specified conditions. Analytical and spectral data indicate that the compounds exist in the intramolecularly hydrogen bonded keto-enol tautomeric form. Monobasic bidentate coordination of the compounds in their [FeL3] and [ML2] complexes [M = VO(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II)] has been established by analytical and spectral data. The Ni(II) chelates are diamagnetic while all other complexes show normal paramagnetic moment.
