Biological Activity of Complexes Involving Nitro-Containing Ligands and Crystallographic-Theoretical Description of 3,5-DNB Complexes

Drug resistance in infectious diseases developed by bacteria and fungi is an important issue since it is necessary to further develop novel compounds with biological activity that counteract this problem. In addition, new pharmaceutical compounds with lower secondary effects to treat cancer are needed. Coordination compounds appear to be accessible and promising alternatives aiming to overcome these problems. In this review, we summarize the recent literature on coordination compounds based on nitrobenzoic acid (NBA) as a ligand, its derivatives, and other nitro-containing ligands, which are widely employed owing to their versatility. Additionally, an analysis of crystallographic data is presented, unraveling the coordination preferences and the most effective crystallization methods to grow crystals of good quality. This underscores the significance of elucidating crystalline structures and utilizing computational calculations to deepen the comprehension of the electronic properties of coordination complexes.