The synthesis of new chiral copper(ii) complexes with terpene derivatives of ethylenediamine and the results of studying their antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activity in vitro are discussed.

The analysis of publications in 2020, devoted to the synthesis of copper(II) complexes and the study of their antimicrobial properties, indicates that this area of medicinal chemistry is promising. Organic compounds of various classes were studied as starting ligands. First of all, these are N-donor imines, amines, heterocyclic compounds, as well as N,O-donor ligands and sulfur-containing ligands. In most works, the fact of a higher biological activity of the metal complex in comparison with the corresponding ligand was established. Evaluating the influence of the nature of the metal on the antimicrobial activity of the metal complex, the authors most often come to the conclusion that it is copper(II) complexes that are the most effective inhibitors of the growth of pathogenic bacteria. The scale of the studies presented indicates a high interest in this group of metal complexes, and the results indicate good prospects for using copper complexes as antimicrobial drugs.

Published data on the synthesis and catalytic properties of metal complexes with chiral ligands containing a terpene moiety are integrated and systematized. The stereochemical features of transition metal complexes with terpene ligands are discussed. Structures of stable complexes of this type and the initial chiral ligands are presented. In view of the enormous structural diversity of the analyzed data, classification is based on the chemical functionality of terpene ligands. The results of application of terpene ligands in asymmetric transition metal catalysis are considered; the data are classified in terms of the type of chemical reaction. Data on the biological activity of some metal complexes with terpene ligands are presented. The bibliography includes 228 references.

In an era of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections overshadowed by a lack of innovation in the antimicrobial drug development pipeline, there has been a resurgence in multidisciplinary approaches aimed at tackling this global health problem. One such approach is to use metal complexes as a framework for new antimicrobials. Indeed, in this context, bismuth-, silver- and gold-derived compounds in particular have displayed demonstrable antimicrobial activity. In this work, we discuss the antimicrobial and antifungal activities of terpene-derived chiral palladium complexes against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Cryptococcus neoformans. It was established that all studied coordination compounds of palladium were highly active antifungal drugs. In contrast, the subset of palladacycles possessing a palladium–carbon bond were only active against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. All compounds were inactive against the Gram-negative bacteria tested.