A review on the chemistry, coordination, structure and biological properties of 1-(acyl/aroyl)-3-(substituted) thioureas

AbstractThis review provides an overview of the chemistry, structure and potential applications of 1-(acyl/aroyl)-3-(mono-substituted) and 1-(acyl/aroyl)-3,3-(di-substituted) thioureas, with general formula R1C(O)N(1)HC(S)N(3)R2R3. In recent years, the title compounds have found extensive applications as ligands in coordination chemistry. The effect that nitrogen substituents exert on the intra- and intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions is discussed, including their role on the coordination properties displayed by these ligands. Novel applications of transition metal complexes bearing 1-(acyl/aroyl)-3-(mono- and di-substituted) thioureas are introduced. Biological aspects are also highlighted. As recently demonstrated, high-throughput screening assay and structure–activity analyses are feasible for this class of compounds. The chemical versatility of 1-(acyl)-3-(substituted) thiourea molecules and the derived metal complexes, together with the possibility of determining detailed structural properties, join biological applications in a promising interdisciplinary approach. The bibliography includes 382 references with emphasis on the literature appearing after 2007.Keywords: biological activitymetal complexationmolecular structuresulfur chemistrythioureavibrational propertiesView correction statement:Corrigendum AcknowledgementsM.F.E. is member of the Carrera del Investigador of CONICET (República Argentina). The Argentinean author thanks the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), the ANPCYT and the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata for the financial support. The authors thank the International Union of Crystallography for the permission for reproducing Figure 4 of the article http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S1600536812002954, and the American Chemical Society for the permission for reproducing Scheme 23.