The electrochemical oxidation of anodic metal (iron, cobalt, nickel and copper) in an acetonitrile solution of the potentially chelating Schiff base N,N(dithiodiethylenebis-(aminylydenemethylydene)-bis(1,2-phenylene) ditosylamide (H2L) afforded stable complexes of empirical formula [ML]. The compounds obtained have been characterized by microanalysis, IR spectroscopy and ES-MS mass spectrometry. The crystal and molecular structures of [FeL]center dot CH3CN (1) [CoL]center dot CH3CN (2), [NiL]center dot CH3CN (3) and [CuL]center dot CH3CN (4) have been determined by X-ray diffraction in all complexes, the metal atom is in a distorted tetrahedral environment with the Schiff base acting as a tetradentate N4 donor. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.