The synthesis and characterisation of lanthanide(III) and
yttrium(III) nitrate complexes of benzimidazole-2-acetic acid
(HBIA) are reported. The complexes have been characterised by
elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic studies, IR,
1H NMR, UV-visible, EPR, and TG/DTA studies. They have
the stoichiometry [Ln3(BIA)2(NO3)7(H2O)4]⋅3H2O where Ln=La(III), Pr(III), Nd(II), Sm(III), Eu(III), Gd(III),
Tb(III), Dy(III), and Y(III). The effect of La(III) complex on
germination, coleoptile, and root length of two local varieties of
wheat DWR-195 and GW-349 for different treatment periods has been
investigated. The complex was found to exhibit enhanced activity,
compared to HBIA or metal salt alone at lower treatment periods.