Marta Viciano-Chumillas

Mononuclear Manganese(III) Complexes as Building Blocks for the Design of Trinuclear Manganese Clusters: Study of the Ligand Influence on the Magnetic Properties of the [Mn3(μ3-O)]7+Core

The synthesis, crystal structure, and magnetic properties of three new manganese(III) clusters are reported, [Mn 3(mu 3-O)(phpzH) 3(MeOH) 3(OAc)] (1), [Mn 3(mu 3-O)(phpzMe) 3(MeOH) 3(OAc)].1.5MeOH (2), and [Mn 3(mu 3-O)(phpzH) 3(MeOH) 4(N 3)].MeOH (3) (H 2phpzH = 3(5)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-pyrazole and H 2phpzMe = 3(5)-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-5(3)-methylpyrazole). Complexes 1- 3 consist of a triangle of manganese(III) ions with an oxido-center bridge and three ligands, phpzR (2-) (R = H, Me) that form a plane with the metal ions. All the complexes contain the same core with the general formula [Mn 3(mu 3-O)(phpzR) 3] (+). Methanol molecules and additional bridging ligands, that is, acetate (complexes 1 and 2) and azide (complex 3), are at the terminal positions. Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility studies indicate the presence of predominant antiferromagnetic intramolecular interactions between manganese(III) ions in 1 and 3, while both antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic intramolecular interactions are operative in 2.

Mono- and Dinuclear Iron Complexes of Bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)ketone (bik): Structure, Magnetic Properties, and Catalytic Oxidation Studies

The newly synthesized dinuclear complex [Fe(III)(2)(μ-OH)(2)(bik)(4)](NO(3))(4) (1) (bik, bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)ketone) shows rather short Fe···Fe (3.0723(6) Å) and Fe-O distances (1.941(2)/1.949(2) Å) compared to other unsupported Fe(III)(2)(μ-OH)(2) complexes. The bridging hydroxide groups of 1 are strongly hydrogen-bonded to a nitrate anion. The (57)Fe isomer shift (δ = 0.45 mm s(-1)) and quadrupole splitting (ΔE(Q) = 0.26 mm s(-1)) obtained from Mössbauer spectroscopy are consistent with the presence of two identical high-spin iron(III) sites. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility studies revealed antiferromagnetic exchange (J = 35.9 cm(-1) and H = JS(1)·S(2)) of the metal ions. The optimized DFT geometry of the cation of 1 in the gas phase agrees well with the crystal structure, but both the Fe···Fe and Fe-OH distances are overestimated (3.281 and 2.034 Å, respectively). The agreement in these parameters improves dramatically (3.074 and 1.966 Å) when the hydrogen-bonded nitrate groups are included, reducing the value calculated for J by 35%. Spontaneous reduction of 1 was observed in methanol, yielding a blue [Fe(II)(bik)(3)](2+) species. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of [Fe(II)(bik)(3)](OTf)(2) (2) revealed spin-crossover behavior. Thermal hysteresis was observed with 2, due to a loss of cocrystallized solvent molecules, as monitored by thermogravimetric analysis. The hysteresis disappears once the solvent is fully depleted by thermal cycling. [Fe(II)(bik)(3)](OTf)(2) (2) catalyzes the oxidation of alkanes with t-BuOOH. High selectivity for tertiary C-H bond oxidation was observed with adamantane (3°/2° value of 29.6); low alcohol/ketone ratios in cyclohexane and ethylbenzene oxidation, a strong dependence of total turnover number on the presence of O(2), and a low retention of configuration in cis-1,2-dimethylcyclohexane oxidation were observed. Stereoselective oxidation of olefins with dihydrogen peroxide yielding epoxides was observed under both limiting oxidant and substrate conditions.

[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]−: a new bis-oxalato building block for metal assembling. Crystal structures and magnetic properties of XPh4[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]·5H2O (X = P and As), {Ba(H2O)2[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]2}n·17/2nH2O and {Ag(H2O)[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]}n·3nH2O

The synthesis, X-ray structure and variable-temperature magnetic study of new compounds of formula PPh4[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]·5H2O (1), AsPh4[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]·5H2O (2), {Ba(H2O)2[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]2}n·17/2nH2O (3) and {Ag(H2O)[Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]}n·3nH2O (4) (PPh4+ = tetraphenylphosphonium cation; AsPh4+ = tetraphenylarsonium cation; dmbipy = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine; ox2− = oxalate dianion) are reported herein. The isomorphous compounds 1 and 2 are made up of discrete [Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]− anions, XPh4+ cations [X = P (1) and As (2)] and uncoordinated water molecules. The chromium environment in 1 and 2 is distorted octahedral with Cr–O and Cr–N bond distances varying in the ranges 1.950(2)–1.9782(12) and 2.047(3)–2.0567(14) A, respectively. The angles subtended at the chromium atom by the two bidentate oxalate ligands cover the range 82.58(10)–83.11(5)°, and they are somewhat greater than those concerning the chelating dmbipy [79.04(10) (1) and 79.24(5)° (2)]. The [Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]− unit of 1 and 2 also occurs in 3 and 4 but it adopts different coordination modes. It acts as a chelating ligand through its two oxalate groups towards the divalent barium cations in 3 affording neutral chains with diamond-shaped units sharing the barium atoms, while the two other corners are occupied by two crystallographically independent chromium atoms. The barium atom in 3 is coordinated by eight oxygen atoms from four oxalate groups and two aqua ligands. The structure of 4 consists of neutral bimetallic layers where the [Cr(dmbipy)(ox)2]− unit acts as a ligand towards the univalent silver(I) cation through its two oxalate groups, one of them being bidentate and the other bidentate/monodentate (outer). Each silver atom is six-coordinated with a water molecule and five oxygen atoms from three oxalate groups building a highly distorted octahedral environment. Magnetic susceptibility measurements for 1–4 in the temperature range 1.9–300 K show the occurrence of weak ferro- (1 and 2) and antiferromagnetic (3 and 4) interactions which are mediated by π–π stacking between dmbipy ligands through the spin polarization mechanism. A comparative study of the potentiality of the [Cr(AA)(ox)2]− unit (AA = bidentate nitrogen donor) as a building block for designing heterometallic species is carried out in the light of the available structural information.

High nuclearity manganese(III) compounds containing phenol-pyrazole ligands: the influence of the ligand on the core geometry

Three high-nuclearity manganese(III) clusters have been synthesized and characterized: [Mn₈(μ₄-O)₄(phpzH)₈(thf)₄] (1), [Mn₈(μ₄-O)₄(phpzH)₄(EtOH)₄]·2EtOH (2), and [Mn₆(μ₃-O)₄(μ₃-Br)₂(HphpzEt)₆(phpzEt)] (3). Compounds 1 and 2 contain a [Mn₈(μ₄-O₄)(phpzH)₈] core in which antiferromagnetic interactions between the manganese(III) ions are found. Compound 3 is a hexanuclear manganese(III) cluster in which weak ferromagnetic interactions appear to be operative. The formation and the stability of the cluster cores in relation to the type of phenol-pyrazole ligand and the reaction conditions are discussed.

Oxidative Double Dehalogenation of Tetrachlorocatechol by a Bio-Inspired CuII Complex : Formation of Chloranilic Acid

Copper(II) complexes of the potentially tripodal N,N,O ligand 3,3-bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)propionate (L1) and its conjugate acid HL1 have been synthesised and structurally and spectroscopically characterised. The reaction of equimolar amounts of ligand and CuII resulted in the complexes [Cu(L1)]n(X)n (X=OTf-, PF6(-); n=1,2), for which a new bridging coordination mode of L1 is inferred. Although these complexes showed moderate catecholase activity in the oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol, surprising reactivity with the pseudo-substrate tetrachlorocatechol was observed. A chloranilato-bridged dinuclear CuII complex was isolated from the reaction of [Cu(L1)]n(PF6)n with tetrachlorocatechol. This stoichiometric oxidative double dehalogenation of tetrachlorocatechol to chloranilic acid by a biomimetic copper(II) complex is unprecedented. The crystal structure of the product, [Cu2(ca)Cl2(HL1)2], shows a bridging bis-bidentate chloranilato (ca) ligand and ligand L1 coordinated as its conjugate acid (HL1) in a tridentate fashion. Magnetic susceptibility studies revealed weak antiferromagnetic coupling (J= -35 cm(-1)) between the two copper centres in the dinuclear complex. Dissolution of the green complex [Cu2(ca)Cl2(HL1)2] resulted in the formation of new pink-purple mononuclear compound [Cu(ca)(HL1)(H2O)], the crystal structure of which was determined. It showed a terminal bidentate chloranilato ligand and N,N-bidentate coordination of ligand HL1, which illustrates the flexible coordination chemistry of ligand L1.

Cyanide-bridged coordination polymers constructed from lanthanide ions and octacyanometallate building-blocks

A new series of cyanide-bridged assemblies, {KH[Ln2(2,3-pzdc)2(CH3OH)(H2O)7][M(CN)8]}·5H2O (Ln3+ = Nd, Gd, Tb, and Dy; M4+ = Mo and W), were synthesised by self-assembling lanthanide ions and octacyanometallate ions in the presence of pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylic acid (2,3-H2pzdc). These compounds have a 3D structure in which octagon-like Ln4M4(CN)8 rings are connected through a second Ln3+ center via the carboxylate groups of one 2,3-pzdc. The resulting 1D channels are filled with K+ ions and lattice water molecules. The temperature and field dependent magnetization studies as well as ab initio calculations indicate weak ferromagnetic interactions between the Gd3+ ions within the GdMo compound whilst no magnetic interactions exist in GdW analogues. The magnetic properties of Nd3+, Tb3+ and Dy3+ compounds are strongly dominated by the magnetic anisotropy of the lanthanide ions, irrespective of the octacyanometallate building-block used.