Sambuddha Banerjee

Isolation of four new CoII/CoIII and NiII complexes with a pentadentate Schiff base ligand: syntheses, structural descriptions and magnetic studies

In this paper we report the temperature and pH dependent syntheses and systematic characterization of four new Co(II)/Co(III) and Ni(II) complexes with a pentadentate Schiff base ligand H(3)L obtained by condensing 1,3,-diaminopropan-2-ol with 2-hydroxyacetophenone in 1:2 molar ratio. The room temperature syntheses involving Co(II) and Ni(II) nitrates and the ligand H(3)L lead to the isolation of the dinuclear species [Co(2)L(2)(H(2)O)] (1), and the mononuclear complex [Ni(LH)] (3), respectively, whereas refluxing at basic pH leads to the tetranuclear complexes, [Co(II)(2)Co(III)(2)L(2)(μ(3)-OMe)(2)(NO(3))(H(2)O)(2)]NO(3)·2(H(2)O) (2), and [Ni(4)L(2)(μ(3)-OMe)(2)(H(2)O)(2)]·2H(2)O (4). 1 is found to be a simple mono alkoxo-bridged Co(III) dinuclear species, whereas 2 and 4 are both rhomb-like tetrameric complexes with double oxo bridges and μ(3)-methoxo bridges, derived from the methanol solvent, in an open dicubane arrangement. Moreover 2 shows six coordinate ordered Co(II) and Co(III) ions and 4 has both six- and five-coordinate Ni(II) centers. Compound 3 is assigned a tentative mononuclear structure based on IR, UV-Vis spectroscopic, (1)H-NMR and ESI mass study results and is supposed to have one Ni(II) center coordinated with a ligand fragment in square planar geometry. The variable temperature magnetic susceptibility study for 2 and 4 is performed which indicate for both 2 and 4 the presence of intracluster dominant ferromagnetic interactions.

A 'Butterfly'-Shaped Water Tetramer in a Cu4 Complex Supported by a Hydrazone Ligand: Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Magnetic Properties, and Quantum Chemical Study

A potentially tetradentate NOOO donor hydrazone ligand, LH2 (condensation product of benzhydrazide with O-vanillin) generates a tetranuclear CuII complex [Cu4(L)4]·4H2O (1), whose void spaces are occupied by water tetramers presenting a ‘butterfly’ conformation with the highest dihedral angle reported to date, as revealed by its X-ray crystal structure. 1 has also been characterized using various spectroscopic techniques, including IR, UV-vis, and elemental analysis. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal the presence of moderate antiferromagnetic intra-tetramer coupling between the four CuII centres connected through simple oxo groups of the hydrazone ligand with two different coupling constants (J1 = –61.7(3) cm–1 and J2 = –92(1) cm–1) corresponding to the two different CuII tetramers identified in the X-ray structure. We also report a quantum chemical study (MP2(full)/6–311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6–311+G(3df,2p)) to calculate the stability of the water tetramers.