New Ni(II)Cu(II)Ni(II) trinuclear complexes with an 5=3/2 high-spin ground

Four new heterotrinuclear complexes have been synthesized and characterized, namely {[Ni(L)₂]₂[Cu(opba)]}(ClO₄)₂, where opba denotes o-phenylenebis(oxamato) and L stands for 1,10-phenanthroline(phen) (1), 5-nitro-l,10-phenanthroline(NO₂-phen) (2), 2,2′-bipyridyl(bpy) (S) and 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridyl(Me₂bpy) (4). The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of {[Ni(phen)₂]₂[Cu(opba)]}(ClO₄)₂3H₂O has been studied in the 4–300 K range, giving the exchange integral J—109 cm^?1. The HMT vs. T plot exhibits a minimum at about 100 K, characteristic of this kind of coupled polymetallic complex with an irregular spin-state structure.