Structural and magnetic properties of metal complexes with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate and 5-(4-bromophenyl)-2,4′-bipyridine

A series of complexes has been synthesized based on pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate (L1) as the bridging ligand and 5-(4-bromophenyl)-2,4′-bipyridine (L2) as the pendant with different metal ions such as Ni^II, Co^II, and Cu^II, under hydrothermal conditions. In nickel and cobalt complexes M(L1)(L2)₂ · H₂O]_n (M = Ni²⁺ or Co²⁺), the metal ions are bridged by L1 to form 1D coordination zigzag polymeric chains with L2 pendants possessing hexa-coordinated distorted octahedral geometries. While the copper ions are penta-coordinated by L1 and L2 with distorted square pyramidal geometries forming the tetranuclear cluster with the formula Cu₄(L1)₄(L2)₄] · 2H₂O. It has been found that both the structure and magnetic property of these complexes are metal ions dependent. Intramolecular antiferromagnetic interactions were observed in the nickel and cobalt 1D coordination polymers, while ferromagnetic coupling was found in the tetranuclear copper cluster. Density functional theory calculations suggested that the O–C–O bridges of L1 in a basal–apical mode are responsible for intracluster intermetallic ferromagnetic exchange for the tetranuclear copper cluster.