Three new polynuclear tetracarboxylato-bridged copper(II) complexes: Syntheses, X-ray structure and magnetic properties

The synthesis, crystal structure and magnetic measurements of three new polynuclear tetracarboxylato-bridged copper(II) complexes, i.e. {[Cu₄(phen)₂(μ-O₂CC₂H₅)₈] · (H₂O)}_n (1), [Cu₂(μ-O₂CC₆H₄OH)₄(C₇H₇NO)₂] · 6H₂O (2) and [Cu₂(μ-O₂CCH₃)₄(C₇H₇NO)₂] (3) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, O₂CC₆H₄OH = 3-hydroxy benzoate, C₇H₇NO = 4-acetylpyridine) are reported. All compounds consist of dinuclear units, in which two Cu(II) ions are bridged by four syn,syn-η¹:η¹:μ carboxylates, showing a paddle-wheel cage type with a square-pyramidal geometry, arranged in different ways. The structure of compound 1 consists of an one-dimensional structure generated by an alternating classical dinuclear paddle-wheel unit and an unusual dinuclear Cu₂(μ-OCOC₂H₅)₂(μ-O₂CC₂H₅)₂(phen)₂unit, which are connected to each other via a syn,anti-triatomic propionato bridge in an axial-equatorial configuration. The adjacent chains are connected to generate a 2D structure through the face-to-face π–π interaction between phen rings. Structures of compounds 2 and 3 both consist of a symmetric dinuclear Cu(II) carboxylate paddle-wheel core and pyridyl nitrogen atoms of 4-acetylpyridine ligand at the apical position, and just differ in the substituents of the equatorial ligands.

The magnetic properties have been measured and correlated with the molecular structures. It is found that in the two classical paddle-wheel compounds the Cu(II) ions are strongly antiferromagnetically coupled with J = −278.5 and −287.0 cm⁻¹ for complexes 2 and 3, respectively. In compound 1 the magnetic susceptibility could be fitted with two different, independent Cu(II) units, one strongly coupled and one weakly coupled; the paddle-wheel dinuclear unit has the strongest antiferromagetic coupling with a value for J of −299.5 cm⁻¹, whereas the Cu(II) ions in the propionato-bridged dinuclear unit of 1 display a very weak antiferromagnetic coupling with a value for J = −0.75 cm⁻¹, due to the orthogonality of the magnetic orbitals. Also the exchange within the chain is therefore very weak. The magneto-structural correlations for complexes 1, 2, and 3 are discussed on the basis of the structural parameters and magnetic data for the complexes.     

2D-1D structural phase transformation of Co(ii) 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate frameworks with chromotropism

Two new metal-organic frameworks [Co(pydc)(H(2)O)(2)](n) (1) and [Co(pydc)(H(2)O)(4)](n)(H(2)O)(n) (2), (pydc = 3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate) have been synthesized by a diffusion method and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of 1 reveals an infinite 2D layer with honeycomb-like cavities in which each pydc ligand bridges three Co(ii) ions. The adjacent 2D layers are orderly packed in an ABAB-type array via intermolecular interactions of the combined π-π stacking and hydrogen bonds to form a 3D supramolecular architecture. Interestingly, compound 1 exhibits a water induced crystal-to-amorphous transformation with chromotropism confirmed by spectroscopic techniques, elemental analysis, TGA and XRPD. When this amorphous phase (1A) was exposed to water vapor, it was readily converted into the second crystalline phase 1B with a color change. Moreover, a reversible process between 1A and 1B was performed. In the case of compound 2, pydc acts as didentate bridging ligand connecting two Co(ii) ions, leading to a 1D zig-zag chain. Guest water molecules fill the gaps in between chains and form hydrogen bonds with the host chains stabilizing the 3D network of 2. Additionally, compound 2 also exhibits a water induced crystal-to-amorphous transformation with chromotropism and the reversible process was also performed between the dehydrated (2A) and rehydrated (2') forms. Surprisingly, the IR and UV-vis spectra, elemental analysis, TGA curve and XRPD pattern of the rehydrated second phase 1B are found to be identical to that of 2 and 2', these results confirm that 2, 2' and 1B are the same compound.