Hexametallic manganese clusters with bulky derivatised salicylaldoximes

The reaction of Mn(ClO(4))(2)·6H(2)O with Ph-saoH(2) (Ph-saoH(2) = 2-hydroxybenzophenone oxime) in MeCN in the presence of sodium propionate forms the complex Mn(III)(6)O(2)(Ph-sao)(6)(prop)(2)(MeCN)(2)]·5.27MeCN (1·5.27MeCN) (prop = propionate). Repeating the same reaction in EtOH produces the complex Mn(III)(6)O(2)(Ph-sao)(6)(prop)(2)(EtOH)(4)] (2). Complexes 1 and 2 may be considered as structural isomers, since they display the same metallic core but different coordination modes of the propionate ligands; bridging in 1 and terminal in 2. Performing similar reactions and switching from sodium propionate to sodium adamantane-carboxylate (NaO(2)C-ada) and sodium pivalate (Napiv) in the presence of NEt(4)OH yields the complexes Mn(III)(6)O(2)(Ph-sao)(6)(O(2)C-ada)(2)(MeOH)(4)] (3) and Mn(III)(6)O(2)(Ph-sao)(6)(piv)(2)(EtOH)(4)]·0.5Et(2)O (4·0.5Et(2)O), respectively. All four complexes contain the same {Mn(III)(3)O(Ph-sao)(3)} building block. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility and magnetization studies show that all complexes possess an S = 4 ground-state.