Synthesis and Characterization of a Series of New Asymmetric Salphen Mono- and Binuclear Metal Complexes

Two novel asymmetric salen ligands H₂L¹ [N‐phenyl‐N‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐methylphenyl)‐N′‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐meth‐ oxylphenyl)‐o‐phenyldiamine] and H₂L² [N‐phenyl‐N‐(2‐hydroxy‐5‐chlorophenyl)‐N′‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyl‐ phenyl)‐o‐phenyldiamine] and their metal complexes MLⁿ (M=Zn, Co, Ni, Cu; n=1, 2) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, ¹H NMR, ESI‐MS, FT‐IR and UV‐Vis spectra. In particular, the complex ZnL¹, the binuclear monosalphen complex, was synthesized and studied in detail using ¹H NMR and ESI‐MS techniques. For other metal complexes under the same reaction conditions, only mononuclear complexes were obtained. The results are relevant to both the metal ions and the structure of ligands.