Metal complexes with pyridone-based radicals: Preparation and properties of a dinuclear paddle-wheel copper(II) complex and a mononuclear palladium(II) complex

We prepared and characterized dinuclear copper(II) and mononuclear palladium(II) complexes coordinated with a pyridine-based open-shell ligand, 5-(4′,4′,5′,5′-tetramethylimidazoline-3′-oxide-1′-oxyl)-2(1H)-pyridone (=HL). In the copper(II) dinuclear complex Cu₂(L)₄(DMF)₂] (1), four deprotonated ligands are coordinated as bridging ligands to form a paddle-wheel type unit. In the palladium(II) complex trans-PdCl₂(HL)₂] (2), two HL ligands in the neutral hydroxypyridine form are coordinated to the trans positions of the metal ion via the nitrogen atoms. The hydroxyl groups of the ligands are hydrogen-bonded to the chlorine atoms of neighboring molecules, thereby creating a hydrogen-bonded double-chain molecular arrangement. Magnetic susceptibilities of these complexes were measured and analyzed. The small intramolecular antiferromagnetic interaction in the latter complex may originate from superexchange through the diamagnetic metal center.