Macrocyclic effects upon isomeric CuIIMII and MIICuII cores. Formation with unsymmetric phenol-based macrocyclic ligands

This paper discusses coordination-position isomeric M^IICu^II and Cu^IIM^II complexes, using unsymmetric dinucleating macrocycles (L^m;n)²⁻ ((L^2;2)²⁻, (L^2;3)²⁻ and (L^2;4)²⁻) that comprise two 2-(N-methyl)-aminomethyl-6-iminomethyl-4-bromo-phenonate entities, combined through the ethylene chain (m = 2) between the two amine nitrogens and through the ethylene, trimethylene or tetramethylene chain(n = 2, 3 or 4) between the two imine nitrogens. The macrocycles have dissimilar N(amine)₂O₂ and N(imine)₂O₂ metal-binding sites sharing the phenolic oxygens. The reaction of the mononuclear Cu^II precursors, [Cu(L^2;2)], [Cu(L^2;2)] and [Cu(L^2;2)], with a M^II perchlorate and a M^II acetate salt formed (acetato)M^IICu^II complexes: [CoCu(L^2;2)(AcO)]ClO⁴·0.5H₂O] (1), [NiCu(L^2;2) (AcO)]ClO₄ (2), [ZnCu(L^2;2) (AcO)]ClO₄ (3), [CoCu(L^2;3)(AcO)]ClO₄·0.5H₂O (4), [NiCu(L^2;3)(AcO)]ClO₄ (5), [ZnCu(L^2;3)(AcO)]ClO₄·0.5H₂O (6), [CoCu(L^2;4)(AcO)(DMF)]ClO₄ (7), [NiCu(L^2;4) (AcO)]ClO₄·2DMF (8) and [ZnCu(L^2;4)(AcO)]ClO₄ (9) (the formulation [M_aM_b (L^m;n)]²⁺ means that M_a resides in the aminic site and M_b in the iminic site). The site selectivity of the metal ions is demonstrated by X-ray crystallographic studies for 2·MeOH,3,5,7, and9. An (acetato)Cu^IIZn^II complex, [CuZn(L^2;3)(AcO)]ClO₄ (10), was obtained by the reaction of [PbCu(L^2;3)]-(ClO₄)₂ with ZnSO₄·4H₂O, in the presence of sodium acetate. Other complexes of the Cu^IIM^II type were thermodynamically unstable to cause a scrambling of metal ions. The Cu migration from the iminic site to the aminic site in the synthesis of10 is explained by the ‘kinetic macrocyclic effect’. The coordination-position isomers,6 and10, are differentiated by physicochemical properties.