New oxamato-bridged trinuclear Cu(II)-Cu(II)-Cu(II) complexes with hydrogen-bond supramolecular structures: synthesis and magneto-structural studies

Three oxamato-bridged copper(II) complexes of formula (Cu(H(2)O)(tmen)Cu(tmen))(mu-Cu(H(2)O)(Me(2)pba))](n)((PF(6))(2))(n).2nH(2)O (1), (Cu(H(2)O)(tmen)Cu(NCS)(tmen))(mu-Cu(H(2)O)(Me(2)pba))](2)(ClO(4))(2).4H(2)O (2), and (Cu(H(2)O)(tmen)Cu(NCS)(tmen))(mu-Cu(H(2)O)(Me(2)pba))](2)(PF(6))(2).4H(2)O (3), where Me(2)pba = 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propylenebis(oxamato) and tmen = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine, have been synthesized and characterized. Their crystal structures were solved. Complex 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1), with a = 15.8364(3) A, b =8.4592(2) A, c = 15.952 A, beta = 101.9070(10) degrees, and Z = 2. Complex 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 6.69530(10) A, b = 18.2441(3) A, c = 31.6127(5) A, beta = 90.1230(10) degrees, and Z = 4. Complex 3 crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P2(1)/c, with a = 6.68970(10) A, b = 18.150 A, c = 32.1949(4) A, beta = 90.0820(10) degrees, and Z = 4. The three complexes have a central core in common: a trinuclear Cu(II) complex with the two terminal Cu(II) ions blocked by N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine. The structure of complex 1 consists of trinuclear cationic entities connected by hydrogen bonds to produce a supramolecular one-dimensional array. The structure of complexes 2 and 3 consist of trinuclear cationic entities linked by pairs by hydrogen bonds between the water molecule of the central Cu(II) and one oxygen atom of the oxamato ligand of the neighboring entity, forming a hexanuclear complex. The magnetic properties of the three complexes were studied by susceptibility vs temperature measurement. For complexes 1-3 the fit was made by the irreducible tensor operator (ITO). The values obtained were J(1) = -386.48 cm(-1) and J(2) = 1.94 cm(-1) for 1, J(1) = -125.77 cm(-1) and J(2) = 0.85 cm(-1) for 2, and J(1) = -135.50 cm(-1) and J(2) = 0.94 cm(-1) for 3. In complex 1, the coordination polyhedron of the terminal Cu(II) atoms can be considered as square pyramidal; the apical positions are filled by the oxygen atom from a water molecule in the former and a F atom of the hexafluorophosphate anion in the latter showing a quasi-planar Cu(CuMe(2)pba)Cu] network. For complexes 2 and 3, the square pyramidal environment of the terminal Cu(II) ions was strongly modified. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the longest distance (apical) in complexes with oxamato derivatives and bidentate amines as blocking ligands has been reported in one of the oxamato arms. The great difference in J(1) values between 1 and the other two complexes is interpreted as an orbital reversal of the magnetic orbitals of the terminal Cu(II) ions in 2 and 3.