A Tetranuclear Zinc(II) Complex of a [4+4] Macrocyclic Schiff Base Ligand

The cyclocondensation reaction between sodium 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenolate(sdmp) and 1,5-diamino-3-(1-hydroxyethyl)azapentane (dhap) followed by in situ transmetallation with Zn(ClO₄)₂6H₂O produced a tetranuclear zinc(II)complex of the current biggest-sized [4+4] Schiff base macrocyclic ligand. The structure of the complex has been determined by X-ray techniques, indicating that the hydroxyethyl group of the amine, dhap, has been eliminated in the process. For comparison, the reaction of sdmp with diethylenetriamine has also been carried out. The resulting product has been characterized by its infrared and positive ion FAB mass spectra, which turned out to be a mixture of the corresponding [3+3] and [4+4] macrocyclic Schiff bases together with thecommon [2+2] mode.