Synthesis and Crystal Structures of an Unexpected Tetranuclear Zinc(II) Complex and a Benzoquinone Compound Derived from ZnII‐ and CdII‐Promoted Reactivity of Schiff Base Ligands

An unexpected polyhydroxyl‐bridged tetranuclear Zn^II complex and a benzoquinone compound derived from metal‐ion promoted reactivity of Schiff base ligands were synthesized and characterized. The reaction of zinc(II) acetate dihydrate with oxime‐type Schiff base ligand HL¹ [HL¹ = 1‐(3‐((3,5‐dibromosalicylaldehyde)amino)phenyl)ethan‐1‐one O‐benzyl oxime] in methanol, acetone, and acetonitrile resulted in the chemoselective cleavage of the C=N bond of the Schiff base HL¹, and then the further addition of acetone to two salicylaldehyde molecules derived from cleavage of the C=N bond in situ α,α double aldol reaction promoted by Zn^II ions. The newly formed ligands H₄L² coordinate to four Zn^II ions forming a defect‐dicubane core structure [Zn^II₄(H₂L²)₂(μ₃‐OCH₃)₂(μ‐OCH₃)₂(CH₃OH)₂] ( 1 ) bridged exclusively by oxygen‐based ligands. The similar ligand HL³ [HL³ = 1‐(3‐((3,5‐dichlorosalicylaldehyde)amino)phenyl)ethan‐1‐one O‐benzyl oxime)] was employed to react with Cd^II acetate dihydrate under the same reaction conditions. No aldol addition occurred but a unexpected benzoquinone compound 2,5‐bis(((3‐(1‐((benzyloxy)imino)ethyl)phenyl)imino)methyl)‐1,4‐benzoquinone ( 2 ) formed. The results provided interesting insights into one‐pot routes involving in situ reactions act as a strategy for obtaining a variety of polymeric/polynuclear complexes which are inconvenient to obtain from directly presynthesizing the ligands.