Thermoanalytical studies of imidazole-substituted coordination compounds

Four manganese(II) coordination compounds with bis(1-methylimidazol-2-yl)ketone (BIK) of general formula Mn(BIK)₂X₂ (X = Cl, Br, NO₃, ClO₄) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, by UV–vis, and FTIR spectroscopies to be compared with the literature data. Following our previous thermoanalytical studies on imidazole-substituted coordination compounds, the thermal behavior of the synthesized Mn(II) complexes was investigated using TG and DTG techniques: the thermal profile is characterized by three substantial consecutive releasing steps for all the three complexes and the releasing supposed behavior is confirmed by EGA analysis performed by coupling the TG analyzer to an MS spectrometer. In particular, the first step is ascribed to the release of the two anions, followed by the loss of four methyl groups (side chains of the ligand) and two bridge-carbonyl groups. The residual tetra-imidazole manganese compound decomposes in a final step to give MnO as the final residue. Both the initial decomposition temperatures and the kinetic rate constants associated to the first decomposition step indicated a higher stability of the Mn(BIK)₂Cl₂ complex, the bromide complex being very close to the chloride one (first-step thermal stability: ClO₄ ⁻ <NO₃ ⁻ ≤Br⁻ <Cl⁻). Finally, the three-dimensional diffusion reaction model (D3) was selected to describe the first decomposition step for all the four complexes examined.