Synthesis, structural characterization, and magnetic studies of polynuclear iron complexes with a new disubstituted pyridine ligand

A series of novel polyiron species have been prepared from the reaction of iron chloride with the 2,5-disubstituted pyridines H2L(n) (H2L1) = N,N'-bis(n-butylcarbamoyl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide; H2L2 = N,N'-bis(n-ethylcarbamoyl)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide). By small modifications of the experimental conditions under which the reactions are carried out, it has been possible to prepare the quadruply stranded diiron(II) complex Fe2(mu-H2L1)4(mu-Cl)2]FeCl4]2 (1), the metallamacrocycle Fe2(mu-H2L1)2(THF)4Cl2]FeCl4]2 (2), the hexairon(III) compound Fe6(L1)2(mu-OMe)6(mu4-O)2Cl4] (3), and the mixed-valence trinuclear iron complexes Fe3(L(n))3(mu3-O)] (n = 1, 4; n = 2, 5). The X-ray crystal structures of 3 and 5 and magnetic studies for all the compounds are herein presented. Interestingly, the structural analysis of 5 at room temperature indicates that one of the iron centers is Fe(III) while the other two have an average valence state between Fe(II) and Fe(III). The five complexes herein presented demonstrate the great versatility that the new ligand has as a building block for the formation of supramolecular coordination assemblies.