A new Cu(II) complex of an asymmetrically dicondensed Schiff base (HL = N-(2-hydroxyacetophenylidene)-N'-salicylidene-1,3-propanediamine) derived from 1,3-propanediamine, salicylaldehyde, and o-hydroxyacetophenone has been synthesized. Using this complex, [CuL] (1), as a metalloligand, two new trinuclear Cu-Mn complexes, [(CuL)Mn(N)(HO)](ClO)·HO (2) and [(CuL)Mn(NCS)] (3), have been prepared. Single-crystal structural analyses reveal that complexes 2 and 3 both have the same bent trinuclear {(CuL)Mn} structural unit in which two terminal bidentate square-planar (CuL) units are chelated to the central octahedral Mn(II) ion. This structural similarity is also evident from the variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements, which suggest that compounds 2 and 3 are both antiferromagnetically coupled with comparable exchange coupling constants (-21.8 and -22.3 cm, respectively). The only difference between 2 and 3 lies in the coordination around the central Mn(II) ion; in 3, two SCN groups are coordinated to the Mn(II), leaving a neutral complex, but in 2, one N group and one HO molecule are coordinated to give a positively charged species. The presence of such a labile HO coligand makes 2 catalytically active in mimicking two well-known polynuclear copper proteins, catecholase and phenoxazinone synthase. The turnover numbers (k) for the aerial oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol and o-aminophenol are 1118 and 6581 h, respectively, values which reflect the facility of the heterometallic catalyst in terms of both efficiency and catalytic promiscuity for aerial dioxygen activation. The mechanisms of these biomimetic oxidase reactions are proposed for the first time involving any heterometallic catalyst on the basis of mass spectral analysis, EPR spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The evidence of the intermediates indicates possible heterometallic cooperative activity where the substrates bind to a Mn(II) center and Cu(II) plays the role of an electron carrier for transformation of the phenolic substrates to their respective products with the reduction of aerial dioxygen.

Five new nickel(II) complexes [Ni(2)L(2)(N(3))(2)(H(2)O)(2)] (1), [Ni(2)L(2)(NO(3))(2)] (2), [Ni(2)L(2)(O(2)CPh)(CH(3)OH)(2)]ClO(4).0.5CH(3)OH (3), [Ni(3)L(2)(O(2)CPh)(4)] (4), and [Ni(2)L(2)(NO(2))(2)](n) (5) have been synthesized by using a tridentate Schiff base ligand, HL (2-[(3-Methylamino-propylimino)-methyl]-phenol), and the polyatomic monoanions N(3)(-), NO(3)(-), PhCOO(-), or NO(2)(-). The complexes have been structurally and magnetically characterized. The structural analysis reveals that in all five complexes, the Ni(II) ions possess a distorted octahedral geometry. Complexes 1 and 2 are dinuclear with di-mu-1,1-azido and di-mu(2)-phenoxo bridges, respectively. Complex 3 is also a di-mu(2)-phenoxo-bridged dinuclear Ni(II) complex but has an additional syn-syn benzoate bridge. Compound 4 possesses a linear trinuclear structure with the tridentate Schiff base ligand coordinated to the terminal nickel atoms which are linked to the central Ni(II) by phenoxo and carboxylate bridges. Complex 5 consists of a dinuclear entity, bridged by di-mu(2)-phenoxo together with a cis-(mu-nitrito-1kappaO:2kappaN) nitrite ion. The dinuclear units are linked each other by another bridging trans-(mu-nitrito-1kappaO:2kappaN) nitrite to form a Ni(II) chain that shows the presence of unprecedented alternating cis- and trans-N,O bridging mode of the nitrite anion. Variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of complex 1 indicate the presence of ferromagnetic exchange interactions within the dimer (J = 23.5(3) cm(-1)) together with antiferromagnetic interdimer interactions (J' = -0.513(3) cm(-1)), whereas compounds 2 and 3 show intradimer antiferromagnetic interactions (J = -24.27(6) and -16.48(4) cm(-1), respectively). Ferromagnetic coupling (J = 6.14(2) cm(-1)) is observed in complex 4 for the linear centro-symmetric Ni(II) trimer, whereas complex 5 shows an alternating intra-chain antiferromagnetic coupling (J(1) = -32.1(1) cm(-1) and J(2) = -3.2(1) cm(-1)).

Two linear, trinuclear mixed‐valence complexes, [CoII{(μ‐L1)(μ‐OAc)CoIII(OAc)}2] (1) and [CoII{(μ‐L2)(μ‐OAc)CoIII(OAc)}2] (2) and two mononuclear CoIII complexes [CoIII{L3}(OAc)] (3), and [CoIII{L4}(OAc)] (4) were prepared and the molecular structures of 1, 2 and 4 elucidated on the basis of X‐ray crystallography [OAc = Acetate ion, H2L1 = H2Salen = 1,6‐bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2,5‐diazahexa‐1,5‐diene, H2L2 = H2Me2Salen = 2,7‐bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2,6‐diazaocta‐2,6‐diene, H2L3 = H2Salpn = 1,7‐bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2,6‐diazahepta‐1,6‐diene, H2L4 = H2Me2Salpn = 2,8‐bis(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐3,7‐diazanona‐2,7‐diene]. In complexes 1 and 2, the acetate groups show both monodentate and bridging bidentate coordination modes, whereas chelating bidentate acetate is present in 4. The terminal CoIIIN2O4 centres in 1 and 2 exhibit uniform facial arrangements of both non‐bridged N2O and bridging O3 donor sets and the CoII centre is coordinated to six (four phenoxo and two acetato) oxygen atoms of the bridging ligands. The effective magnetic moment at room temperature corresponds to the presence of high‐spin CoII in both 1 and 2. The complexes 1 and 2 are thus CoIII(S = 0)–CoII(S = 3/2)–CoIII(S = 0) trimers. Complexes 3 and 4 are monomeric and diamagnetic containing low‐spin CoIII(S = 0) with chelating tetradentate Schiff base and bidentate acetate. Calculations based on DFT rationalise the formation of trinuclear or mononuclear complexes.(© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2008)

No abstract

Three double phenoxido-bridged dinuclear nickel(II) complexes, namely [Ni(2)(L(1))(2)(NCS)(2)] (1), [Ni(2)(L(2))(2)(NCS)(2)] (2), and [Ni(2)(L(3))(2)(NCS)(2)] (3) have been synthesized using the reduced tridentate Schiff-base ligands 2-[1-(3-methylamino-propylamino)-ethyl]-phenol (HL(1)), 2-[1-(2-dimethylamino-ethylamino)-ethyl]-phenol (HL(2)), and 2-[1-(3-dimethylamino-propylamino)-ethyl]-phenol (HL(3)), respectively. The coordination compounds have been characterized by X-ray structural analyses, magnetic-susceptibility measurements, and various spectroscopic methods. In all complexes, the nickel(II) ions are penta-coordinated in a square-pyramidal environment, which is severely distorted in the case of 1 (Addison parameter τ = 0.47) and 3 (τ = 0.29), while it is almost perfect for 2 (τ = 0.03). This arrangement leads to relatively strong antiferromagnetic interactions between the Ni(II) (S = 1) metal centers as mediated by double phenoxido bridges (with J values of -23.32 (1), -35.45 (2), and -34.02 (3) cm(3) K mol(-1), in the convention H = -2JS(1)S(2)). The catalytic activity of these Ni compounds has been investigated for the aerial oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol. Kinetic data analysis following Michaelis-Menten treatment reveals that the catecholase activity of the complexes is influenced by the flexibility of the ligand and also by the geometry around the metal ion. Electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS) studies (in the positive mode) have been performed for all the coordination compounds in the presence of 3,5-DTBC to characterize potential complex-substrate intermediates. The mass-spectrometry data, corroborated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, suggest that the metal centers are involved in the catecholase activity exhibited by the complexes.

A diphenoxido-bridged dinuclear copper(II) complex, [Cu(2)L(2)(ClO(4))(2)] (1), has been synthesized using a tridentate reduced Schiff base ligand, 2-[[2-(diethylamino)ethylamino]methyl]phenol (HL). The addition of triethylamine to the methanolic solution of this complex produced a novel triple bridged (double phenoxido and single hydroxido) dinuclear copper(II) complex, [Cu(2)L(2)(OH)]ClO(4) (2). Both complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by X-ray structural analyses, variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements, and spectroscopic methods. In 1, the two phenoxido bridges are equatorial-equatorial and the species shows strong antiferromagnetic coupling with J = -615.6(6.1) cm(-1). The inclusion of the equatorial-equatorial hydroxido bridge in 2 changes the Cu···Cu distance from 3.018 Å (avg.) to 2.798 Å (avg.), the positions of the phenoxido bridges to axial-equatorial, and the magnetic coupling to ferromagnetic with J = 50.1(1.4) cm(-1). Using 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol as the substrate, the catecholase activity of the complexes has been studied in a methanol solution; compound 2 shows higher catecholase activity (k(cat) = 233.4 h(-1)) than compound 1 (k(cat) = 93.6 h(-1)). Both complexes generate identical species in solution, and they are interconvertible simply by changing the pH of their solutions. The higher catecholase activity of 2 seems to be due to the presence of the OH group, which increases the pH of its solution.

Three new basal-apical, mu(2)-1,1-azide bridged complexes, [CuL(1)(N(3))](2) (1), [CuL(2)(N(3))](2) (2) and [CuL(3)(N(3))](2) (3) with very similar tridentate Schiff base blocking ligands [L(1) = N-(3-aminopropyl)salicylaldimine, L(2) = 7-amino-4-methyl-5-azahept-3-en-2-one and L(3) = 8-amino-4-methyl-5-azaoct-3-en-2-one) have been synthesised and their molecular structures determined by X-ray crystallography. In complex 1, there is no inter-dimer H-bonding. However, complexes 2 and 3 form two different supramolecular structures in which the dinuclear entities are linked by strong H-bonds giving one-dimensional systems. Variable-temperature (300-2 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements and magnetization measurements at 2 K reveal that complexes and have antiferromagnetic coupling while has ferromagnetic coupling which is also confirmed by EPR spectra at 4-300 K. Magnetostructural correlations have been made taking into consideration both the azido bridging ligands and the existence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds in complexes 2 and 3.

No abstract