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The synthesis and characterization of the extended phloroglucinol-ligand H(3)felden based on the trialdehyde 2,4,6-triformylphloroglucinol and its trinuclear Cu(II)(3) complex [(felden){Cu(bpy)}(3)](ClO(4))(3) is presented. This study is motivated to optimize analogous extended phloroglucinol-ligands based on the triketone 2,4,6-triacetylphloroglucinol, which transmit ferromagnetic interactions by the spin-polarization mechanism between three Cu(II) ions and have therefore been applied as the central ligand backbone for a class of heptanuclear single-molecule magnets in a supramolecular approach. A detailed NMR spectroscopic study reveals that the ligand H(3)felden is not in the usually anticipated enol-imine form but in the tautomeric keto-enamine form. The presence of a C(3h) and a C(s) symmetric isomer results in a set of four different signals for each proton. In conjunction with FTIR, electronic absorption spectroscopy, and bond length considerations, it also appears that the complex [(felden){Cu(bpy)}(3)](ClO(4))(3) must be considered as a resonance hybrid of an enolate-imine and a keto-enamine form. A strong contribution of the keto-enamine resonance structure with loss of the central π system explains the weak but ferromagnetic interactions between the Cu(II)S = 1/2 spins. This detailed analysis identifies the strong resonance with unsaturated groups in 2,4,6-position of phloroglucinol as the main source for the low ferromagnetic couplings by the spin-polarization mechanism in these ligands. This provides a synthetic handle to improve the spin-polarization mechanism in these ligands by replacing the imine with amine functions.

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The vicinity of a hydrogen bond donor (O-H) and a hydrogen bond acceptor (C=O or C=N-R) in salicylaldehydes and ortho-Schiff bases results in significant structural variations compared to the monosubstituted derivatives that are reflected in the electronic structure and thus in the spectroscopic properties. This interplay between intramolecular hydrogen bonding and multicenter π-electron delocalization is the origin of the concept of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonding (RAHB). Herein, the complexity is extended from one hydrogen bond donor-acceptor pair in salicylaldehyde and ortho-Schiff bases to three hydrogen bond donor-acceptor pairs in 2,4,6-tricarbonyl-and 2,4,6-triimine-substituted phloroglucinols (1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene), respectively. To evaluate the changes in the molecular and electronic structures, we have performed a comprehensive computational, spectroscopic, and structural study starting from monosubstituted benzene derivatives as references over ortho-disubstituted derivates to the sixfold-substituted derivatives. Whereas in salicylaldehydes, ortho-Schiff bases, and 2,4,6-tricarbonyl-phloroglucinols the phenolic O-protonated tautomers represent the energy minima, the N-protonated tautomers represent the energy minima in 2,4,6-triiminephloroglucinols. The analysis provides a keto-enamine resonance structure with six exocyclic double bonds to be dominant for these species reminiscent of [6]radialenes, which were termed heteroradialenes. These heteroradialenes are non-aromatic alicycles. However, the predominance of this resonance structure does not represent a sudden change going from the 2,4,6-tricarbonyl-to the 2,4,6-triimine-phloroglucinols, but a gradual increase of analogous resonance structure contributions is observed even in salicylaldehyde and ortho-Schiff bases demonstrating some hetero-orthoquinodimethane character. These changes are, besides in the molecular structures, well reflected in the IR spectra, which can therefore be used as a simple tool to probe the electronic structures in these systems. Interruption of the delocalized π system supporting the intramolecular hydrogen bond, i. e. going from 2,4,6-triimine-to 2,4,6-triamine-substituted phloroglucinols, reestablishes an O-protonated aromatic phloroglucinol system.

Extended phloroglucinol ligands and complexes are best described as nonaromatic heteroradialenes. Herein, the electronic structures of extended thiophloroglucinol ligands and their Ni(II) 3 complexes are evaluated by comparison to their phloroglucinol analogs by means of NMR, FTIR, UV/Vis, and structural parameters. To provide a full set of compounds for this comparison of S versus O substitution, a new triplesalen ligand, its Ni(II) 3 complex, and a new thiophloroglucinol were synthesized. (1) H and (15) N NMR chemical shifts and coupling constants prove that the thiophloroglucinol ligands exist as the N-protonated and not the O-protonated tautomer. (13) C and (15) N NMR chemical shifts and structural parameters further demonstrated that the extended thiophloroglucinol ligands must be described with a predominant thione-enamine (heteroradialene) character despite the participation of a CS double bond. In the Ni(II) 3 complexes, this heteroradialene character is reduced but still predominant.