The heterometallic complex [Co(4)Fe(2)OSae(8)]·4DMF·H(2)O (1) was synthesized by one-pot reaction of cobalt powder with iron chloride in a dimethylformamide solution of salicylidene-2-ethanolamine (H(2)Sae) and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, magnetic measurements, high frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (HF-EPR), and Mössbauer spectroscopies. The exchange coupling in the Fe(III)-Fe(III) pair is of antiferromagnetic behavior with J/hc = -190 cm(-1). The HF-EPR spectra reveal an unusual pattern with a hardly detectable triplet signal of the Fe(III) dimer. The magnitude of D (ca. 13.9 cm(-1)) was found to be much larger than in related dimers. The catalytic investigations disclosed an outstanding activity of 1 toward oxidation of cycloalkanes with hydrogen peroxide, under mild conditions. The most efficient system showed a turnover number (TON) of 3.57 × 10(3) with the concomitant overall yield of 26% for cyclohexane, and 2.28 × 10(3)/46%, respectively, for cyclooctane. A remarkable turnover frequency (TOF) of 1.12 × 10(4) h(-1) (the highest initial rate W(0) = 3.5 × 10(-4) M s(-1)) was achieved in oxidation of cyclohexane. Kinetic experiments and selectivity parameters led to the conclusion that hydroxyl radicals are active (attacking C-H bonds) species. Kinetic and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) data allowed us to assume that the trinuclear heterometallic particle [Co(2)Fe(Sae)(4)](+), originated from 1 in solution, could be responsible for efficient generation of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide.

A one-pot reactions of cobalt powder with iron(II) chloride in dimethylformamide (DMF; 1) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO; 2) solutions of polydentate salicylaldimine Schiff base ligands (H(2)L(1), 1; H(4)L(2), 2) based on 2-aminobenzyl alcohol (1) or tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (2), formed in situ, yielded two novel heterometallic complexes, [Co(III)(2)Fe(III)(2)(L(1))(6)]·4DMF (1) and [Co(III)(4)Fe(III)(4)(HL(2))(8)(DMSO)(2)]·18DMSO (2). Crystallographic investigations revealed that the molecular structure of 1 is based on a tetranuclear core, {Co(III)(2)Fe(III)(2)(μ-O)(6)}, with a chainlike metal arrangement, while the structure of 2 represents the first example of a heterometallic octanuclear core, {Co(III)(4)Fe(III)(4)(μ-O)(14)}, with a quite rare manner of metal organization, formed by two pairs of {CoFe(HL(2))(2)} and {CoFe(HL(2))(2)(DMSO)} moieties, which are joined by O bridges of the Schiff base ligands. Variable-temperature (1.8-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements showed a decrease of the μ(B) value at low temperature, indicative of antiferromagnetic coupling (J/hc = -32 cm(-1) in 1; J/hc = -20 cm(-1) in 2) between the Fe(III) magnetic centers in both compounds. For 2, three J constants between Fe(III) centers were assumed to be identical. High-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance spectra allowed one to find spin Hamiltonian parameters in the coupled-spin triplet and quintet states of 1 and estimate them in 2. The "outer" and "inner" Fe atoms in 2 appeared separately in the Mössbauer spectra.

Two novel heterometallic complexes [Cu2Fe2(HL(1))2(H2L(1))2]·10DMSO (1) and [Cu2Fe2(HL(2))2(H2L(2))2]·2DMF (2) have been prepared using the open-air reaction of copper powder, iron(II) chloride and DMSO (1) or DMF (2) solutions of the polydentate Schiff base (H4L(1), 1; H4L(2), 2) formed in situ from salicylaldehyde (1) or 5-bromo-salicylaldehyde (2) and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. Crystallographic analysis revealed that both compounds are based on the centrosymmetric tetranuclear core {Cu(II)2Fe(III)2(μ-O)6} where metal centres are joined by μ-O bridges from the deprotonated ligands forming a nonlinear chain-like arrangement. Variable-temperature (1.8-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 and 2 showed a decrease of the effective magnetic moment value at low temperature, indicative of antiferromagnetic coupling (JCu-Fe/hc = -10.2 cm(-1), JFe-Fe/hc = -10.5 cm(-1) in 1, JCu-Fe/hc = -10.5 cm(-1), JFe-Fe/hc = -8.93 cm(-1) in 2) between the magnetic centres in both compounds. They reveal an exceptionally high catalytic activity in the oxidation of cyclohexane with hydrogen peroxide under mild conditions, with the best observed yield/TON combined values of 36%/596 and 44%/1.1 × 10(3) for 1 and 2, respectively.

A one-pot open-air reaction of manganese powder with iron(ii) chloride in DMF solution of the Schiff base (H2L) formed in situ from salicylaldehyde and hydroxylamine hydrochloride yields the heterometallic complex [Fe4(μ4-O)4Mn4(L)8(DMF)4]·2DMF (). Single crystal X-ray analysis shows that its molecular structure is based on the octanuclear core {Fe4Mn4(μ4-O)4(μ-O)4} with a quite rare molecular structure type {M8(μ4-X)4(μ-X)4}, where the central cube-like iron motif is modified with four terminal manganese fragments, the whole core being presented as the {Fe4(μ4-O)4} + 4{Mn(μ-O)} combination. Using the data from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD), an analysis of the octanuclear structures with similar central {M4(μ4-X)4} fragments was performed. The hierarchical order of molecular structure types with the general formula M8Xn for such compounds was proposed and the topological features as well as the factors that influence the molecular type formation are discussed. Variable-temperature (1.8-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal an antiferromagnetic coupling among the magnetic centres in .