Tailoring the dimensionality of metal complexes via ligand modifications

Abstract

A series of CuII complexes obtained under the same reaction conditions has been analyzed to gain insight into the effect of the ligand composition on the final reaction product. Dipodal ligands containing N-donor imidazole rings and a benzene ring as a spacer with different numbers of methyl substituents on the aromatic rings were selected for the study such as 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene (L1), 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-5-methylbenzene (L2), 1,3-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (L3), 1,3-bis(2-methylimidazol-1-ylmethyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (L4). L4 has not been reported previously and was synthesized for this study. The formed metal complexes show the presence of polymeric (ligand with no or one methyl substituent; 1–4), or discrete motifs (3- or 5-methyl substituents; 5–7). The new metal complexes 3, 5 and 6 were analyzed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and powder diffraction. In addition, the structural analyses were supported by computational methods.

Solvation, Hydration, and Counterion Effect on the Formation of Ag(I) Complexes with the Dipodal Ligand 2,6-Bis[(imidazol-2-yl)thiomethyl]naphthalene

“…Recently, we showed that lowering the flexibility of a particular dipodal ligand, achieved by introducing a higher number of methyl substituents, facilitates the syn conformation of the ligand and the formation of discrete metal complexes in the solid state. [14].…”

“…The possibility of designing crystals of particular structures and properties would be beneficial in many aspects of everyday life, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, where issues caused by the occurrence of polymorphs, hydrates, or solvates are encountered on a daily basis [1,[11][12][13], as well as in materials science in general, as the appearance of an undesired crystalline form can completely change the properties of the particular material [1,3]. The presented study is a continuation of extensive research on factors influencing the outcome of the crystallization process [14][15][16][17]. It aims to reveal whether there are any preferences of new N-donor type bipodal ligands, such as 2,6-bis[(imidazol-2yl)thiomethyl]naphthalene (L, Scheme 1), in the formation of crystal structures of metal complexes.…”