Two new coordination polymers {[MII(HL)(EtOH)2](ClO4)}n, where MII= Co
(1) and Ni (2), were synthesized using a
Schiff
base ligand H2L = 2-{[(E)-1H-imidazol-4-ylmethylidene}amino]benzoic acid. Compounds 1 and 2 are isostructural, presenting a one-dimensional
helical chain arrangement. Each metal center has a distorted octahedral
geometry bridged by a syn-anti carboxylate group.
The fitting of the magnetic susceptibility data in the 1.8–300
K range shows weak intrachain antiferromagnetic interaction for 1 and weak ferromagnetic interaction for 2, with
the presence of zero-field splitting (zfs) phenomenon in both compounds.
Theoretical calculations confirm the weak intrachain coupling in both
compounds, but with a zfs phenomenon dominant at lower temperatures.
A positive value for the zfs is also obtained, with a major spin–orbit
coupling component.