With nickel(II) or copper(II) acetate,
2,6-bis(acetoximato)-4-methylphenol (H2Damox) and
2,6-bis(acetoximato)-4-tert-butylphenol (H2Dabox) afford
molecular dinuclear complexes
[Cu2(Damox)2] (1),
[Ni2(Damox)2(MeOH)2]·
MeOH (2), [Cu2(Dabox)2]
(5) and
[Ni2(Dabox)2(H2O)2]
(6). Salts of the macrocyclic tetraimine copper
chelates
from diacetylcresol with 1,3-diaminopropane and 1,4-diaminobutane,
[Cu2(Dampn)]2+ and
[Cu2(Dambn)]2+, were
also examined. Pyridine solutions of 2 yielded pink
crystals of
[Ni2(Damox)2(Py)4]·(Py)2
(3a), which effloresce
pyridine to form
[Ni2(Damox)2(Py)2]·Py
(3). The pseudomacrocyclic complexes 1,
5, and 6 react with
BF3·Et2O
to form BF2-bridged macrocyclic complexes
[Cu2(Damfb)] (4),
[Cu2(Dabfb)]·H2O (7), and
[Ni2(Dabfb)] (8).
Crystals of
[Ni2(Damox)2(Py)4]·(Py)2
(3a) are monoclinic (space group
P21/n), with a =
13.297(5) Å, b = 11.240(5) Å, c = 17.396(6) Å, β = 109.03°,
V = 2458(3) Å3, Z = 2,
R = 0.050, and R
w = 0.052.
The [Ni2(Dabfb] (8)
crystals are orthorhombic (space group Pnma), with
a = 11.558(6) Å, b = 17.200(5) Å,
c = 16.058(2) Å, V =
3192(3) Å3, Z = 4, R =
0.057, and R
w = 0.057. The saddle-shaped
molecules of 8 contain low-spin Ni(II).
The
copper(II) centers in 1, 5, 6,
etc., are strongly antiferromagnetically coupled with −2J
values in the range 550−800 cm-1. The nickel(II) centers in
2 and 3 are weakly (−2J = 3.2
cm-1) or moderately (−2J =
19.5 cm-1)
antiferromagnetically coupled, whereas 6 shows a moderate
ferromagnetic interaction with −2J = −5.1
cm-1.
All the complexes are electrochemically reducible in two
1-electron steps. In CH3CN, the mixed-valence
complexes
[Cu2(Dampn)]+ and
[Cu2(Dambn)]+ are valence-localized.
The nature of the carbon monoxide interactions with
the M(I) centers is clearest for
[Cu2(Dambn)]+/0, which in
dimethylformamide solution binds two molecules of
CO in a cooperative fashion.