Di-μ-cyanido-1:2κ²C:N,2:3κ²N:C-hexacyanido-1κ³C,3κ³C-tetrakis(1,10-phenanthroline)-1κ²N,N′;2κ⁴N,N′;3κ²N,N′-1,3-dicobalt(III)-2-iron(II) tetrahydrate

Abstract

The hydro­thermal reaction of CoCl2·6H2O, 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and K3[Fe(CN)6] in deionized water yielded the title cyanide-bridged trinuclear cluster, [Co2Fe(CN)8(C12H8N2)4]·4H2O or [{CoIII(phen)(CN)4}2{FeII(phen)2}]·4H2O, which contains two CoIII centers and one FeII center linked by cyanide bridges. The combination of coordinative bonds, O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.630 (2) Å] results in the stabilization of a supra­molecular structure. All uncoordinated water molecules are disordered. Thermogravimetric analysis reveals that the title complex loses the four crystal water mol­ecules at about 333 K, then the anhydrous phase loses no further mass up to about 573 K, above which decomposition occurs.