Ionic
conductivities are observed in the BF4
– salts of the Ru2(II,III) dinuclear paddlewheels with
adamantyl carboxylates [RuII,III
2(R-AdCOO)4(MeOH)2]BF4·MeOH (R-AdCOO– = 3-R-adamantanecarboxylate, 1, R = H; 2, R = F; and 3, R = OH), according to the partial removal
of the solvent MeOH molecules. In the crystal structures of 1–3, disordered MeOH molecules and BF4
– ions are found at the neighboring sites
surrounded by the adamantyl groups. The packing structures of 1 and 2 are almost identical, whereas 3 crystallizes in a different structure from that of 1 and 2, accompanied by a hydrogen-bonding network between
the 3-OH-adamantyl groups. In the electron density maps at 300 K,
the globular adamantyl groups of 1 and 2 fluctuate severely, whereas no significant fluctuations of the 3-OH-adamantyl
group are found in 3. The impedance data are collected
for the freshly prepared crystals of 1–3 during heating, and the data are analyzed using an equivalent circuit
containing a frequency-independent capacitance (εr
1), a capacitance following a Debye-type
relaxation (εr
2), and
a conductive component (σ
4) in the
range of 78–350 K. At approximately 200 K, the εr
2 values increase and semicircles are
observed in the complex permittivity plots, corresponding to the orientational
polarization of the MeOH molecules enclosed in the disordered sites
surrounded by the adamantyl groups. The εr
2 values of 1 and 2 are much larger than those of 3 because of the fluctuations
in the adamantyl units surrounding the MeOH solvent molecule. At approximately
300 K, the σ
4 values are highly
evolved and semicircles are found in the complex impedance plots.
Gradual weight losses are observed in the thermogravimetries at approximately
300 K, and the ionic conductivities are probably induced by the partial
removal of the MeOH molecules neighboring the BF4
– ions. The σ
4 values of 3 are much larger than those of 1 and 2,
which could be attributed to the robust framework of the hydrogen
bonds between the 3-OH-adamantyl groups. The activation energies estimated
by the Arrhenius plots are in the typical range of solid-state ionic
conductors with hopping ion diffusion.