Self-assembled hetero-bimetallic coordination cage and cation-clusters with µ2-Cl bridging using a flexible two-arm ferrocene amide linker

One flexible, discrete coordination cage [Cu2(3-BPFA)4(H2O)2](ClO4)4·4CH3OH (1), and two cation-clusters with µ2-Cl bridging [Ni2(µ-Cl)(3-BPFA)4(H2O)2](ClO4)3 (2) and [Co2(µ-Cl)(3-BPFA)4(H2O)2](ClO4)4·4CH3OH (3), containing the ferrocenyl functionality were prepared via coordination-driven self-assembly and Cl-anion template from CuII, NiII and CoII salts and a flexible two-arm molecule 1,1-bis[(3-pyridylamino)carbonyl]ferrocene (3-BPFA).