Self-assembly of mixed-valence Co(II/III) and Ni(II) clusters: azide-bridged 1D single chain coordination polymers comprised of tetranuclear units, tetranuclear Co(II/III) complexes, ferromagnetically coupled azide-bridged tetranuclear, and hexanuclear Ni(II) complexes: synthesis, structural, and magnetic properties

One-pot reactions between 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol (DFMP) and 2-aminoethanol (AE) in the presence of cobalt(II) salts [Co(ClO4)2, CoCl2, Co(CH3CO2)2, Co(NO3)2] and sodium azide result in the self-assembly of novel one-dimensional single chain mixed-valence cobalt coordination polymers {[Co2IICo2III (HL)2(OCH3)2(N3)3]ClO4·5H2O·CH3OH}n (1), {[Co2IICo2III (HL)2(OCH3)2(N3)3]Cl·H2O}n (2) in which tetra-cobalt cationic units are bridged by symmetrical 1,3-azides, forming single chains; mixed valence neutral tetranuclear clusters [Co2IICo2III (HL)2(OCH3)2(N3)4]CH3OH·2H2O (3), [Co2IICo2III(HL)2(OCH3)2(N3)2(CH3CO2)2]·2CH3OH·2H2O (4), and the cationic cluster [Co2II Co2III (HL)2(OCH3)2(CH3OH)2(N3)2](NO3)2 (5). In all these reactions, H3L, the potentially pentadentate (N2O3), trianionic double Schiff base ligand 2,6-bis[(2-hydroxy-ethylimino)-methyl]-4-methylphenol is formed. The reaction between DFMP and AE in the presence of nickel(II) salts and sodium azide in methanol–water mixture results in the self-assembly of ferromagnetically coupled hexanuclear complexes [Ni6(H2L)2(HL-1)2(H2O)2(N3)6](ClO4)2·2CH3OH (6), and [Ni6(H2L)2(HL-1)2(CH3OH)2(N3)6](BF4)2 (7), involving double (H3L) and single (H2L-1) Schiff base ligands, and a neutral tetranuclear complex [Ni4(H2L)2(OCH3)2(CH3CO2)2(N3)2] (8) with only double Schiff-base (H3L). In these complexes, the nature of the anion and the reaction conditions seem to play an important role in directing the formation of tetranuclear, hexanuclear or polymeric clusters. All complexes involve divacant double cubane-type cores containing three to four different types of bridging ligands (phenoxy, azido, methoxy/alkoxy, and acetate). Variable temperature magnetic properties of these spin coupled clusters have been investigated and magneto-structural correlations have been established.