Studies on binuclear hydroxo/carboxylato-bridged manganese(III) complexes and a mononuclear manganese(III) complex involving salen type ligands

Synthesis of six hydroxo-bridged binuclear manganese(III) complexes of formulae [MnL-X-MnL](ClO4) [X = OH (1–6)] along with a mononuclear manganese(III) complex (7) [Mn(L)(L′)(MeOH)2] [HL′ = 2-(2-hydroxy-phen-yl)benzimidazole] and two carboxylate-bridged binuclear manganese(III) complexes (8) and (9) are described. The complexes have been characterized by the combination of i.r., u.v.-vis spectroscopy, magnetic moments and by their redox properties. The electronic spectra of all the complexes exhibit almost identical features consisting of two d–d bands at ca. 550 and 600 nm, one MLCT band at ca.400 nm, together with two π–π* intra-ligand transitions at ca. 250 nm and ca.300 nm. Room temperature magnetic data range from μ = 2.7–3.0 BM indicates some super-exchange between the binuclear metal centers via bridging hydroxo/carboxylato groups. The X-ray crystal structure of the binuclear complex (5) revealed that it has a symmetric MnIIIN2O2 core bridged by a hydroxyl group. The X-ray analysis of the mononuclear complex (7) showed that the manganese-center possesses a distorted octahedral geometry. Electrochemical properties of hydroxo-bridged manganese(III) complexes (1–6) show identical features consisting of an irreversible and a quasi-reversible reduction corresponding to the Mn 2 III → MnIIMnIII → MnIIMnII couples in the voltammogram. It was found that electron withdrawing substituents on the ligand result in easier reduction. Complex (7) displays an irreversible reduction at 0.08 V and a reversible oxidation at 0.45V assignable to the MnIII → MnII reduction and MnIII → MnIV oxidation, respectively. The carboxylate-bridged compound (8) exhibits two irreversible oxidations at 0.4 and 0.6 V, probably due to Mn 2 III → MnIIIMnIV → MnIVMnIV oxidations and shows a quasi-reversible reductive wave at −0.85 V, tentatively assigned to Mn 2 III → MnIIMnIII reduction.