Ferrocene-carboxylate coordination complexes bridged by different N-containing ligands

Six new coordination complexes, [Cd(η 2-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)2(bix)]2·(CH3OH)0.5 (1), [Zn(η 2-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)(η 1-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)(bix)]2·(H2O)0.5 (2), [Zn(η 2-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)2(pbbm)]2·(CH3OH)2 (3), {[Mn(η 1-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)2(bbbm)(H2O)2]·(CH3OH)3}n (4), {[Cd(η 1-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)2(bbbm)]·(CH3OH)2}n (5), and [Cd(η 2-OOCCH=(CH3)CFc)2(pmbbm)]n (6) {Fc = (η 5-C5H4)Fe(η 5-C5H4), bix = 1,4[bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene], pbbm = 1,1′-[(1,4-propanediyl)bis-1H-benzimidazole], bbbm = 1,1′-[(1,4-butanediyl)bis-1H-benzimidazole)], pmbbm = 1,1′-[(1,4-pentanediyl)bis-1H-benzimidazole]}, were prepared and characterized. X-ray crystallographic analysis reveals that 1–3 are dimers bridged by bix and pbbm. Complexes 4–6 are one-dimensional (1-D) structures bridged by bbbm and pmbbm, respectively. Various π–π interactions were discovered in 1–6 that make significant contributions to molecular self-assembly. Solution differential pulse voltammetry of 1–6 indicates that the half-wave potentials of the ferrocenyl moieties in these co...