Expanded Mercaptocalixarenes: A New Kind of Macrocyclic Ligands for Stabilization of Polynuclear Thiolate Clusters.

The syntheses and properties of expanded 4-tert-butyl-mercaptocalix[4]arenes, in which the methylene linkers are replaced by -CH2 NRCH2 - or -CH2 NRCH2 - and -CH2 NRCH2 CH2 CH2 NRCH2 - units, are described. The new macrocycles were obtained in a step-wise manner, utilizing fully protected, i. e. S-alkylated, derivatives of the oxidation-sensitive thiophenols in the cyclisation steps. Reductive cleavage of the macrobicyclic or macrotricyclic intermediates (6, 7, 11) afforded the free thiophenols (H4 8, H4 9, and H4 12) in preparative yields as their hydrochloride salts. The protected proligands can exist in two conformations, resembling the "cone" and "1,3-alternate" conformations found for the parent calix[4]arenes. The free macrocycles do not show conformational isomerism, but are readily oxidized forming intramolecular disulfide linkages. Preliminary complexation experiments show that these expanded mercaptocalixarenes can serve as supporting ligands for tetranuclear thiolato clusters.

Cavitands incorporating a Lewis acid dinickel chelate function as receptors for halide anions.

The halide binding properties of the cavitand [Ni2(L(Me2H4))](2+) (4) are reported. Cavitand 4 exhibits a chelating N3Ni(µ-S)2NiN3 moiety with two square-pyramidal Ni(II)N3S2 units situated in an anion binding pocket of ∼4 Å diameter formed by the organic backbone of the (L(Me2H4))(2-) macrocycle. The receptor reacts with fluoride, chloride (in MeCN/MeOH), and bromide (in MeCN) ions to afford an isostructural series of halogenido-bridged complexes [Ni2(L(Me2H4))(µ-Hal)](+) (Hal = F(-) (5), Cl(-) (6), and Br(-) (7)) featuring a N3Ni(µ-S)2(µ-Hal)NiN3 core structure. No reaction occurs with iodide or other polyatomic anions (ClO4(-), NO3(-), HCO3(-), H2PO4(-), HSO4(-), SO4(2-)). The binding events are accompanied by discrete UV-vis spectral changes, due to a switch of the coordination geometry from square-pyramidal (N3S2 donor set in 4) to octahedral in the halogenido-bridged complexes (N3S2Hal donor environment in 5-7). In MeCN/MeOH (1/1 v/v) the log K11 values for the 1:1 complexes are 7.77(9) (F(-)), 4.06(7) (Cl(-)), and 2.0(1) (Br(-)). X-ray crystallographic analyses for 4(ClO4)2, 4(I)2, 5(F), 6(ClO4), and 7(Br) and computational studies reveal a significant increase of the intramolecular distance between two propylene groups at the cavity entrance upon going from F(-) to I(-) (for the DFT computed structure). In case of the receptor 4 and fluorido-bridged complex 5, the corresponding distances are nearly identical. This indicates a high degree of preorganization of the [Ni2(L(Me2H4))](2+) receptor and a size fit mismatch of the receptor binding cavity for anions larger than F(-).

Structure, magnetic behavior, and anisotropy of homoleptic trinuclear lanthanoid 8-quinolinolate complexes.

Three complexes of the form [Ln(III)3(OQ)9] (Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy; OQ = 8-quinolinolate) have been synthesized and their magnetic properties studied. The trinuclear complexes adopt V-shaped geometries with three bridging 8-quinolinolate oxygen atoms between the central and peripheral eight-coordinate metal atoms. The magnetic properties of these three complexes differ greatly. Variable-temperature direct-current (dc) magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal that the gadolinium and terbium complexes display weak antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange interactions. This was quantified in the isotropic gadolinium case with an exchangecoupling parameter of J = -0.068(2) cm(-1). The dysprosium compound displays weak ferromagnetic exchange. Variable-frequency and -temperature alternating-current magnetic susceptibility measurements on the anisotropic cases reveal that the dysprosium complex displays single-molecule-magnet behavior, in zero dc field, with two distinct relaxation modes of differing time scales within the same molecule. Analysis of the data revealed anisotropy barriers of Ueff = 92 and 48 K for the two processes. The terbium complex, on the other hand, displays no such behavior in zero dc field, but upon application of a static dc field, slow magnetic relaxation can be observed. Ab initio and electrostatic calculations were used in an attempt to explain the origin of the experimentally observed slow relaxation of the magnetization for the dysprosium complex.

Probing the magnetic superexchange couplings between terminal CuII ions in heterotrinuclear bis(oxamidato) type complexes.

The reaction of one equivalent of [n-Bu4N]2[Ni(opboR2)] with two equivalents of [Cu(pmdta)(X)2] afforded the heterotrinuclear CuIINiIICuII containing bis(oxamidato) type complexes [Cu2Ni(opboR2)(pmdta)2]X2 (R = Me, X = NO3- (1); R = Et, X = ClO4- (2); R = n-Pr, X = NO3- (3); opboR2 = o-phenylenebis(NR-substituted oxamidato); pmdta = N,N,N',N",N"-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine). The identities of the heterotrinuclear complexes 1-3 were established by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies, which revealed the cationic complex fragments [Cu2Ni(opboR2)(pmdta)2]2+ as not involved in any further intermolecular interactions. As a consequence thereof, the complexes 1-3 possess terminal paramagnetic [Cu(pmdta)]2+ fragments separated by [NiII(opboR2)]2- bridging units representing diamagnetic SNi = 0 states. The magnetic field dependence of the magnetization M(H) of 1-3 at T = 1.8 K has been determined and is shown to be highly reproducible with the Brillouin function for an ideal paramagnetic spin = 1/2 system, verifying experimentally that no magnetic superexchange couplings exists between the terminal paramagnetic [Cu(pmdta)]2+ fragments. Susceptibility measurements versus temperature of 1-3 between 1.8-300 K were performed to reinforce the statement of the absence of magnetic superexchange couplings in these three heterotrinuclear complexes.