Heteroleptic Crown-Substituted Tris(phthalocyaninates) as Dynamic Supramolecular Scaffolds with Switchable Rotational States and Tunable Magnetic Properties.

Herein we report single-crystal X-ray diffraction characterization and complementary solution studies of supramolecular interaction between potassium salts and heteroleptic homo- and heteronuclear triple-decker crown phthalocyaninates [(15C5)4Pc]M*[(15C5)4Pc]M(Pc) or [M*,M], where M* and M = Y and/or Tb. Our results evidence that, in contrast to the previously studied crown-substituted phthalocyanines, the interaction of K+ cations with [M*,M] does not induce their intermolecular aggregation. Instead, the cations reversibly intercalate between the crown-substituted phthalocyanine ligands, resulting in switching of the coordination polyhedron of the metal center M* from square-antiprismatic to square-prismatic. In the case of terbium(III) complexes, such a switching alters their magnetic properties, which can be read-out by 1H NMR spectroscopy. For [Tb*,Y], such a switching causes an almost 25% increase in the axial component of the magnetic susceptibility tensor. Even though the polyhedron of the paramagnetic center in [Y*,Tb] is not switched, minor structural perturbations associated with the overall reorganization of the receptor also cause smaller, but nevertheless appreciable, growth of the axial anisotropy. The observed effects render the studied complexes as molecular switches with tunable magnetic properties.

Cation-Induced Dimerization of Heteroleptic Crown-Substituted Trisphthalocyaninates as Revealed by X-ray Diffraction and NMR Spectroscopy.

We report comprehensive X-ray diffraction and NMR studies of potassium-induced dimerization of heteroleptic triple-decker crown-phthalocyaninates [(15C5)4Pc]M(Pc)M(Pc) (1M, M = Y and Tb). Characterization of the crystalline dimer 2(1Y)·4KBPh4·12CH3CN·10CHCl3 gave the first structural evidence of the formation of a six-decker structure with four rare earth metal ions perfectly aligned near the symmetry axis. NMR studies of soluble supramolecular dimers 2(1M)·4KOAc provided a spectral-structural model that allowed us to assign the NMR spectra of related complexes with paramagnetic lanthanides and to further evaluate their structure and long-range interaction between the Ln(III) centers in multinuclear tetrapyrrolic complexes. The obtained results are promising for elaboration of new supramolecular magnetic materials.