Tetranuclear Manganese Complexes with [MnII4] and [MnII2MnIII2] Units: Syntheses, Structures, Magnetic Properties, and DFT Study

Substituent-Guided Cluster Nuclearity for Tetranuclear Iron(III) Compounds with Flat {Fe4(μ3-O)2} Butterfly Core

The tetranuclear iron(III) compounds [Fe4(μ3-O)2(μ-LZ)4] (1–3) were obtained by reaction of FeCl3 with the shortened salen-type N2O2 tetradentate Schiff bases N,N’-bis(salicylidene)-o-Z-phenylmethanediamine H2LZ (Z = NO2, Cl and OMe, respectively), where the one-carbon bridge between the two iminic nitrogen donor atoms guide preferentially to the formation of oligonuclear species, and the ortho position of the substituent Z on the central phenyl ring selectively drives towards Fe4 bis-oxido clusters. All compounds show a flat almost-symmetric butterfly-like conformation of the {Fe4(μ3-O)2} core, surrounded by the four Schiff base ligands, as depicted by both the X-ray molecular structures of 1 and 2 and the optimized geometries of all derivatives as obtained by UM06/6-311G(d) DFT calculations. The strength of the antiferromagnetic exchange coupling constants between the iron(III) ions varies among the three derivatives, despite their magnetic cores remain structurally almost unvaried, as well as the coordination of the metal ions, with a distorted octahedral environment for the two-body iron ions, Feb, and a pentacoordination with trigonal bipyramidal geometry for the two-wing iron ions, Few. The different magnetic behavior within the series of examined compounds may be ascribed to the influence of the electronic features of Z on the electron density distribution (EDD) of the central {Fe4(μ3-O)2} core, substantiated by a Quantum Theory of Atoms In Molecules (QTAIM) topological analysis of the EDD, as obtained by UM06 calculations 1–3.

Heterometallic 3d-4f Alkoxide Precursors for the Synthesis of Binary Oxide Nanomaterials

In this study, a new method for the synthesis of heterometallic 3d-4f alkoxides by the direct reaction of metallic lanthanides (La, Pr, Nd, Gd) with MCl₂ (M = Mn, Ni, Co) in 2-methoxyethanol was developed. The method was applied to the synthesis of the heterometallic oxo-alkoxide clusters [Ln₄Mn₂(μ₆-O)(μ₃-OR)₈(HOR)_xCl₆] (Ln = La (1), Nd (2), Gd (3); x = 0, 2, 4); [Pr₄M₂(μ₆-O)(μ₃-OR)₈(HOR)_xCl₆] (M = Co (4), Ni (5); x = 2, 4); and [Ln₄Mn₂(μ₃-OH)₂(μ₃-OR)₄(μ-OR)₄(μ-Cl)₂(HOR)₄Cl₆] (Ln = La (11) and Pr (12)). Mechanistic investigation led to the isolation of the homo- and heterometallic intermediates [Pr(μ-OR)(μ-Cl)(HOR)Cl]_n (6), [Co₄(μ₃-OR)₄(HOR)₄Cl₄] (7), [Ni₄(μ₃-OR)₄(HOEt)₄Cl₄] (8), [Mn₄(μ₃-OR)₄(HOR)₂(HOEt)₂Cl₄] (9), and [Nd(HOR)₄Cl][CoCl₄] (10). In the presence of an external M(II) source at 1100 °C, 1-4 and 12 were selectively converted into binary metal oxide nanomaterials with trigonal or orthorhombic perovskite structures, i.e., LaMnO₃, GdMnO₃, NdMnO₃, Pr_0.9MnO₃, and PrCoO₃. Compound 5 decomposed into a mixture of homo- and heterometallic oxides. The method presented provides a valuable platform for the preparation of advanced heterometallic oxide materials with promising magnetic, luminescence, and/or catalytic applications.

Hexadecanuclear MnII2MnIII14 Molecular Torus Built from in Situ Tandem Ligand Transformations

A mixed-valent hexadecanuclear manganese cluster, [Mn^II₂Mn^III₁₄(trz)₁₄(thetach)₄(μ₃-O)₈(H₂O)₁₀](ClO₄)₆ (Mn16), containing two Mn^II and 14 Mn^III ions, is constructed from mixed in situ generated ligands, 1,2,3-triazole (Htrz) and 1,3,5-tri(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane (H₃thetach). Remarkably, both ligands were not initially added into the reaction system, and their formations involve the in situ ligand decomposition and subsequent condensation reactions. The core of Mn16 is an elongated torus comprised of eight Mn atoms and four [Mn₂O₂] subunits bridged by oxo or alkoxide. The high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) of Mn16 dissolved in CH₃CN indicates its structure remains intact as +3 and +4 species. Temperature and field dependent magnetization revealed predominantly antiferromagnetic exchange interactions within the cluster. The work provides one-pot synthesis of high-nuclearity manganese clusters using the ligands generated by in situ reactions in a tandem fashion.

Anomalous Stoichiometry and Antiferromagnetic Ordering for the Extended Hydroxymanganese(II) Cubes/Hexacyanometalate-Based 3D-Structured [MnII 4 (OH)4 ][MnII (CN)6 ](OH2 )6 ⋅H2 O

The reaction of Mn^II (O₂ CMe)₂ and NaCN or LiCN in water forms a light green insoluble material. Structural solution and Rietveld refinement of high-resolution synchrotron powder diffraction data for this unprecedented, complicated compound of previously unknown composition revealed a new alkali-free ordered structural motif with [Mn^II ₄ (μ₃ -OH)₄ ]⁴⁺ cubes and octahedral [Mn^II (CN)₆ ]^4- ions interconnected in 3D by Mn^II -N≡C-Mn^II linkages. The composition is {[Mn^II (OH₂ )₃ ][Mn^II (OH₂ )]₃ }(μ₃ -OH)₄ ][Mn^II (μ-CN)₂ (CN)₄ ]⋅H₂ O=[Mn^II ₄ (μ₃ -OH)₄ (OH₂ )₆ ][Mn^II (μ-CN)₂ (CN)₄ ]⋅H₂ O, which is further simplified to [Mn₄ (OH)₄ ][Mn(CN)₆ ](OH₂ )₇ (1). 1 has four high-spin (S=5/2) Mn^II sites that are antiferromagnetically coupled within the cube and are antiferromagnetically coupled to six low-spin (S=1/2) octahedral [Mn^II (CN)₆ ]^4- ions. Above 40 K the magnetic susceptibility, χ(T), can be fitted to the Curie-Weiss expression, χ ∝(T-θ)^-1 , with θ=-13.4 K, indicative of significant antiferromagnetic coupling and 1 orders as an antiferromagnet at T_c =7.8 K.

Slow magnetic relaxation in a dimeric Mn2Ca2 complex enabled by the large Mn(iii) rhombicity

A large single-ion transverse anisotropy at Mn(iii) sites induces slow magnetic relaxation at zero magnetic field of the ferromagnetic Mn dimers in a singular Mn₂Ca₂ complex.

New tetranuclear manganese clusters with [MnII3MnIII] and [MnII2MnIII2] metallic cores exhibiting low and high spin ground state

Two tetranuclear mixed-valent clusters with the metallic [MnII3Mn^III] and [MnII2MnIII2] cores were synthesized as molecular nanomagnets with the low and high spin in the ground state.

Synthesis of a 3-(α-styryl)benzo[b]-thiophene library via bromocyclization of alkynes and palladium-catalyzed to sylhydrazones cross-couplings: evaluation as antitubulin agents

A library of functionalized 3-(α-styryl)-benzo[b]thiophenes, endowed with a high level of molecular diversity, was efficiently synthesized by applying a synthetic sequence that allowed introduction of various substituents on aromatic A, B, and C-rings. The strategy developed involves the synthesis of 3-bromobenzo[b]thiophene derivatives through a bromocyclization step of methylthio-containing alkynes using N-methylpyrrolidin-2-one hydrotribromide reagent (MPHT). Further coupling of 3-bromobenzothiophenes under palladium-catalysis with N-tosylhydrazones efficiently furnished 2-aryl-3-(α-styryl)benzo[b]thiophene derivatives. The antiproliferative properties of target compounds were studied. Among them, compound 5m has demonstrated submicromolar cytotoxic activity against HCT-116 cell line, and inhibited the polymerization of tubulin at micromolar level comparable to that of CA-4.

Cubane-type Cu(II)4 and Mn(II)2Mn(III)2 complexes based on pyridoxine: a versatile ligand for metal assembling

By using Vitamin B6 in its monodeprotonated pyridoxine form (PN-H) [PN = 3-hydroxy-4,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridine], two tetranuclear compounds of formula [Mn4(PN-H)4(CH3CO2)3Cl2]Cl·2CH3OH·2H2O (1) and [Cu4(PN-H)4Cl2(H2O)2]Cl2 (2) have been synthesized and magneto-structurally characterized. 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system with space group P1 whereas 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with Fdd2 as space group. They exhibit Mn(II)2Mn(III)2 (1) and Cu(II)4 (2) cubane cores containing four monodeprotonated pyridoxine groups simultaneously acting as chelating and bridging ligands (1 and 2), three bridging acetate ligands in the syn-syn conformation (1), and two terminally bound chloride anions (1 and 2) plus two coordinated water molecules (2). The electroneutrality is achieved by the presence of chloride counterions in both compounds. Tri- [Mn(1) and Mn(3)] and divalent [Mn(2) and Mn(4)] manganese centers coexist in 1, all being six-coordinate with distorted Mn(1/3)O6 and Mn(2/4)O5Cl octahedral surroundings, respectively, the equatorial Mn-O bonds being about 0.2 Å shorter at the former ones. The two crystallographically independent copper(II) ions in 2 are five-coordinate in somewhat distorted CuO5 [Cu(1)] and CuO4Cl [Cu(2)] square pyramidal geometries. The values of the intracore metal-metal separation cover the ranges 3.144(1)-3.535(1) (1) and 2.922(6)-3.376(1) Å (2). The magnetic properties of 1 and 2 were investigated in the temperature range 1.9-300 K, and they correspond to an overall antiferromagnetic behavior with susceptibility maxima at 5.0 (1) and 65.0 K (2). The analysis of the magnetic susceptibility data showed the coexistence of intracore antiferro- and ferromagnetic interactions in the two compounds. Their values compare well with those existing in the literature for the parent systems.

Two tetranuclear zinc clusters, [Zn4(μ3-OEt)2(μ2-MalO)4Et2] and [Zn4(μ3-GueO)2(μ2-GueO)2(μ2-MalO)2(MalO)2]·2C7H8, containing defective dicubane core geometries (MalOH is maltol and GueOH is guethol)

The zinc alkoxide molecules in di-μ(3)-ethanolato-diethyltetrakis(μ(2)-2-methyl-4-oxo-4H-pyran-3-olato-κ(3)O(3),O(4):O(3))tetrazinc(II), [Zn(4)(C(2)H(5))(2)(C(2)H(5)O)(2)(C(6)H(5)O(3))(4)], (I), and bis(μ(3)-2-ethoxyphenolato-κ(4)O(1),O(2):O(1):O(1))bis(μ(2)-2-ethoxyphenolato-κ(3)O(1),O(2):O(1))bis(μ(2)-2-methyl-4-oxo-4H-pyran-3-olato-κ(3)O(3),O(4):O(3))bis(2-methyl-4-oxo-4H-pyran-3-olato-κ(2)O(3),O(4))tetrazinc(II) toluene disolvate, [Zn(4)(C(6)H(5)O(3))(4)(C(8)H(9)O(2))(4)]·2C(7)H(8), (II), lie on crystallographic centres of inversion. The asymmetric units of (I) and (II) contain half of the tetrameric unit and additionally one molecule of toluene for (II). The Zn(II) atoms are four- and six-coordinated in distorted tetrahedral and octahedral geometries for (I), and six-coordinated in a distorted octahedral environment for (II). The Zn(II) atoms in both compounds are arranged in a defect dicubane Zn(4)O(6) core structure composed of two EtZnO(3) tetrahedra and ZnO(6) octahedra for (I), and of four ZnO(6) octahedra for (II), sharing common corners. The maltolate ligands exist mostly in a μ(2)-bridging mode, while the guetholate ligands prefer a higher coordination mode and act as μ(3)- and μ(2)-bridges.