THE RARE EARTH COBALTICYANIDE

Further synthetic investigation of the general lanthanoid(iii) [Ln(iii)]/copper(ii)/pyridine-2,6-dimethanol/carboxylate reaction system: {CuLn} coordination clusters (Ln = Dy, Tb, Ho) and their yttrium(iii) analogue

In addition to previously studied {CuGd₆}, {CuGd₄}, {CuLn₇} and {CuLn₈} coordination clusters (Ln = trivalent lanthanide) containing pdm^2- or Hpdm^- ligands (H₂pdm = pyridine-2,6-dimethanol) and ancillary carboxylate groups (RCO₂^-), the present work reports the synthesis and study of three new members of a fifth family of such complexes. Compounds [Cu₅Ln₄O₂(OMe)₄(NO₃)₄(O₂CCH₂Bu^t)₂(pdm)₄(MeOH)₂] (Ln = Dy, 1; Ln = Tb, 2; Ln = Ho, 3) were prepared from the reaction of Ln(NO₃)₃·xH₂O (x = 5, 6), CuX₂·yH₂O (X = ClO₄, Cl, NO₃; y = 6, 2 and 3, respectively), H₂pdm, Bu^tCH₂CO₂H and Et₃N (2 : 2.5 : 2 : 1 : 9) in MeCN/MeOH. Rather surprisingly, the copper(ii)/yttrium(iii) analogue has a slightly different composition, i.e. [Cu₅Y₄O₂(OMe)₄(NO₃)₂(O₂CCH₂Bu^t)₄(pdm)₄(MeOH)₂] (4). The structures of 1·4MeCN·1.5MeOH and 4·2MeOH were solved by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The five Cu^II and four Dy^III centres in 1 are held together by two μ₅-O^2-, four μ-MeO^-, two syn,synη¹:η¹:μ Bu^tCH₂CO₂^-, four η²:η¹:η²:μ₃ pdm^2- (each of these groups chelates a Cu^II atom and simultaneously bridges two Dy^III atoms through its two -CH₂O^- arms) and two μ-MeOH ligands. The four terminal nitrato groups each chelate (η¹:η¹) a Dy^III centre. The five Cu^II atoms are co-planar (by symmetry) forming a bow-tie arrangement; the four outer Cu^II atoms form a rectangle with edges of 3.061(1) and 6.076(1) Å. The four Dy^III centres also form a rectangle that lies above and below the plane of the Cu^II centres, with edges of 3.739(1) and 5.328(1) Å. The two strictly planar rectangles are almost perpendicular. Two trigonal bipyramidal μ₅-O^2- groups link the perpendicular Cu₅ and Dy₄ frameworks together. The molecule 4 has a very similar structure to that of 1, differences being the replacement of the two chelating nitrato groups of 1 by two chelating Bu^tCH₂CO₂^- ligands in 4 and the coordination polyhedra of the Ln^III and Y^III atoms (Snub diphenoids in 1 and biaugmented trigonal prisms in 4). Dc magnetic susceptibility data (χ_M) on analytically pure samples of 1-3, collected in the 300-2 K range, indicate that ferromagnetic exchange interactions dominate leading to large spin ground states. The χ_MT vs. T data for 4 suggest moderately strong antiferromagnetic Cu^IICu^II exchange interactions. Studies of the dynamic magnetic properties of the {Cu₅Ln₄} clusters show that 1 behaves as a SMM at zero field and 2 is a very weak field-induced SMM, while 3 exhibits only weak tails in the χ''_Mvs. T plots at various ac frequencies at zero dc field.

Dehydration of the nanoporous coordination framework Eriii[Coiii(CN)6]·4(H2O): single crystal to single crystal transformation and negative thermal expansion in Eriii[Coiii(CN)6]

Desorption of bound and unbound water molecules from the nanoporous coordination framework ErIII[CoIII(CN)6].4(H2O) to form the apohost, ErIII[CoIII(CN)6], proceeds via a single crystal to single crystal transformation in which the Er(III) cations change from 8- to 6-coordinate; dehydration results in a striking change in the thermal expansion properties.

Heterometallic Ln/Hg Compounds with Fluorinated Thiolate Ligands

The early lanthanide benzenefluorothiolates (Ln(SC(6)F(5))(3); Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd) react with Hg(SC(6)F(5))(2) in DME to form ionic heterometallic compounds with Ln cations and Hg anions. X-ray diffraction analyses of all compounds reveal an isostructural series with the general formula [(DME)(3)Ln(SC(6)F(5))(2)](2)[Hg(2)(SC(6)F(5))(6)]. In the structures, a fluorothiolate ligand has been extracted from the Ln coordination sphere that is saturated with three neutral DME donor ligands and a dative interaction between one ortho fluorine and the Ln. Distances between Ln and F do not vary simply with Ln ionic radius. There are two Ln cations with charge balanced by a Hg(2)(SC(6)F(5))(6) dianion composed of two distinctly nonideal Hg(II) tetrahedra, all connected through a series of pi-pi interactions that link cations with anions in a one-dimensional array and anions to anions in a more complex 2D network.

Heterometallic Lanthanide Group 12 Metal Iodides

Neodymium tri-iodide reacts with Group 12 metal (M; M = Zn, Cd, Hg) iodides to form heterometallic compounds. These Lewis acidic M cleave Nd-I bonds to give either ionic ([(THF)(5)NdI(2)][MI(3)THF]; M = Zn, Cd) or charge-neutral [(THF)(5)NdI(micro(2)I)HgI(3)] compounds. Differences in structure are interpreted primarily in terms of M-L bond strengths, rather than Nd-L bond strengths. Experiments with Yb indicate that if there is any excess iodide present in these syntheses then the most readily isolated product is a triiodide salt, i.e., [(THF)(5)YbI(2)][I(3)]. In conventional solvents the presence of Lewis acid is not required for iodide displacement-from pyridine, "YbI(3)" crystallizes as [(py)(5)YbI(2)][I]. These compounds are potentially useful as heterometallic sources of lanthanide-doped iodide matrixes, they illustrate the ease with which iodides are displaced from lanthanide coordination spheres, and they underscore the complexity associated with using lanthanide iodides as Lewis acid catalysts.

Boundary Structures in a Series of Lanthanoid Hexacyanocobaltate(III) n-Hydrates and Their Raman Spectra

Studies on Ln[Co(CN)(6)].nH(2)O (Ln = lanthanoid ions; n = 5, 4) by means of thermal analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography were carried out, in order to establish the boundary structures in the series. From the thermal analyses, it was confirmed that the complexes include Ln'[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O (Ln' = La to Nd) or Ln"[Co(CN)(6)].4H(2)O (Ln = Sm to Lu). Raman spectra of the complexes suggested a different classification. The complexes having five H(2)O molecules displayed two single bands associated with nu(C-N) at around 2170 cm(-1). The complexes having four H(2)O molecules showed two distinct sets of bands of nu(C-N): one was a singlet, and the other was split. Nevertheless, the complex with Nd, which has five H(2)O molecules, exhibited single and split bands. This implies that the symmetry around Nd is lower than that of other complexes having five H(2)O molecules. According to the X-ray crystal analysis, the Pr complex is Pr[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O, hexagonal, P6(3)/m, with a = 7.473(1) Å, c = 14.212(1) Å, and Z = 2. On the other hand, the Nd complex is Nd[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O, orthorhombic, C222(1), with a = 7.458(4) Å, b = 12.918(3) Å, c = 14.172(2) Å, and Z = 4. Although the Nd complex has five H(2)O molecules, the crystals are orthorhombic and belong to the space group C222(1). Therefore, the structure of Nd[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O is regarded as the boundary structure: one of the coordinated water molecules is disordered, although the structure is essentially the same as that of Pr[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O. As Pr in Pr[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O changes into Nd, the symmetry around the metal atom is lowered and thus the bands associated with nu(CN) in Nd[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O and Sm[Co(CN)(6)].4H(2)O outnumber those of Pr[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O. The 5H(2)O complex with Nd loses one water molecule by thermal dissociation and changes into the more stable 4H(2)O complex, whose crystals are orthorhombic and belong to the space group Cmcm. Pr[Co(CN)(6)].5H(2)O also changes into the 4H(2)O complex, orthorhombic and Cmcm, when it dehydrates.