The effect of anions in the synthesis and structure of pyrazolylamidino copper(II) complexes

Six new pyrazolylamidino Cu(II) complexes are synthesized directly from the reactions of Cu(X)₂ salts (X = ClO₄^-, BF₄^-, or Cl^-) and pyrazole (pzH) in nitrile solution (RCN, R = Me or Et) at 298 K via the metal-mediated coupling of RCN with pzH: [Cu(HNC(R)pz)₂(X)₂] (X = ClO₄^- or BF₄^-, R = Me, 1 or 7 and Et, 2 or 8, respectively) and dichloro Cu(II) complexes [Cu₂Cl₂(μ-Cl)₂(HNC(Me)pz)₂] (3) and [CuCl₂(HNC(Et)pz)] (4). Four more new complexes, [Cu₂(μ-Cl)₂(HNC(Me)pz)₂(pzH)₂][X]₂ (X = ClO₄^-, 5 and BF₄^-, 9) and [Cu₂(μ-Cl)₂(HNC(Et)pz)₂(pzH)₂(X)₂] (X = ClO₄^-, 6 and BF₄^-, 10), are obtained indirectly from the anion substitution reaction with Cl^- ions in 1 and 7, and 2 and 8, respectively. All complexes are characterized by EA, FTIR, UV-vis and EPR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallographic analyses. HNC(Et)pz or pzH is unobserved in both the nitrile-exchange reaction of 2 to d₆-1 and the anion-substitution reaction of 2 to d₆-5 in the CD₃CN solution. The ¹H NMR results reveal that the pzH-RCN coupling is intramolecular and reversible on a Cu(II) center. The crystal structures of these complexes show diverse supramolecular assemblies through imino NH⋯anion hydrogen bonds and pyrazolylamidino pz-pz (π⋯π) and pz-Cu(II) (π⋯metal) interactions. EPR results suggest weak magnetic couplings between Cu(II) centers in the polynuclear Cu(II) complexes. The yield and rate of the formation of 1 are higher in the reaction of Cu(ClO₄)₂ with a 4-fold molar excess of pzH compared with a 2-fold excess, indicating that [Cu(pzH)₄]²⁺ is the more active species for pzH-RCN coupling. The highest rate for the formation of 1 is achieved when [Cu(pzH)₄(ClO₄)₂] is used in MeCN solution. Thus, a plausible synthetic path for synthesizing pyrazolylamidino Cu(II) complexes is established. An intermediate species, [Cu(HNC(Me)pz)₂(pzH)₂][ClO₄]₂ (1a), is proposed for the synthetic process based on spectroscopic studies and DFT calculations. The reaction of [Cu(pzH)₄X₂] (X = ClO₄^-, Cl^-, NO₃^-, or BF₄^-) in MeCN solution suggests that the lability of coordinated anions upon nitrile substitution affects the rate of the formation of bis-pyrazolylamidino Cu(II) complexes.

MOFs with Open Metal(III) Sites for the Environmental Capture of Polar Volatile Organic Compounds

Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) with open metal sites (OMS) interact strongly with a range of polar gases/vapors. However, under ambient conditions, their selective adsorption is generally impaired due to a high OMS affinity to water. This led previously to the privilege selection of hydrophobic MOFs for the selective capture/detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Herein, we show that this paradigm is challenged by metal(III) polycarboxylates MOFs, bearing a high concentration of OMS, as MIL-100(Fe), enabling the selective capture of polar VOCs even in the presence of water. With experimental and computational tools, including single-component gravimetric and dynamic mixture adsorption measurements, in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory calculations we reveal that this adsorption mechanism involves a direct coordination of the VOC on the OMS, associated with an interaction energy that exceeds that of water. Hence, MOFs with OMS are demonstrated to be of interest for air purification purposes.

Construction and structural transformation of two coordination sphere supramolecular isomers based on Co(ii) and 4-(2-pyridyl)-NH-1,2,3-triazole via one-pot synthesis

Two coordination sphere supramolecular isomers based on Co(ii) have been obtained via one-pot synthesis. The structural transformation process has been investigated with the help of mass spectroscopy and theoretical calculations.

In Situ Metal-Assisted Ligand Modification Induces Mn4 Cluster-to-Cluster Transformation: A Crystallography, Mass Spectrometry, and DFT Study

Dehydration of (S,S)-1,2-bis(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)ethane-1,2-diol (H₄ L) to (Z)-1,2-bis(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)ethenol) (H₃ L') was found to be metal-assisted, occurs under solvothermal conditions (H₂ O/CH₃ OH), and leads to [Mn^II ₄ (H₃ L)₄ Cl₂ ]Cl₂ ⋅5 H₂ O⋅5 CH₃ OH (Mn₄ L₄ ) and [Mn^II ₄ (H₂ L')₆ (μ₃ -OH)]Cl⋅4 CH₃ OH⋅H₂ O (Mn₄ L'₆ ), respectively. Their structures were determined by single-crystal XRD. Extensive ESI-MS studies on solutions and solids of the reaction led to the proposal consisting of an initial stepwise assembly of Mn₄ L₄ from the reactants via [MnL] and [Mn₂ L₂ ] below 80 °C, and then disassembly to [MnL] and [MnL₂ ] followed by ligand modification before reassembly to Mn₄ L'₆ via [MnL'], [MnL'₂ ], and [Mn₂ L'₃ ] with increasing solvothermal temperature up to 140 °C. Identification of intermediates [Mn₄ L_x L'_6-x ] (x=5, 4, 3, 2, 1) in the process further suggested an assembly/disassembly/in situ reaction/reassembly transformation mechanism. These results not only reveal that multiple phase transformations are possible even though they were not realized in the crystalline state, but also help to better understand the complex transformation process between coordination clusters during "black-box" reactions.

Monitoring fragmentation and oligomerization of a di-μ-methoxo bridged copper(ii) complex: structure, mass spectrometry, magnetism and DFT studies

The flat binuclear [Cu₂(L)₂Cl₂] (HL = (1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole-2-yl)methanol) was studied by mass spectrometry and DFT calculations. Particularly, it shows strong antiferromagnetism with g = 2.20, J = −465 cm⁻¹ and zj = −0.83 cm⁻¹.

Control of nuclearity in heterometallic CuII–MnIIcomplexes derived from asymmetric Schiff bases: structures and magnetic properties

Among three asymmetric Schiff bases used for the synthesis of heterometallic Cu^II–Mn^IIcomplexes, the one with N₂O₂donor atoms yielded a tetranuclear and a trinuclear complex whereas two N₂O₃donor ligands produced solely dinuclear complexes. The results of magnetic measurements have been justified by DFT study.