Homo- and heterometallic planes, chains and cubanes

The synthesis, structural and magnetic characterisation of a family of homo- and heterometallic complexes constructed with the Schiff base ligands 2-iminomethyl-6-methoxy-phenol (L1H) and 2-imino-6-methoxy-phenol (L2H), are discussed. Members include the heterometallic tetranuclear complexes of general formula [Na2M2(X)(2)(L-1)(4)(Y)(2)] (where M = Fe-III, X = -OMe, Y = NO3- (1) and M = Ni-II, X = N-3(-) and Y = MeCN (2)), each possessing a butterfly-like topology. We also report the formation of the heterometallic molecular cage [Na3Ni2(L-1)(6)](ClO4) (3) whose metallic skeleton describes a [rare] trigonal bipyramid, the homometallic 1-D coordination polymer [Mn(L-1)(2)(Cl)](n) (4), and the tetranuclear cubane clusters [(Mn3MnIV)-Mn-III(O)(3)(OEt)(OAc)(3)(L-1)(3)] (5) and [Ni-4(mu(3)-OMe)(4)(L-2)(4)(MeOH)(4)] (6). Dc and ac magnetic susceptibility studies on complexes 5 and 6 reveal S = 9/2 and S = 4 spin ground states.