Cobalt(II) Ions Connecting [Co4II] Helicates into a 2-D Coordination Polymer Showing Slow Relaxation of the Magnetization

The reactions of cobalt(II) perchlorate with a diazine tetratopic helicand, H4L, in the presence of sodium carbonate afford two coordination polymers constructed from tetranuclear anionic helicates as building blocks: (3)(infinity)[Co4L3Na4(H2O)(4)].4H(2)O (1) and (2)(infinity)[Co5L3Na2(H2O)(9)].2.7H(2)O-DMF (2). The tetranuclear triple stranded helicates, {Co-4(II) L-3}(4-) , are connected in 1 by sodium(I) ions and in 2 by sodium(I) and cobalt(II) ions (H4L results from the condensation reaction between 3-formylsalicylic acid and hydrazine). The crystal structures of the two compounds have been solved. In both compounds the anionic helicates interact with the assembling cations through the carboxylato oxygen atoms. Compound 2 features chains resulting from connecting the tetranuclear helicates through cobalt(II) ions. The analysis of the magnetic properties of compounds 1 and 2 evidenced a dominant antiferromagnetic coupling for 1, resulting in a diamagnetic ground state. In contrast, the magnetic behavior of 2 is dominated at low temperature by the Co-II ion which connects the antiferromagnetically coupled {Co-4(II)} helical moieties. The ac magnetic measurements for 2 reveal the occurrence of slow relaxation of the magnetization that is due to the single, uncorrelated cobalt(II) ions, which are diluted in an essentially diamagnetic matrix of {Co-4(II)} moieties (Delta E-eff = 26.7 +/- 0.3 cm(-1) with tau(o) = (2.3 +/- 0.2) X 10(-6) s).