New photomagnetic cyanido-bridged Cu-II-Mo-IV oligonuclear complexes: slight modi. cation of the blocking ligands induces different structures

A pentanuclear complex, [Mo(CN)(8){CuL1}(2){CuL1(H2O)}(2)]center dot 6H(2)O 1, and a decanuclear one, [Mo(CN)(8){CuL2}(3){CuL2(H2O)}](2)center dot 10H(2)O 2, have been obtained following the building- block approach (HL1 and HL2 are tridentate Schiff bases obtained by reacting salicylaldehyde with 2-aminomethylpyridine and 2-aminoethyl-pyridine, respectively). Both compounds present reversible photo-induced magnetic properties interpreted as a Mo-IV-Cu-II charge transfer. Compound 2 exhibits a lower efficiency of this metal-metal charge transfer than compound 1 attributed to a less flexible structure of 2 compared to 1.