Dinuclear and octanuclear Mn(II) complexes with mu2-C, mu2-N(pyrrolide), and mu-eta1:eta5-(pyrrolide) bridges: a structural and magnetic study.

Reaction of the dinuclear [(CH2SiMe3)(mu-CH2SiMe3)Mn(THF)]2 (1) with an equivalent amount of 1,1-dipyrrolylcyclohexane afforded two compounds depending on the solvent employed. Reaction carried out in THF afforded the dinuclear ([1,1-(mu-C4H3N)(C4H3N)C6H10]Mn(THF)2)2.2(THF) (2) while reaction in toluene yielded the octanuclear and cyclic cluster ([1,1-(mu,eta1:eta5-C4H3N)2C6H10]Mn)8.4(toluene) (3). The magnetism in all three cases is dominated by intramolecular antiferromagnetic exchange with strong coupling in 1 (J=-85 cm(-1)), and in 2 (J=-23.2 cm(-1)), whereas substantially weaker coupling through the sigma/pi-bonded dipyrrolide bridges (J=-3.3 cm(-1)) was observed within the cyclic and octameric 3.