Synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of valence ambiguous dinuclear antiferromagnetically coupled cobalt and ferromagnetically coupled iron complexes containing the chloranilate(2-) and the significantly stronger coupling chloranilate(*3-) radical trianion.

Dinuclear [(TPyA)MII(CA2-)MII(TPyA)]2+ [TPyA=tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine; CA2-=chloranilate dianion; M=Co (1(2+)), Fe (2(2+))] complexes have been prepared by the reaction of M(BF4)(2).6H2O, TPyA, H2CA, and triethylamine in MeOH solution. Their reduced forms [(TPyA)MII(CA*3-)MII(TPyA)]+ [M=Co(1+), Fe (2+)] have been synthesized by using cobaltocene, and oxidized forms of 1, [(TPyA)CoIII(CAn)CoIII(TPyA)]z+ [z=3, n=3- (1(3+)); z=4, n=2- (1(4+))], have been obtained by using FcBF4 and ThianBF4 (Fc=ferrocenium; Thian=thianthrinium), respectively. The dinuclear compound bridged chloranilates (CA2- or CA*3-) were isolated and characterized by X-ray crystallography, electrochemistry, magnetism, and EPR spectroscopy. Unlike the other redox products, valence ambiguous 13+ forms via a complex redox-induced valence electron rearrangement whereby the one-electron oxidation of the [CoIICA2-CoII]2+ core forms [CoIIICA*3-CoIII]3+, not the expected simple 1-e- transfer mixed-valent [CoIICA2-CoIII]3+ core. The M ions in 1 and 2 have a distorted octahedral geometry by coordination with four nitrogens of a TPyA, two oxygens of a chloranilate. Due to the interdimer offset face-to-face pi-pi and/or herringbone interactions, all complexes show extended 1-D and/or 2-D supramolecular structures. The existence of CA*3- in 1(3+) is confirmed from both solid-state magnetic and solution EPR data. Co-based 1n+ exhibit antiferromagnetic interactions [1(2+): g=2.24, J/kB=-0.65 K (-0.45 cm-1); 1+: g=2.36, J/kB=-75 K (52 cm-1)], while Fe-based 2n+ exhibit ferromagnetic interactions [2(2+): g=2.08, J/kB=1.0 K (0.70 cm-1); 2+: g=2.03, J/kB=28 K (19 cm-1)] [H=-2JS1.S2 for 12+ and 2(2+); H=-2J(S1.S2+S2.S3) for 1+ and 2+]. Thus, due to direct spin exchange CA*3- is a much strong spin coupling linkage than the superexchange spin-coupling pathway provided by CA2-.