Compartmental Schiff-base ligands--a rich library of tectons in designing magnetic and luminescent materials.

The binuclear complexes (3d-3d, 3d-3d', 3d-4f) with compartmental ligands can efficiently act as tectons in crystal engineering. Various high nuclearity clusters and coordination polymers can be easily obtained by choosing the appropriate spacers. The main interest in such systems arises from their magnetic and photophysical properties. Moreover, 3d-3d' and 3d-4f complexes are useful precursors in designing heterotrimetallic systems with relevance in molecular magnetism.