Expanding the 3d-4f heterometallic chemistry of the (py)2CO and pyCOpyCOpy ligands: structural, magnetic and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of two FeII–GdIII co mplexes

Abstract

Complex [Fe(II)Gd(III){pyCO(OEt)pyCOH(OEt)py}(3)](ClO(4))(2) (1) crystallizes in the Cc space group and contains one hexacoordinate ferrous ion and one enneacoordinate Gd(III) ion. Complex [Fe(2)(II)Gd(III){pyCO(OEt)py}(4)(NO(3))(H(2)O)][Gd(NO(3))(5)](0.5)(ClO(4)) (2) crystallizes in the C2/c space group and contains two hexacoordinate ferrous ions and one octacoordinate Gd(III) ion. Both complexes have been prepared by the metal-assisted ethanolysis of ligands di-2,6-(2-pyridylcarbonyl)pyridine (pyCOpyCOpy, dpcp) and di-2-pyridyl ketone ((py)(2)CO, dpk), which exhibit similar structures. Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of 2 revealed the presence of two quadrupole-split doublets of equal intensities, each assigned to a ferrous site. These doublets exhibit similar isomer shifts (δ(1) = 1.14 mm s(-1), δ(2) = 1.11 mm s(-1)) but quite different quadrupole splittings (ΔE(Q1) = 3.55 mm s(-1), ΔE(Q2) = 2.74 mm s(-1)). Magnetic studies revealed weak ferromagnetic Fe(II)-Gd(III) interactions for both complexes (J(FeGd) = +0.68 cm(-1), D(Fe) = 12.0 cm(-1) for 1 and J(FeGd) = +0.03 cm(-1), J(FeFe) = -1.73 cm(-1) for 2, according to the -JS(i)S(j) spin-Hamiltonian formalism).