Halide and Hydroxide Linearly Bridged Bimetallic Copper(II) Complexes: Trends in Strong Antiferromagnetic Superexchange Interactions

Abstract

Centrosymmetric [Cu(2)(μ-X)(μ-L(m)*)(2)](ClO(4))(3) (X = F(-), Cl(-), Br(-), OH(-), L(m)* = m-bis[bis(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene)], the first example of a series of bimetallic copper(II) complexes linked by a linearly bridging mononuclear anion, have been prepared and structurally characterized. Very strong antiferromagnetic exchange coupling between the copper(II) ions increases along the series F(-) < Cl(-) < OH(-) < Br(-), where -J = 340, 720, 808, and 945 cm(-1). DFT calculations explain this trend by an increase in the energy along this series of the antibonding antisymmetric combination of the p orbital of the bridging anion interacting with the copper(II) d(z(2)) orbital.