Novel bis-catecholato heterospin manganese complexes

Abstract

A tris-dioxolene manganese complex was synthesized and characterized (dioxolene- mono- and dianions of 3,6-DBQ-pipe, which is 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone having a N,N’-piperazine bicycle as substituent in 4,5-positions). According to the bonds lengths distribution in the chelate cycles of the ligands the complex was identified as a bis-o-semiquinone-catecholato derivative of Mn(IV). Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate one unpaired electron per complex molecule as a result of strong intramolecular antiferromagnetic exchange interactions. The bis-o-semiquinone-catecholato manganese complex interacts with pyridine substituted by a nitronyl-nitroxide moiety forming a six-coordinate compound. The X-ray structural diffraction study of the complex executed at 100 K indicates a trans-arrangement of the pyridine ligands and the two catecholato dianionic chelates. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements of the complex with nitronyl-nitroxide give a magnetic moment of 5.5 µB which cannot be achieved in the spin system S = 3/2 (Mn4+) and 2 × S = 1/2 (two nitronyl-nitroxides). A valence tautomeric interconversion is proposed when the high multiplicity states [Mn3+(catecholate)(semiquinone)] and [Mn2+(semiquinone)2] are partly populated.