Synthesis and crystal structures of quadruply carboxylate-bridged dimeric lanthanide(III) complexes of betaine

Abstract

Three dimeric lanthanide(III) complexes, [Eu2(bet)8(H2O)4](CIO4)6(1), [Tb2(bet)8(H2O)4](ClO4)6(2), and [Eu2(bet)4(H2O)8] Cl6·6H2O (3) (bet = Me3N+CH2COO−, trimethyl-aminoacetate), have been prepared and structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with a = 11.7807(8), b = 27.757(5), c = 11.7980(8) A, β = 99.500(4)°, V = 3805.1(8) A3, and Z = 2. Complex 2 is isomorphous to complex 1, crystallizing in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with a = 11.7769(14), b = 27.725(3), c = 11.795(5) A, β = 99.668(14)°, V = 3797(2) A3, and Z = 2. Complex 3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbca, with a = 12.5664(8), b = 17.8645(9), c = 22.2573(8) A, V = 4996.6(4) A3 and Z = 4. Both complexes 1 and 2 comprise quadruply carboxylate-O,O′-bridged [M2(bet)4]6+ dimeric cores (M = Eu, Tb), and each metal ion is further coordinated by two terminal aqua ligands and two monodentate bet carboxylates to form a distorted square-antiprismatic coordination geometry. Complex 3 also has a [Eu2(bet)4]6+ core, in which two bet ligands act in the η1:η1:μ2 bridging fashion, and the other two bet ligands in the less common η2:η1:μ2 bridging fashion, namely bridging-chelate mode. Each europium(III) ion in complex 3 is further coordinated by four water molecules to complete a monocapped square antiprism.