Synthesis, crystal structure and catalytic property of a dinuclear cobalt(III) complex derived from 2-ethyl-2-{[1-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)methylidene]amino}propane-1,3-diol

Abstract

With a tetradentate Schiff base ligand 2-ethyl-2-{[1-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)methylidene]amino}propane-1,3-diol (H3L) with cobalt nitrate and ammonium thiocyanate, a dinuclear cobalt(III) complex was prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and X-ray structure determination. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n with unit cell dimensions a = 17.682(2) Å, b = 22.652(2) Å, c = 18.617(2) Å, β = 99.546(2)°, V = 7,353.5(12) Å3, Z = 4, R1 = 0.0956, and wR2 = 0.2027. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the asymmetric unit of the compound contains two dinuclear cobalt(III) complex molecules, three methanol molecules and one water molecule of crystallization. The Co···Co distances in the dinuclear cobalt(III) complex molecules are about 2.97 Å. The Co atoms are in octahedral coordination. The complex has effective property on the oxidation of various aliphatic and aromatic olefins.