THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PERIPHERAL AND CENTRAL UNITS IN SUPRAMOLECULAR AND METALLOSUPRAMOLECULAR STRUCTURES: THE CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME MONO-, DI- AND TRINUCLEAR COMPLEXES OF A VICINAL OXIME-IMINE LIGAND

Abstract

The 1:1 molar ratio reaction of p-phenylenediamine with isonitrosoacetylacetone in chloroform led to the formation of the half unit ligand (HL); (1). Two types of the trans octahedral (L)2Ni 2H2O complex were characterized; the green molecular complex (2) and the associated supramolecular dark brown complex (3). Molecular association in (3) took place via inter-molecular hydrogen bonding between the amino group of a molecule and the oxygen sites of an adjacent molecule. The 1:1 molar ratio reactions of (2) with the metal acetates M(OAc)2 (M = divalent nickel, copper or cobalt) produced the self-assembly structure (4) whereby the metal acetate is coordinated to the amino groups of the nickel(II) complex. Reaction of the dinuclear (4) with another metal acetate (1:1 molar ratio) gave the trinuclear terminated structure (5). Similar reactions of (3) with nickel acetate (1:1 or 1:2) led to formation of complexes with metallosupramolecular structures. An antiferromagnetic interaction between the peripheral and central paramagnetic units was observed from those complexes with copper(II) at the peripheral location. In all these cases the metal ions are bridged via the aromatic Schiff-base moiety. The suggested structures of the mono-, di- and trinuclear coordination compounds are in accordance with the analytical, spectral and magnetic moment data.