Magnetic Properties and Crystal Structure of a CuIIGdIII Heterodinuclear Schiff Base Complex

The crystal structure and the magnetic properties of a heterodinuclear complex, [LCu(Me2CO)Gd(NO3)3]2 (L=N,N’-bis(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-1,3-diaminopropane) are reported: [(C19H20N2O4)Cu(C3H6O)Gd(NO3)3]2, triclinic, space group P1, with a = 12.118.3(9), b = 13.562(3), c = 9.391(3) Å, α = 93.03(3), β = 107.65(2), γ = 73.07(2)◦ , V = 1406.0(7) Å3, Z = 1. The crystal structure consists of two independent binuclear CuIIGdIII complexes and two non-coordinating acetone molecules in the asymmetric unit. The central region of the complexs is occupied by CuII and GdIII ions which are bridged by two phenolato oxygen atoms of the ligand. The CuII ion is in a square-planar geometry and coordinated by four donor atoms of the ligand (N2O2). The GdIII ion is deca-coordinated. In addition to the two phenolate oxygen atoms, its coordination sphere contains two oxygen atoms of the OMe side arms of L and six oxygen atoms from the three bidentate nitrate ions. The average Cu· · ·Gd separation is 3.375(2) Å. The χT versus T plots, χ being the molar magnetic susceptibility per CuIIGdIII unit and T the temperature, has been measured in the 4 – 347 K range. The values of the intrachain interaction parameters have been deduced from the magnetic data: J = 7.4 cm−1, gCu = 2.12, gGd = 2.06. This indicates a weak ferromagnetic spin exchange interaction between CuII and GdIII ions. The nature of the magnetic super-exchange interaction of the title compound is compared with similar CuIIGdIII heterodinuclear complexes.