Hexanuclear Fe(III)2Co(III)2M(II)2 (M = Cu, Ni, Mn) clusters based on Kläui's tripodal ligand and tricyanometalates: syntheses, structures and magnetic properties.

With the use of Kläui's tripodal ligand, [(Cp)Co(P(O)(OEt)(2))(3)](-) (L(CoEt), Cp = cyclopentadiene) as the auxiliary ligand to react with different metal salts and tricyanometalate building blocks, five neutral trimetallic hexanuclear complexes: [(Tp)(2)Fe(2)(CN)(6)Cu(2)(L(CoEt))(2)]·6H(2)O (1, Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate), [(Tp*)(2)Fe(2)(CN)(6)Cu(2)(L(CoEt))(2)]·2H(2)O (2, Tp* = hydridotris(3,5-dimethyl-pyrazolyl)borate), [(pzTp)(2)Fe(2)(CN)(6)Cu(2)(L(CoEt))(2)]·H(2)O·3MeOH (3, pzTp = tetra(pyrazolyl)borate), [(Tp)(2)Fe(2)(CN)(6)Ni(2)(L(CoEt))(2)(MeCN)(2)]·2MeCN·2H(2)O (4) and [(Tp)(2)Fe(2)(CN)(6)Mn(2)(L(CoEt))(2)(MeCN)(2)]·2MeCN (5), have been obtained and structurally characterized. Magnetic measurements confirm that there are ferromagnetic couplings between the cyano-bridged Fe and Cu/or Ni ions and antiferromagnetic interaction between the cyano-bridged Fe and Mn ions. Slow relaxation of the magnetization is observed in complexes 1 and 4, while complex 3 exhibits metamagnetic behavior with a critical field of 17.5 kOe.