Thermally induced two-step, two-site incomplete 6A1<-->2T2 crossover in a mononuclear iron(III) phenolate-pyridyl Schiff-base complex: a rare crystallographic observation of the coexistence of pure S=5/2 and 1/2 metal centers in the asymmetric unit

Musa S Shongwe; Badria A Al-Rashdi; Harry Adams; Michael J Morris; Masahiro Mikuriya; Giovanni R Hearne

doi:10.1021/ic700397u

Thermally induced two-step, two-site incomplete 6A1<-->2T2 crossover in a mononuclear iron(III) phenolate-pyridyl Schiff-base complex: a rare crystallographic observation of the coexistence of pure S=5/2 and 1/2 metal centers in the asymmetric unit

Inorg Chem. 2007 Nov 12;46(23):9558-68. doi: 10.1021/ic700397u. Epub 2007 Oct 5.

Authors

Musa S Shongwe¹, Badria A Al-Rashdi, Harry Adams, Michael J Morris, Masahiro Mikuriya, Giovanni R Hearne

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 36, Al-Khod 123, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. musa@squ.edu.om

PMID: 17918825
DOI: 10.1021/ic700397u

Abstract

The six-coordinate mononuclear iron(III) complexes [Fe(salpm)2]ClO(4).0.5EtOH, [Fe(salpm)2]Cl, [Fe{(3,5-tBu2)-salpm}2]X (X=ClO4- or Cl-), and [Fe{(3,5-tBu2)-salpm}2]NO(3).2H2O [Hsalpm=N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)salicylideneamine; H(3,5-tBu2)-salpm=N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneamine] have been synthesized and isolated in crystalline form; their chemical identities have been ascertained by elemental analyses, FAB mass spectrometry, and infrared spectroscopy. The room-temperature effective magnetic moments [(8chiMT)1/2 approximately 5.85-5.90 microB] of these complexes are consistent with the high-spin (S=5/2) ground state. These complexes are intensely colored on account of the strong ppi-->dpi* LMCT visible absorptions. Definitive evidence for the structures of [Fe(salpm)2]ClO(4).0.5EtOH and [Fe{(3,5-tBu2)-salpm}2]NO(3).2H2O has been provided by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The monomeric complex cations in both compounds comprise two uninegative phenolate-pyridyl tridentate Schiff-base ligands coordinated meridionally to the iron(III) to afford a distorted octahedral geometry with a trans,cis,cis-[FeO2N4] core. Whereas [Fe(salpm)2]ClO(4).0.5EtOH undergoes a thermally induced 6A1<-->2T2 crossover, [Fe{(3,5-tBu2)-salpm}2]NO(3).2H2O retains its spin state in the solid state down to 5 K. However, EPR spectroscopy reveals that the latter complex does exhibit a spin transformation in solution, albeit to a much lesser extent than does the former. The spin crossover in [Fe(salpm)2]ClO(4).0.5EtOH has resulted in an unprecedented crystallographic observation of the coexistence of high-spin and low-spin iron(III) complex cations in equal proportions around 100 K. At room temperature, the two crystallographically distinct ferric centers are both high spin; however, one [Fe(salpm)2]+ complex cation undergoes a complete spin transition over the temperature range approximately 200-100 K, whereas the other converts very nearly completely between 100 and 65 K; approximately 10% of the complex cations in [Fe(salpm)2]ClO(4).0.5EtOH remain in the high-spin state down to 5 K.