Heterospin complexes of polynuclear NiII compounds containing hexafluoroacetylacetonate and pivalate ligands with nitroxides

The heterospin mixed-ligand complex [Ni₆(OH)₄Piv₄(hfac)₄(NIT-Ph)₂] (1) (NIT-Ph is 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-phenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-oxyl 3-oxide, hfac is hexafluoroacetylacetonate, and Piv is pivalate) was synthesized. The method for the synthesis of complex 1 is based on the replacement of acetone molecules in the hexanuclear complex containing the hexafluoroacetylacetonate and pivalate ligands [Ni₆(OH)₄Piv₄(hfac)₄(Me₂CO)₄] by NIT-Ph molecules. Two monodentate NIT-Ph molecules replace four acetone molecules, because the coordination of the O atom of the nitroxide group results in the blocking of one of the positions in the coordination environment of Ni^II the access to which is hindered by the phenyl ring of NIT-Ph. As a result, these ions are in a square-pyramidal environment unusual of Ni^II. In the low-temperature range, the dependence of the magnetization of 1 on the magnetic field is described by the Brillouin function. The reaction of [Ni₆Piv₄(hfac)₄(OH)₄(Me₂CO)₄] with the nitronyl nitroxide radicals 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(4-pyridyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-oxyl 3-oxide (NIT-p-Py) or 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-1-oxyl 3-oxide (NIT-Iz) containing the pyridine or 1-methylimidazol-5-yl substituent, respectively, in the side chain is accompanied by the decomposition of the polynuclear fragment and affords the mononuclear complexes Ni(hfac)₂(NIT-p-Py)₂ and Ni(hfac)₂(NIT-Iz)₂, respectively. The reaction of 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(1-methyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)-4,5-dihyd-ro-1H-imidazol-1-oxyl (Im-Iz), which is the imine analog of NIT-Iz, with [Ni₆Piv₄(hfac)₄(OH)₄(Me₂CO)₄] afforded the decanuclear complex [Ni₁₀(OH)₈Piv₄(hfac)₈(Im-Iz)₂(H₂O)₆]. The molecular and crystal structures of all heterospin compounds were determined, and the magnetic properties of all compounds were investigated in the 2–300 K temperature range.