Magnetic and Electrical Behaviors of the Homo- and Heterometallic 1D and 3D Coordination Polymers Based on the Partial Decomposition of the [Cr(C2O4)3]3− Building Block

Abstract

One-dimensional (1D) oxalate-bridged homometallic {[Mn(bpy)(C2O4)]·1.5H2O}n (1) (bpy = 2,2’-bipyridine) and heterodimetallic {[CrCu3(bpy)3(CH3OH)(H2O)(C2O4)4][Cu(bpy)Cr(C2O4)3]·CH2Cl2·CH3OH·H2O}n (2) coordination polymers, as well as the three-dimensional (3D) heterotrimetallic {[CaCr2Cu2(phen)4(C2O4)6]·4CH3CN·2H2O}n (3) (1,10-phenanthroline) network, have been synthesized by a building block approach using a layering technique, and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared (IR) and impedance spectroscopies and magnetization measurements. During the crystallization process partial decomposition of the tris(oxalato)chromate(III) happened and 1D polymers 1 and 2 were formed. The antiferromagnetic interactions between the manganese(II) ions were mediated by oxalate ligands in the chain [Mn(bpy)(C2O4)]n of 1, with intra-chain super-exchange interaction ? = (−3.134 ± 0.004) K; magnetic interaction between neighbouring chains is negligible making this system closer than other known Mn-chains to the ideal 1D Heisenberg antiferromagnet. Compound 2 comprises a 1D coordination anion [Cu(bpy)Cr(C2O4)3]nn− (Cr2–Cu4) with alternating [Cr(C2O4)3]3− and [Cu(bpy)]2+ units mutually bridged through the oxalate group. Another chain (Cr1–Cu3) is similar, but involves a homodinuclear unit [Cu(bpy)(H2O)(µ-C2O4)Cu(bpy)(CH3OH)]2+ (Cu1–Cu2) coordinated as a pendant group to a terminal oxalate oxygen. Magnetic measurements showed that the Cu1−Cu2 cationic unit is a strongly coupled antiferromagnetic dimer, independent from the other magnetic ions within ferromagnetic chains Cr1–Cu3 and Cr2–Cu4. A 3D polymer {[CaCr2Cu2(phen)4(C2O4)6]·4CH3CN·2H2O}n (3) comprising three different metal centers (Ca2+, Cr3+ and Cu2+) oxalate-bridged, contains Ca2+ atoms as nodes connected with four Cr3+ atoms through oxalate ligands. The network thus formed can be reduced to an underlying graph of diamondoid (dia) or (66) topology. Magnetization of 3 shows the ferromagnetic oxalate-bridged dimers [CuIICrIII], whose mutual interaction could possibly originate through the spin polarization of Ca2+ orbitals. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibit lower electrical conductivity at room temperature (RT) in comparison to compound 2.