Phenolate- and Acetate (Both μ₂‑1,1 and μ₂‑1,3 Modes)-Bridged Linear Co^II₃ and Co^II₂Mn^II Trimers: Magnetostructural Studies

A full report on the synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopic characterization, and magnetic properties of two new trinuclear complexes (one homo- and another heterotrinuclear) [(L)2CoII3(OAc)4(MeOH)2]·6MeOH (1) and [(L)2CoII2MnII­(OAc)4­(MeOH)2]·6MeOH (2) [HL = N-methyl-N-2-hydroxybenzyl-2-aminoethyl-2-pyridine] is presented. The properties of 1 and 2 are compared to that of three previously communicated complexes [(L)2NiII3(OAc)4(MeOH)2]·6MeOH (3), [(L)2NiII2MnII(OAc)4(H2O)2] (4), and [(L)2NiII2CoII­(OAc)4­(MeOH)2]·6MeOH (5) (Inorg. Chem. 2007, 46, 5128–5130). All are centrosymmetric trimers with the central metal ion situated on an inversion center. Adjacent metal ions are triply bridged by a μ2-phenolate and two acetate (one in μ2-1,1 mode and another in μ2-1,3 mode) groups. Magnetic investigations reveal that the complexes are ferromagnetically coupled (J in cm–1): +1.20 (1) and +0.71 (2). The reported J values are +1.10 (3), −0.30 (4), and +1.06 (5). It reveals that total spins are as follows: S = 9/2 (1), 11/2 (2), 3 (3), 1/2 (4), 7/2 (5). The role of M–O­(μ2-phenoxide)–M′, M–O­(μ2-1,1-acetate)–M′, and M–O­(μ2-1,3-acetate)–M′ (M = M′ = CoII, NiII; M = CoII, M′ = MnII; M = NiII, M′ = MnII, CoII) bond angles on the observed magnetic behavior has been noted.