Employment of methyl 2-pyridyl ketone oxime in 3d/4f-metal chemistry: dinuclear nickel(II)/lanthanide(III) species and complexes containing the metals in separate ions

The use of methyl 2-pyridyl ketone oxime (mpkoH) for the synthesis of Ni-II/Ln(III) (Ln = lanthanide) complexes, using "one-pot" reactions in the absence of an external base, is described. Depending on the reaction and crystallization conditions employed, two families of complexes have been obtained. The first family consists of true heterometallic species and involves complexes [NiLn(mpko)(3)(mpkoH)(3)](ClO4)(2), where Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er. The second family contains the pseudo heterometallic complexes [Ni(mpkoH)(3)](2)[Ln(NO3)(6)](ClO4), where Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm. The crystal structures of [NiCe(mpko)(3)(mpkoH)(3)](ClO4)(2) (1), [NiDy(mpko)(3)(mpkoH)(3)](ClO4)(2) (8) and [Ni(mpkoH)(3)](2)[La(NO3)(6)](ClO4) (11) have been determined by single-crystal, X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 center dot 1.2MeOH center dot 0.6H(2)O and 8 center dot 1.2MeOH center dot 0.6H(2)O crystallise in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/a and are isomorphous; there are two crystallographically independent cations in the unit cell, but their interatomic distances and angles differ little. The Ni-II and Ln(III) ions are bridged by three oximate groups belonging to the eta(1):eta(1):eta(1):mu mpko(-) ligands. The Ni-II centre is octahedrally coordinated by the six nitrogen atoms of the mpko-ligands in a facial arrangement. The Ln(III) centre is bound to an (O-oximate)(3)N-6 set of donor atoms, the nitrogen atoms belonging to the three N,N'-bidentate chelating mpkoH ligands. The stereochemistry of the Ln(III) atoms has been evaluated by means of continuous shape measures (CShM). The two crystallographically independent Ce-III atoms in 1 have tricapped trigonal prismatic and capped square antiprismatic coordination geometries, while the polyhedra of the Dy-III atoms in 8 are both close to a tricapped trigonal prism. The octahedral Ni-II atoms in 11 are both facially bound to a N-6 set of donor atoms from three N,N'-bidentate chelating mpkoH ligands, while the 12-coordinate La-III centre in [La(NO3)(6)](3-) is coordinated by six bidentate chelating nitrato groups. Variable-temperature, solid state dc magnetic susceptibility studies were carried out on complexes 2, 6, 7 and 8. The dc susceptibility data for 6 in the 2.0-300 K range have been fit to a model with one J value, revealing an antiferromagnetic Ni-II center dot center dot center dot Gd-III exchange interaction [J = -1.1 cm(-1) based on H = -J ((S) over cap (Ni)center dot(S) over cap (Gd))]. Antiferromagnetic Ni-II center dot center dot center dot Pr-III, Ni-II center dot center dot center dot Tb-III and Ni-II center dot center dot center dot Dy-III exchange interactions have also been suggested for 2, 7 and 8, respectively. The combined work demonstrates the usefulness of mpko(-) in the preparation of interesting Ni-II/Ln(III) compounds, without requiring the presence of external base and ancillary organic ligands.