Synthesis and magnetic properties of heterometal cyclic tetranuclear complexes [Cu(II)LM(II)(hfac)]2 (M(II) = Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn; H3L = 1-(2-hydroxybenzamido)-2-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)amino)ethane; Hhfac = hexafluoroacetylacetone).

A series of heterometal cyclic tetranuclear complexes Cu(II)LM(II)(hfac) (M(II) = Zn (1), Cu (2), Ni (3), Co (4), Fe(5), and Mn (6)) have been synthesized by the assembly reaction of K[CuL] and [M(II)(hfac)(2)(H(2)O)(2)] with a 1:1 mole ratio in methanol, where H(3)L = 1-(2-hydroxybenzamido)-2-((2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)amino)ethane and Hhfac = hexafluoroacetylacetone. The crystal structures of 2, 4, and Cu(II)LMn(II)(acac) (6a) (Hacac = acetylacetone) were determined by single-crystal X-ray analyses. Each complex has a cyclic tetranuclear Cu(II)(2)M(II)(2) structure, in which the Cu(II) complex functions as a "bridging ligand complex", and the Cu(II) and M(II) ions are alternately arrayed. One side of the planar Cu(II) complex coordinates to one M(II) ion at the two phenoxo and the methoxy oxygen atoms, and the opposite side of the Cu(II) complex coordinates to another M(II) ion at the amido oxygen atom. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities revealed spin states of S(M) = 0, 1/2, 1, 3/2, 2, and 5/2 for the Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(II), and Mn(II) ions, respectively. Satisfactory fittings to the observed magnetic susceptibility data were obtained by assuming a rectangular arrangement with two different g-factors for the Cu(II) and M(II) ions, two different isotropic magnetic exchange interactions, J(1) and J(2), between the Cu(II) and M(II) ions, and a zero-field splitting term for the M(II) ion. In all cases, the antiferromagnetic coupling constants were found for both exchange interactions suggesting nonzero spin ground states with S(T) = 2/S(M) - S(Cu)/, which were confirmed by the analysis of the field-dependent magnetization measurements.