Spin control in oxamato-based manganese(II)-copper(II) coordination polymers with brick-wall layer architectures.

Two new heterobimetallic manganese(II)-copper(II) coordination polymers of formulas [Mn(2)Cu(2)(Me(3)mpba)(2)(H(2)O)(6)]·8H(2)O (1) and [Mn(2)Cu(2)(Me(4)ppba)(2)(H(2)O)(6)]·8H(2)O (2) [Me(3)mpba = 2,4,6-trimethyl-N,N'-1,3-phenylenebis(oxamate) and Me(4)ppba = 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-N,N'-1,4-phenylenebis(oxamate)] have been synthesized following a molecular-programmed self-assembly method from the corresponding dicopper(II) complexes acting as metalloligands toward Mn(II) ions. 1 and 2 consist of neutral Mn(II)(2)Cu(II)(2) layers with a brick-wall structure made up of oxamato-bridged Mn(II)Cu(II) chains connected through double meta- (1) and para-substituted (2) permethylated phenylene spacers. Overall magnetic (1) and nonmagnetic (2) layer ground states result from the ferro- and antiferromagnetic interchain interactions between the oxamato-bridged Mn(II)Cu(II) ferrimagnetic chains across m- and p-phenylene spacers, respectively. Interestingly, compound 1 exhibits a long-range ferromagnetic ordering with a rather high Curie temperature (T(C)) of 20.0 K.