Neutral mononuclear, dinuclear, tetranuclear d7/d10 metal complexes containing bis-pyrazole/pyridine ligands supported by 2,6-bis(3-pyrazolyl)pyridine: synthesis, structure, spectra, and catalytic activity.

A series of novel bis-pyrazole/pyridine complexes, Zn(2)(HL(1))(2)(μ(2)-SO(4))·EtOH·H(2)O (1), Co(2)(HL(1))(2)(μ(2)-SO(4))·2DMF·6H(2)O (2), [Zn(4)(HL(1))(4)(μ(4)-SO(4))]OH (3), [Zn(2)(HL(2))(2)(μ(2)-SO(4))]·2H(2)O (4), Zn(H(2)L(2))(H(2)O)(2)·0.87H(2)O (5) (H(2)L(1) = 2,6-di-(5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine, H(2)L(2) = 2,6-di-(5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine), were synthesized hydrothermally from the self-assembly of Zn(II) or Co(II) with different types of bipyrazolyl/pyridine derivative ligands. All the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural analyses revealed that metal atoms (Zn and Co) in complexes 1-5 are five-coordination modes, forming slightly distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometries. In complexes 1-3, H(2)L(1) ligand connected the two metal centers via the tetradentate fashion, and the same form of connection was found in complex 4 with H(2)L(2) ligand. While in complex 5, H(2)L(2) only connected with one metal center via the tridentate fashion, which was different from those in complexes 1-4. Additionally, there are abundant hydrogen bonding interactions in complexes 1-4. Interestingly, for hydrogen bonding connecting fashions being different, the molecules for the complexes 1 and 4 are held together by the hydrogen bond to form a 1D supramolecular structure, whereas complexes 2 and 3 are a hydrogen bonded dimer. In addition, quantum chemical calculations for 1, 3, and 4, thermal behaviors and photoluminescent properties for 1 and 3-5 were performed and discussed in detail. In the mean time, we found that these complexes had potential catalytic activity for the oxidation reaction of cyclohexane.