Supramolecular self-assembly of 1D and 3D heterometallic coordination polymers with triruthenium building blocks.

Ru(3)(TSA)(6) (1; H(2)TSA=2-thiosalicylic acid), which bears six peripheral carboxylate groups and was isolated in the form NEt(4)Ru(3)(HTSA)(2)(TSA)(4)(0.5)·3.5H(2)O, serves as a building block for assembly of heterometallic coordination polymers. Treatment of 1 with [Fe(acac)(3)] (acac=acetylacetonate) in EG/H(2)O (EG=ethylene glycol) afforded 1D Ru(3)-Fe coordination polymer 2 by means of the connection of the building block 1 through iron centers. Treatment of 1 with MnCl(2) in EG resulted in the formation of 1D Ru(3)-Mn(3) coordination polymer 3, which features self-assembled polynuclear linking units Mn(3)(OCH(2)CH(2)O)(3), each of which contains a planar Mn(3)O(3) ring. By treating 1 with Gd(NO(3))(3) and NaHCO(3) in EG, a 3D Ru(3)-Gd(6) coordination polymer 4 was obtained; this 3D coordination polymer features unprecedented Gd(6)(μ(3)-CO(3))(4) units. The magnetic properties of 1-4, along with DFT calculations on the electronic structure of 1, are also described.