Series of 2D heterometallic coordination polymers based on ruthenium(III) oxalate building units: synthesis, structure, and catalytic and magnetic properties.

A series of 2D ruthenium-based coordination polymers with hcb-hexagonal topology, {[K(18-crown-6)]3[M(II)3(H2O)4{Ru(ox)3}3]}n (M(II) = Mn (1), Fe (2), Co (3), Cu (4), Zn (5)), has been synthesized through self-assembly reaction. All compounds are isostructural frameworks that crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/c. The crystal packing consists of a 2D honeycomb-like anionic mixed-metal framework intercalated by K(18-crown-6) cationic template. Dehydration processes take place in the range 40-200 °C exhibiting two phase transitions. However, the spontaneous rehydration occurs at room temperature. Both hydrated and dehydrated compounds were tested as Lewis acids heterogeneous catalysts in the acetalyzation of benzaldehyde achieving high yields with the possibility to be recovered and reused. All the investigated materials do not show any long-range magnetic ordering down to 2 K. However, the Fe-based compound 2 presents a magnetic irreversibility in the ZFC-FC magnetization data below 5 K, which suggest a spin-glass-like behavior, characterized also by short-range ferromagnetic correlations. The coercive field increases as the temperature is lowered below 5 K, reaching a value of 1 kOe at 2 K. Alternating current measurements obtained at different frequencies confirm the freezing process that shows weak frequency dependence, being characteristic of a system exhibiting competing magnetic interactions.