An iron(ii) spin-crossover metallacycle from a back-to-back bis-[dipyrazolylpyridine].

The syntheses of 4-mercapto-2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (bppSH) and bis[2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyrid-4-yl]disulfide (bppSSbpp) are reported. In contrast to previously published "back-to-back" bis-[2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine] derivatives, which form coordination polymers with transition ions that are usually insoluble, bppSSbpp yields soluble oligomeric complexes with iron(ii) and zinc(ii). Mass spectrometry and DOSY data show that {Fe(μ-bppSSbpp)}n and {Zn(μ-bppSSbpp)}n form tetranuclear metallacycles in nitromethane solution (n = 4), although (1)H NMR and conductivity measurements imply the iron compound may undergo more fragmentation than its zinc congener. Both {Fe(bppSH)2 and {Fe(μ-bppSSbpp)}n exhibit thermal spin-crossover in CD3NO2 solution, with midpoint temperatures near 245 K. The similarity of these equilibria implies there is little cooperativity between the iron centres in the metallacyclic structures.