ABSTRACT: The reaction of 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol (DFMF) with 1-amino-2-propanol (AP) and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (THMAM) was investigated in the presence of Cobalt(II) salts, (X = ClO4-, CH3CO2-, Cl-, NO3-), sodium azide (NaN3), and triethylamine (TEA). In one pot, the variation in Cobalt(II) salt results in the self-assembly of dinuclear, tetranuclear, and H-bonding-directed polynuclear coordination complexes of Cobalt(III), Cobalt(II), and mixed-valence CoIICoIII: [Co2III(H2L-1)2(AP-1)(N3)](ClO4)2 (1), [Co4(H2L-1)2(µ3-1,1,1-N3)2(µ-1,1-N3)2Cl2(CH3OH)2]·4CH3OH (2), [Co2IICo2III(HL-2)2(µ-CH3CO2)2(µ3-OH)2](NO3)2·2CH3CH2OH (3), and [Co2IICo2III (H2L12-)2(THMAM-1)2](NO3)4 (4). In 1, two cobalt(III) ions are connected via three single atom bridges; two from deprotonated ethanolic oxygen atoms in the side arms of the ligands and one from the1-amino-2-propanol moiety forming a dinuclear unit with a very short (2.5430(11) Å) Co-Co intermetallic separation with a coordination number of 7, a rare feature for cobalt(III). In 2, two cobalt(II) ions in a dinuclear unit are bridged through phenoxide O and ?3-1,1,1-N3 azido bridges, and the two dinuclear units are interconnected by two ?-1,1-N3 and two ?3-1,1,1-N3 azido bridges generating tetranuclear cationic [Co4(H2L-1)2(µ3-1,1,1-N3)2(µ-1,1-N3)2Cl2(CH3OH)2]2+ units with an incomplete double cubane core, which grow into polynuclear 1D-single chains along the a-axis through H-bonding. In 3, HL2- holds mixed-valent Co(II)/Co(III) ions in a dinuclear unit bridged via phenoxide O, ?-1,3-CH3CO2-, and ?3-OH- bridges, and the dinuclear units are interconnected through two deprotonated ethanolic O in the side arms of the ligands and two ?3-OH- bridges generating cationic tetranuclear [Co2IICo2III(HL-2)2(µ-CH3CO2)2(µ3-OH)2]2+ units with an incomplete double cubane core. In 4, H2L1-2 holds mixed-valent Co(II)/Co(III) ions in dinuclear units which dimerize through two ethanolic O (?-RO-) in the side arms of the ligands and two ethanolic O (?3-RO-) of THMAM bridges producing centrosymmetric cationic tetranuclear [Co2IICo2III (H2L1-2)2(THMAM-1)2]4+ units which grow into 2D-sheets along the bc-axis through a network of H-bonding. Bulk magnetization measurements on 2 demonstrate that the magnetic interactions are completely dominated by an overall ferromagnetic coupling occurring between Co(II) ions.
