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The first examples of high-nuclear 3d-4f heterometallic clusters with mixed amino acid ligands are reported. Four 30-nuclear clusters {Ln6Cu24}(Ln = Gd, Tb, Pr and Sm) were obtained through the self-assembly of Ln(III), Cu(II) and mixed amino acid ligands of glycine (HGly) and β-alanine (HAla). The metal skeleton of clusters may be described as a huge {Ln6Cu12} octahedron connected with 12 additional Cu(II) ions. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibilities of compounds were also studied.

We establish the coordination potential of the Schiff base ligand (2-methoxy-6-[(E)-2'-hydroxymethyl-phenyliminomethyl]-phenolate (H2L)) via the isolation of various M(II)-Ln(III) complexes (where M(II) = Ni or Zn and Ln(III) = La or Pr or Gd). Single crystals of these five complexes were isolated and their solid state structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural determination revealed molecular formulae of [NiGd(HL)2(NO3)3] (1), [NiPr(HL)2(NO3)3] (2) and [Ni2La(HL)4(NO3)](NO3)2 (3), [Zn2Gd(HL)4(NO3)](NO3)2 (4), and [Zn2Pr(HL)4(NO3)](NO3)2 (5). Complexes and were found to be neutral heterometallic dinuclear compounds, whereas 3-5 were found to be linear heterometallic trinuclear cationic complexes. Direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements conclusively revealed that complexes 1 and 4 possess a spin ground state of S = 9/2 and 7/2 respectively. Empirically calculated ΔχMT derived from the variable temperature susceptibility data for all complexes undoubtedly indicates that the Ni(II) ion is coupled ferromagnetically with the Gd(III) ion, and antiferromagnetically with the Pr(III) ion in 1 and 2 respectively. The extent of the exchange interaction for was estimated by fitting the magnetic susceptibility data using the parameters (g = 2.028, S = 9/2, J = 1.31 cm(-1) and zJ = +0.007), supporting the phenomenon observed in an empirical approach. Similarly using a HDVV Hamiltonian, the magnetic data of 3 and 4 were fitted, yielding parameters g = 2.177, D = 3.133 cm(-1), J = -0.978 cm(-1), (for 3) and g = 1.985, D = 0.508 cm(-1) (for 4). The maximum change in magnetic entropy (-ΔSm) estimated from the isothermal magnetization data for was found to be 5.7 J kg(-1) K(-1) (ΔB = 7 Tesla) at 7.0 K, which is larger than the -ΔSm value extracted from 4 of 3.5 J kg(-1) K(-1) (ΔB = 7 Tesla) at 15.8 K, revealing the importance of the exchange interaction in increasing the overall ground state of a molecule for better MCE efficiency.

The complex between (17)O-enriched DOTA (tetraazacyclododecanetetraacetic acid) and praseodymium(III) (Pr(3+)) was studied in aqueous solution by variable-temperature (17)O NMR at 14.1 T. pH effects as well as the influence of metal ions free in solution were investigated. At low temperature, the so-called TSAP and SAP conformations give rise to distinct signals for the oxygen atoms coordinated to the metal ion (O2); coalescence occurs between 20 and 30 °C. In contrast, a single signal was detected for the noncoordinated oxygen atoms (O1) in the entire investigated temperature range, i.e. between -3 and 135 °C. At high temperature, the spectra exhibit signal broadening that reveals the interchange of the O1 and O2 oxygen atoms of the carboxylate groups. The linewidths measured for O1 were deconvolved into contributions from quadrupole relaxation and chemical exchange, allowing the corresponding activation barriers to be determined. The present (17)O dynamic NMR study provides the first quantitative experimental data characterizing the interchange of the oxygen atoms in a DOTA chelate of a lanthanide metal ion. The activation entropy of this process is negligible and the activation enthalpy is found to range between 66 and 77 kJ mol(-1), depending on the pH and the presence of free Pr(3+) ions in solution. These data support the results of a previous computational study according to which the exchange mechanism involves the internal rotation of the carboxylate groups.

The rational self-assembly of mono-lacunary Keggin clusters with 4d and 4f metal salts via a conventional method has yielded two novel polyoxometalate-based 4d-4f heterometallic compounds containing lacunary Keggin anions connected to ten metal atoms: {[Ag{Ag2(H2O)4}{Ln(H2O)6}2H ⊂ {SiW11Ln(H2O)4O39}2]·nH2O (Ln = Ce and n = 7 for 1, Ln = Pr and n = 3 for 2). Their structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analyses and further characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectra, and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. A structural feature in 1 and 2 is that each [SiW11O39](8-) cluster (SiW11) is connected to ten metals (five Ag(+) and five Ln(3+) cations), representing the highest number of connected metal atoms to any mono-lacunary Keggin anion to date. This large connectivity leads to a structure with a purely inorganic 3D framework with two kinds of channels along the [100] and [010] directions. The magnetic properties of both compounds show the expected magnetic moments (0.8 and 1.6 amu K mol(-1) per Ce(3+) and Pr(3+) ion, respectively) and confirm the presence of isolated Ce(3+) and Pr(3+) ions.

A pair of luminescent heterometallic lanthanide-transition-metal coordination polymers, namely, [PrLAg(3)(SCN)(6)·H(2)O](n) (1) and [PrLAg(3)(SCN)(6)](n) (2) [L = 2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine], have been obtained with different cooling rates under solvothermal conditions. The two structures are pseudo- supramolecular isomers constructed via the same [PrL(NCS)(6)](3-) subunit and different Ag-S clusters, presenting diverse two-dimensional and three dimensional frameworks, respectively. In both complexes, the tridentate chelate L, acting as an organic chromophore, along with the d(10)-block Ag-S clusters, are simultaneously immobilized, and effectively sensitize the Pr(III)-based luminescence., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011)

The heterobitopic ligands L(AB4) and L(AB5) have been designed and synthesised with the ultimate aim of self-assembling dual-function lanthanide complexes containing either a magnetic and a luminescent probe or two luminescent probes emitting at different wavelengths. They react with lanthanide ions to form complexes of composition [Ln(2)(L(ABX))(3)](6+) of which three (X = 4; Ln = Pr, Nd, Sm) have been isolated and characterised by means of X-ray diffraction. The unit cells contain triple-stranded helicates in which the three ligand strands are wrapped tightly around the two lanthanide ions. In acetonitrile solution the ligands form not only homobimetallic, but also heterobimetallic complexes of composition [Ln(1)Ln(2)(L(ABX))(3)](6+) when reacted with a pair of different lanthanide ions. The yield of heterobimetallic complexes is analyzed in terms of both the difference in ionic radii of the lanthanide ions and of the inherent tendency of the ligands to form high percentages of head-head-head (HHH) helicates in which all three ligand strands are oriented in the same direction with respect to the Ln-Ln vector. The latter is very sensitive to slight modifications of the tridentate coordinating units.