Comprehensive insights of a Salamo-like Oligo(N,O-donor) ligand and its self-assembled di-nuclear Mn(III) and tetra-nuclear Cd(II) complexes.

• A salamo‐like oligo(N,O-donor) ligand H3L has been synthesized. • Unusual di-nuclear Mn(III) and tetra-nuclear Cd(II) complexes have been successfully self-assembled. • The hexa-coordinated Mn(III) and Cd(II) atoms in complexes 1 & 2 form slightly distorted octahedral geometries. • Theoretical calculations and fluorescence properties of H3L and complexes 1 and 2 were also investigated. The self-assembled di-nuclear Mn(III) & tetra-nuclear Cd(II) salamo-like oligo(N,O-donor) complexes, [Mn 2 (L) 2 (CH 3 OH) 2 ]·4CH 3 OH (1) and [Cd 4 (L) 2 (η -OAc) 2 (CH 3 OH) 2 ] (2) have been constructed successfully applying the measure of solvent evaporation and characterized structurally by X-ray diffraction analyses of single crystal, IR & UV visible analyses. The single crystals of the salamo-like oligo(N,O-donor) compound H 3 L have been obtained by wet-chemical technique, its established structure is H 3 L∙CH 3 OH. The structure of complex 1 is centrally symmetrical, and both Mn(III) atoms are hexa-coordination and have slightly distorted octahedral geometries. There are two sets of intermolecular H-bonding interactions which are connected with adjacent units of the Mn(III) complexes and form a two-dimensional network structure. For the complex 2 , all of the Cd(II) atoms are also hexa-coordination and possess slightly twisted octahedral configurations. And five groups of intermolecular H-bonding interactions form a honeycomb shaped three-dimensional supramolecular structure. Additionally, the intermolecular interactions of H 3 L, complexes 1 and 2 have been quantified by Hirshfeld surface analysis for further study. Fluorescence emission spectra of H 3 L, complexes 1 and 2 were also investigated. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]