Synthesis, molecular and crystalline architectures, and properties of novel bis(bidentate) and bis(tridentate) Schiff base bridged dinuclear mercury(II)pseudohalides: Control of coordination numbers by varying denticities

Abstract: A tetracoordinated [Hg2(L1)(SCN)4] (1) [L1 =N,N′-(bis-(pyridin-2-yl)benzylidene)-1,2-ethanediamine] and two pentacoordinated [Hg2(L2)(X)4] [L2 =N-((1-pyridin-2-yl)formylidene)-N′-[2-(4-{2-[((1-pyridin-2-yl)formylidene) amino]ethyl}piperazin-1-yl)ethyl]amine; X= , (2) and X=NCS−, (3)] dinuclear mercury(II) compounds have been prepared and characterized using microanalytical, spectroscopic, thermal and X-ray crystallographic results. Structural analyses reveal bis(bidentate) congregation behaviour of classical tetradentate L1 and bis(tridentate) character of L2 encapsulating two metal centers. Each mercury(II) center in 1 is in a distorted tetrahedral coordination environment with HgN2S2 chromophore. Hg(1) is attached with two N atoms of L1 and two S atoms of two terminal thiocyanates whereas neighbouring Hg(1) is ligated to the other two N donor set of the same Schiff base completing its bis(bidentate) mode and two S atoms of thiocyanates. In 2 and 3 each mercury(II) center adopts a distorted square pyramidal geometry with MN5 (in 2) and MN3S2 (in 3) chromophores and two metal(II) centers are encapsulated by bis(tridentate) congregation behaviour of L2 through donation of three N donor set to each metal and the fourth and fifth positions are occupied by two N atoms of terminal azides in 2 and two S atoms of terminal thiocyanates in 3. In solid-state, dinuclear units of 1 pack through cooperative C–H⋯N and C–H⋯S hydrogen bonds and C–H⋯π interactions giving rise to a 3D network. Individual dinuclear units of 2 and 3 self-assemble through cooperative C–H⋯N hydrogen bondings and C–H⋯π interactions affording 3D network structure and 2D continuum, respectively. In DMF solutions at room temperature all the complexes display high-energy intraligand 1(π–π∗) fluorescence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]