Synthesis, characterization and magnetic properties of a hexanuclear copper (II) complex with hydroxido, alkoxido and phenoxido bridges

A new hexanuclear Copper (II) complex has been synthesised with symmetrical N2O3-donor Schiff-base ligand and characterized fully by structurally and spectroscopically. The magnetic property indicates the presence of predominant antiferromagnetic Cu⋯Cu interactions in the Cu6 cluster. [Display omitted] •Based on a symmetrical N2O3-donor Schiff-base ligand an hexanuclear Cu(II) complex has been synthesised and characterized fully by spectroscopically and structurally.•In the cluster, Cu(II) ions are bridged by very unusual combinations of single hydroxido, single alkoxido and double phenoxido bridges.•The magnetic properties indicate the presence of antiferromagnetic interactions inside the cluster having two different J values. A new CuII6 complex, formulated as [Cu6(L)3(µ3-OH)(H2O)(OH)(NO3)]·2H2O·7CH3OH (1) has been prepared using the symmetrical N2O3-donor Schiff-base ligand H3L = N,N′-(2-hydroxypropane-1,3-diyl)bis(2-hydroxyacetophenimine). Compound 1 has been structurally and spectroscopically characterized. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that 1 crystallizes in the triclinic space group P-1 and consists of a CuII6 complex where each deprotonated ligand chelates two CuII centres. Three of the six independent CuII centres are arranged in an almost equilateral triangle with double Cu-O-Cu bridges, formed by a μ3-hydroxido and phenoxido bridges. Each of the three CuII centres in the triangle is further connected to one CuII centre through a single alkoxido bridge. The magnetic properties indicate the presence of moderate and weak antiferromagnetic interactions through the double and single oxido bridges, respectively.