Chemisorption of Exchange-Coupled [Ni2L(dppba)]+ Complexes on Gold by Using Ambidentate 4-(Diphenylphosphino)benzoate Co-Ligands

A new strategy for the fixation of redox‐active dinickel(II) complexes with high‐spin ground states to gold surfaces was developed. The dinickel(II) complex [Ni2L(Cl)]ClO4 (1ClO4), in which L2− represents a 24‐membered macrocyclic hexaaza‐dithiophenolate ligand, reacts with ambidentate 4‐(diphenylphosphino)benzoate (dppba) to form the carboxylato‐bridged complex [Ni2L(dppba)]+, which can be isolated as an air‐stable perchlorate [Ni2L(dppba)]ClO4 (2ClO4) or tetraphenylborate [Ni2L(dppba)]BPh4 (2BPh4) salt. The auration of 2ClO4 was probed on a molecular level, by reaction with AuCl, which leads to the monoaurated NiII2AuI complex [NiII2L(dppba)AuICl]ClO4 (3ClO4). Metathesis of 3ClO4 with NaBPh4 produces [NiII2L(dppba)AuIPh]BPh4 (4BPh4), in which the Cl− is replaced by a Ph− group. The complexes were fully characterized by ESI mass spectrometry, IR and UV/Vis spectroscopy, X‐ray crystallography (2BPh4 and 4BPh4), cyclic voltammetry, SQUID magnetometry and HF‐ESR spectroscopy. Temperature‐dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal a ferromagnetic coupling J=+15.9 and +17.9 cm−1 between the two NiII ions in 2ClO4 and 4BPh4 (H=−2 JS1S2). HF‐ESR measurements yield a negative axial magnetic anisotropy (D