title: A family of polynuclear cobalt and nickel complexes stabilised by 2-pyridonate and carboxylate ligands
abstract: The synthesis and structural characterisation of a series of cobalt and nickel cages are reported. Eight of these structures contain a [M10(mu3-OH)6(eta2, mu3-xhp),(eta2, mu2-O2CR)6]2+ core (where M = Co or Ni; xhp = 6-chloro- or 6-methyl-2-pyridonate: R = Me, Ph, CHMe2, CH2Cl, CHPh2 or CMe3), where the ten metal atoms describe a centred-tricapped-trigonal prism (ttp). The cage contains six hydroxide ligands around the central metal, and the exterior is coated with pyridonate and carboxylate ligands. For four of the cages additional metal centres are found attached to the upper and/or lower triangular faces of the trigonal prism, generating dodeca- and undecanuclear cages. Three further cages are reported that contain a metal core based on an incomplete centred-tetraicosahedron. These cages involve trimethylacetate as a ligand in company with either 6-methyl-2-pyridonate or 6-chloro-2-pyridonate. Comparison of these latter structures with the trigonal prisms reveal that they can be described as a pentacapped-trigonal prism missing one edge. Magnetic studies of three of the nickel cages with trigonal prismatic cores show spin ground states of S = 8, 4 and 2 for Ni12, Ni11 and Ni10 cages, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The University of Edinburgh, UK.
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benelli
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Brechin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Coles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parkin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Seddon
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Winpenny