Copper(II) complexes of tridentate Schiff bases of 5-substituted salicylaldehydes and diamines - The role of the substituent and the diamine in the formation of mono-, di- and trinuclear species - Crystal structures and magnetic properties

We describe some copper(II) complexes with tridentate anionic Schiff bases, L(-), derived from the monocondensation of some 5-substituted salicylaldehydes (5-G-salH, G = H, NO and OMe) with wethylenediamine (en) or 1,3-diaminopropane (tn). Molecular [Cu(3)L(3)(mu(3)-OH)](2+) trinuclear [Cu(2)L(2)](2+) and trinuclear [Cu(3)L(3)(mu(3-)OH)](2+) compounds have been obtained, and factors affecting the nuclearity of complexes, were investigated and found to depend on reaction conditions, the nature of C and the length of the diamine,. The crystal structures of seven representative, compounds have been determined. Magnetic studies on a dinuclear and a trinuclear species were also carried out, and the results were interpreted on the basis of the structural data and current superexchange models.