Synthesis and Structure of a Penta- and Hexa-Coordinated Tri-Nuclear Cobalt(II) Complex

The tri-nuclear cobalt(II) complex, [(CoL)2(μ-OAc)2Co]·2CHCl3 (H2L = 5,5'-dimethoxy-2,2'-[(ethylene)dioxybis(nitrilome thylidyne)]diphenol), has been synthesised. Its X-ray structure shows it to contain two acetate ions coordinating to the three cobalt(II) atoms through Co–O–C–O–Co bridges, and four μ-phenoxo-oxygen atoms from two [CoL] chelates also coordinating to the central cobalt(II) atom. The complex possesses two penta- and one hexa-coordinated cobalt atoms. The crystal packing of the CoII complex shows that a 2D-layer supramolecular network parallel to the ab-plane is formed through intermolecular C–H···O and C–H···Cl hydrogen bonding interactions.