Five Disk‐Shaped {M II 7 } (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn) Clusters and One Capsule‐Like {Cu II 6 Na I 2 } Cluster Assembled from the Same Schiff Base Ligand

Six transition‐metal clusters of compositions [Mn 7 L 6 ](NO 3 ) 2 · 2CH 3 OH ( 1 ), [Fe 7 L 6 ](NO 3 ) 2 · 2CH 3 OH ( 2 ), [Co 7 L 6 ](NO 3 ) 2 · 2CH 3 OH ( 3 ), [Cu 7 L 6 ](NO 3 ) 2 ( 4 ), [Zn 7 L 6 ](NO 3 ) 2 · 2CH 3 OH ( 5 ), and [Cu 6 Na 2 L 6 ](NO 3 ) 2 · 4CH 3 OH ( 6 ) {H 2 L = 2‐(2‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzylideneamino)phenol} have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. The structures of 1 – 6 have been established based on single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction studies. Complexes 1 – 5 possess disk‐shaped {M II 7 } cores, with the central M II ion and the six peripheral M II ions being linked by six µ 3 ‐O atoms. The six M II ions of the rim of the disk are bridged in a pairwise manner by six µ 2 ‐O atoms. Complex 2 is a very rare example of a disk‐shaped {Fe 7 } cluster in which all of the Fe atoms exhibit +2 oxidation state. Furthermore, this is the first time that the five isostructural heptanuclear clusters were constructed by using an identical Schiff base ligand. The molecule of complex 6 contains a capsule‐like {Cu 6 Na 2 } core. In this core, two sodium ions reside on the two vertices of the capsule and the 12 vertices of the {Cu 6 O 6 } hexagonal prism are occupied by alternately arrayed six Cu II ions and six O atoms. Photoluminescence studies suggest strong emission for 5 in the solid state at room temperature. Variable‐temperature dc magnetic susceptibility studies were carried out on polycrystalline samples of 1 – 4 and 6 . The ac susceptibility studies were also performed with 3 . Strong out‐of‐phase, χ′′ , signals were observed for 3 at zero field, suggesting that 3 is a class of single molecule magnet (SMM).