The initial use of di-2-pyridyl
ketone oxime [(py)
2CNOH] in iron(III) carboxylate chemistry has yielded the tetranuclearcomplex [Fe
4O
2Cl
2(O
2CMe)
2{(py)
2CNO}
4] (
1). Compound
1 can be synthesized either by the 1:2:1 molar ratioreaction between Fe
III, MeCO
2-, and (py)
2CNOH (complex
1a) or by the 1:3 molar ratio reaction between [Fe
3O(O
2CMe)
6(H
2O)
3]Cl and (py)
2CNOH (complex
1b). The presence of N
3- in both reaction mixtures has afforded thetetranuclear complex [Fe
4O
2(N
3)
2(O
2CMe)
2{(py)
2CNO}
4] (
2), which can be alternatively synthesized by the reactionof
1 with N
3-. Compound
1a crystallizes in the tetragonal space group
I![](/images/entities/fourmacr.gif)
with (at 25
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C)
a = 35.06(2) Å,
b =35.06(2) Å,
c = 13.255(6) Å,
V = 16293(2) Å
3, and
Z = 8. Compound
1b crystallizes in the monoclinic spacegroup
P2
1/
c with (at 25
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C)
a = 22.577(7) Å,
b = 17.078(6) Å,
c = 17.394(6) Å,
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
= 93.50(1)
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
V = 6694(4) Å
3,and
Z = 4. Compound
2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group
P![](/images/entities/onemacr.gif)
with (at 25
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
C)
a = 13.658(9) Å,
b = 15.815(9)Å,
c = 17.29(1) Å,
![](/images/gifchars/alpha.gif)
= 97.08(3)
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
![](/images/gifchars/beta2.gif)
= 98.55(3)
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
![](/images/gifchars/gamma.gif)
= 112.12(3)
![](/images/entities/deg.gif)
,
V = 3355(4) Å
3, and
Z = 2. The structuresof
1 and
2 contain the [Fe
4(
3-O)
2]
8+ core comprising four Fe
III ions in a "butterfly" disposition and two
3-O
2- ions,each bridging three Fe
III ions forming the "wings" of the "butterfly". The Mössbauer spectra of
1b and
2 consist ofcomposite quadrupole-split doublets, with parameters typical for high-spin Fe
III in octahedral environments. Magneticsusceptibility measurements on
1a revealed antiferromagnetic interactions between the
S =
5/
2 ferric ions, withbest-fit parameters being
Jwb = -40.2 cm
-1 and
Jbb = -59.4 cm
-1 (
H = -2
JiJj) for wingtip-body and body-body interactions, respectively, yielding an
S = 1 ground state. Both wingtip-body and body-body interactions arewell determined.