Synthesis and Coordination Chemistry of Novel Binucleating Macrocyclic Ligands with Amine-thioether and Amine-thiophenolate Donor Functions

The ability of the aromatic tetraaldehyde l,2-bis(4-tert-butyl-2,6-diformylphenylsulfanyl)-ethane (1) to function as a precursor in the preparation of binucleating hexaamine-dithiolate ligands has been investigated. Reductive amination of compound 1 with bis(aminoethyl)amine under medium-dilution conditions affords the macrobicyclic hexaamine-dithioether compound L1. Deprotection of the [1+2] condensation product gives the corresponding 24-membered hexa-amine-dithiophenol ligand H2L2. The formulation of L1 as a macrobicyclic amine-thioether was confirmed by an X-ray crystal structure determination of the tetranuclear nickel(II) complex of L1, [{(L1)Ni2Cl2}2(μ-Cl)3](BPh4) (2b). The formulation of the doubly deprotonated form (L2)2- of H2L2 as a 24-membered amine-thiophenolate ligand was confirmed by an X-ray crystal structure determination of the dinuclear cobalt(III) complex, [(L2)CoIII(μ-OH)](ClO4)2 · Cl (3). The preparation and the crystal structures of the new compounds are described.