2D molecular square grid of Cobalt(II) with tridentate phenylglycinate and mandelate: structure and magnetism Original Research Article

The hydrothermal synthesis, single crystal X-ray structures and magnetic properties of two layered cobalt-carboxylate complexes, ∞2[CoII(O2C∗CH(OH)C6H5)2] (1) and ∞2[CoII(O2C∗CH(NH2)C6H5)2] (2), where O2CCH(OH)C6H5 is mandalate and O2CCH(NH2)C6H5 is phenylglycinate, are described. Pale pink crystals of 1 and 2 were obtained by the reaction of cobalt nitrate and the enantiomer-pure acids at 120 °C. In each case, the structure consists of stacks of quasi square-grid polymeric sheets consisting of carboxylato- bridges, M–O–C–O–M, and the presence of both d- and l-enantiomers of the ligands segregated on each face of the layer. The ligands exhibit both chelating and bridging functions with the carboxylate group adopting an anti–anti mode. The magnetic properties are characteristic of weakly interacting paramagnets where the moments are elevated by an important orbital contribution via spin-orbit coupling.