Half-opened clamshell and one-dimensional chain structures constructed of bis(macrocyclic) dinickel(II) complexes with iodide and terephthalate anions

Two new dinickel(II) complexes with iodide and bridging terephthalate (tp2−) dianionic co-ligands, namely [Ni2L]I4 · 3H2O (1) and catena-poly[[{Ni2L(OH2)2}2 (μ-endo-tp)](μ-exo-tp)](ClO4)4 · 4H2O (2), where L represents the bis(macrocyclic) ligand 7,7′-(propane-1,3-diyl)bis{3,7,11,17-tetraazabicyclo[11.3.1]heptadeca-1(17),13,15-triene}, have been synthesized and their structures determined by the single crystal X-ray analysis. In the form of an iodide salt, (1) adopts a half-opened clamshell. The crystal of (2) consists of one-dimensional cationic chains in which the tetranuclear units, [{Ni2L(OH2)2}2(μ-endo-tp)], are linked by exo-bridging terephthalate anions.