Crystal structures of dimeric manganese(III) complexes of tetradentate Schiff-base ligands with ancillary axial donors

[N,N′-Ethylenebis(salicylideneaminato)]manganese(III) benzoate ([Mn(salen)(O2CC6H5)] crystallized to form a solid-state dimer in which the Mn(salen) moiety is linked to its neighbor by two shared phenolate oxygen atoms, in striking contrast to the linear polymeric structure formed with bridging acetate ligands. A substantial cavity between the two manganese atoms was then produced by the weak coordination of the phenolate oxygen to the neighboring manganese bearing benzoate in a monodentate mode.