Structure regulation of Nickel (II) complexes with imidazole–tripodal ligand by altering the counter anions and the reaction conditions

For the reaction products of N,N-bis(2-(1-methylimidazolyl)methyl)glycine (HL) with nickel (II), the conversion from a mononuclear complex of [NiL(H2O)2]NO3 · CH3OH (1) to a trinuclear complex of [NiL(H2O)2][Ni(H2O)4(CH3O)2]2(SO4)2 · (H2O)2 (2) was achieved by altering the types of the counter anions and the pH value of the reaction system. The coordination structures were studied by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The electrochemical and magnetic properties were measured to reveal the structure–property relationship.