Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure of a new μ-hydroxo dinuclear cobalt complex containing one cis-β folded and one planar salen moiety

The reduction of [Co(III)(tmsalen)(py)2]+ with NaBH4/PdCl2 and the successive oxidative addition of CH2ClI, carried out in neutral methanolic solution and followed by the addition of NaOH, afford a new dinuclear complex. The molecular structure reveals that it is formed by an octahedral [Co(tmsalen)(py)(OH)] unit connected to a β-folded [Co(tmsalenCH2)]+ fragment, in such a way that the latter metal completes the coordination sphere with the hydroxo group and a tmsalen oxygen from the former unit.