Synthesis and structural and magnetic characterisation of tetranuclear Cu(II) complexes possessing novel [Cu4((mu)4-PO4)2((mu)2CO3)] butterfly cores that exhibit supramolecular isomerism

The reaction in water of Cu(OH)2 with 2,2ʹ-bipyridine (bipy) and (NH4)2HPO4(4 : 4 : 2) in air leads to the formation of two structurally related complexes following the fixation of CO2: {[(H2O)2Cu4(bipy)4((mu)4-PO4)2((mu)2-CO3)]·22.5H2O}, 1, and {[(H2O)2Cu4(bipy)4 ((mu)4-PO4)2((mu)2-CO3)]·15.5H2O}, 1a, as determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Whilst each complex contains isostructural tetranuclear Cu(II) butterfly cores, they differ in the way they pack in the solid state: adjacent units in 1 align in parallel fashion, whereas those in 1a form H-bonded dimers in an antiparallel arrangement. 1 and 1a are therefore supramolecular isomers. 1 is encapsulated within an ʹice-likeʹ 3D H-bonded water network whereas the solvent sheath about 1a forms a 2D H-bonded network. A similar product results when bipy is replaced with 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) giving {[(H2O)2Cu4(phen)4((mu)4-PO4)2((mu)2-CO3)]· 21.5H2O}, 2, which possesses an isostructural butterfly core shrouded within a 3D H-bonded water network. 2 packs in the solid-state in a similar way to 1 although, in this instance, adjacent units align in an antiparallel fashion. Both 1 and 2 may be directly synthesised in higher yields when (NH4)HCO3 is included within the reaction medium. A magnetic susceptibility study performed upon 1 reveals net weak intramolecular antiferromagnetic coupling between the Cu(II) centres.