Self-assembly and characterisation of grid-type iron(II), cobalt(II) and zinc(II) complexes

The reaction of the ligands 5 and 6, containing two tridentate binding units, with iron(ii), cobalt(ii) and zinc(ii) leads to the self-assembly of supramolecular architectures of [2 x 2] grid type containing four ions in octahedral coordination sites. The grid-type structures have been assigned on the basis of the spectroscopic data in solution, and confirmed in the solid state in the case of complexes 6b and 6c by X-ray crystallography. The latter study revealed that each metal ion is situated in a distorted octahedral coordination environment comprising two N,N,O ligand donor sets.