Heteronuclear Bimetallic Complexes with 3d and 4f Elements

Three heteronuclear bimetallic complexes [Cu(MeOH)(L)Ln(NO3)3] (1-Ce; Ln = Ce, 1-Pr; Ln = Pr, and 1-Nd; Ln = Nd) were prepared using H2L (1,3-bis[(3-methoxysalicylidene)amino]-2,2-dimethylpropane) in methanol, affording the complexes as green crystalline materials. These can be prepared in a one-pot synthesis from 2,2-dimethylpropan-1,3-diamine, o-vanillin, copper(II) nitrate, and Ln(III) nitrate (Ln = Ce, Pr, Nd). X-ray crystallography, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and UV-vis spectroscopy were used to characterize the bimetallic complexes. All three complexes showed the copper center adopting a five-coordinate square pyramidal geometry and the lanthanoid cation adopting a ten-coordinate geometry.