When is a metallopolymer not a metallopolymer? When it is a metallomacrocycle

We report reactions of cobalt(II) acetate with a series of ditopic bis(tpy) ligands (tpy = 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine) containing flexible polyethyleneoxy spacers (tpy-4'-O{(CH(2))(2)O}(n)-4'-tpy, n = 2, 3, 4 or 6 ligands 1-4, respectively) which result in the formation of complicated mixtures of species, presumed to be both open chain and cyclic species. Well resolved paramagnetically shifted (1)H NMR spectra are a powerful tool for the analysis of these solution systems. Upon equilibration, [n + n] metallomacrocycles are isolated as the dominant (thermodynamic) species in some cases, and the single crystal X-ray structures of [Co(2)(3)(2)][PF(6)](4)·6MeCN and [Co(2)(4)(2)][PF(6)](5)·2MeCN (a mixed cobalt(ii)/cobalt(iii) species) are presented. Oxidation of the equilibrated cobalt(II) mixtures to kinetically inert cobalt(III) species provides additional evidence for the formation of metallomacrocycles as the thermodynamic products. Single crystal structural data for [Co(3)(2)(3)][PF(6)](9)·2MeCN·3.5H(2)O, [Co(2)(3)(2)][PF(6)](6)·10MeCN and [Co(2)(4)(2)][PF(6)](6)·6MeCN confirm the assembly of [2 + 2] and [3 + 3] metallomacrocycles. PGSE NMR spectroscopy has been used to determine the hydrodynamic radii of the solution species.