Versatile chemical transformations of benzoxazole based ligands on complexation with 3d-metal ions

Two benzoxazoles derivative ligands were synthesized from the condensation of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (DTBBQ) with ethanolamine or 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane in methanol. Condensation of DTBBQ with ethanolamine gives the expected 5,7-di-tert-butyl-2-methylenhydroxylbenzoxazole (HL1) while with 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane it gives (2-hydroxyethyl-2-{2,4-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1-phenol-6 amino}-2{5,7-di-tert-butyl-benzoxazole}) (H(2)L2) with only one benzoxazole ring instead of the symmetric bis-benzoxazole derivative. The structure of HL1 and H(2)L2 were confirmed by NMR-spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction on a single crystal for HL1. The reaction of HL1 with CuCl(2) gives a mononuclear [Cu(II)(HL1)(2)Cl(2)] (1) complex for which the crystal structure shows that HL1 is preserved. In contrast, upon reaction with nickel(II), cobalt(II), and manganese(II) H(2)L2 is further oxidized and transformed in new ligands HL3 in mononuclear complexes [M(II)(L3)(2)] (M = Ni(II) (2); M = Co(II) (3)) and H(2)L4 in tetranuclear complex [Mn(II)(4)(HL4)(4)Cl(4)] (4) as found from the crystal structures of complexes 2-4. Electrochemical studies for complexes 2 and 3 evidence complicated redox properties. [Mn(II)(4)(HL4)(4)Cl(4)] (4) has a cubane-like structure with a "4 + 2" fashion The magnetic susceptibility of 4 is well fitted considering one Mn---Mn interaction J(a)(Mn(II)-Mn(II)) = -0.50(1) cm(-1) with g = 2.00(7).