Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
Magnetic, high-field EPR studies and catalytic activity of Schiff base tetranuclear CuII2FeIII2 complexes obtained by
Oksana V Nesterova1, Eduard N Chygorin, Vladimir N Kokozay
1Centro de Química Estrutural, Complexo I, Instituto Superior Técnico, The University of Lisbon, Avenida Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal. pombeiro@ist.utl.pt.
Abstract:
Two novel heterometallic complexes [Cu2Fe2(HL(1))2(H2L(1))2]·10DMSO (1) and [Cu2Fe2(HL(2))2(H2L(2))2]·2DMF (2) have been prepared using the open-air reaction of copper powder, iron(II) chloride and DMSO (1) or DMF (2) solutions of the polydentate Schiff base (H4L(1), 1; H4L(2), 2) formed in situ from salicylaldehyde (1) or 5-bromo-salicylaldehyde (2) and tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane. Crystallographic analysis revealed that both compounds are based on the centrosymmetric tetranuclear core {Cu(II)2Fe(III)2(μ-O)6} where metal centres are joined by μ-O bridges from the deprotonated ligands forming a nonlinear chain-like arrangement. Variable-temperature (1.8-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 and 2 showed a decrease of the effective magnetic moment value at low temperature, indicative of antiferromagnetic coupling (JCu-Fe/hc = -10.2 cm(-1), JFe-Fe/hc = -10.5 cm(-1) in 1, JCu-Fe/hc = -10.5 cm(-1), JFe-Fe/hc = -8.93 cm(-1) in 2) between the magnetic centres in both compounds. They reveal an exceptionally high catalytic activity in the oxidation of cyclohexane with hydrogen peroxide under mild conditions, with the best observed yield/TON combined values of 36%/596 and 44%/1.1 × 10(3) for 1 and 2, respectively.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Crystal Field Theory - Octahedral Complexes
To explain the observed behavior of transition metal complexes (such as colors), a model involving electrostatic interactions between the electrons from the ligands and the electrons in the unhybridized d orbitals of the central metal atom has been developed. This electrostatic model is crystal field theory (CFT). It helps to understand, interpret, and predict the colors, magnetic behavior, and some structures of coordination compounds of transition metals.
CFT focuses on...
Valence Bond Theory

