The “Building-Block” Assembly of a [Ni12Mn6] Aggregate

Reaction of MnII(bdoa)(H2O)3 with Ni(CH3COO)2·3H2O in methanol gives a heterometallic cluster,[Ni12Mn6(bdoa)6- (O2CMe)12(μ3-OMe)12(MeOH)12]·21MeOH, which was structurally characterised by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and possesses three self-assembled tetranuclear nickel cubes connected by a MnII 6(bdoa)6(CH3COO)3 subunit. The magnetic properties were studied in detail and indicate that the compound possesses a high density of spin states with small energy gaps between them.