Synthesis and characterization of a new nonanuclear Ni(II) cluster from a pyridyl-alcohol ligand.

The reaction of one equivalent of 2-methyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)propan-2-ol (HL) with two equivalents of [Ni(OAc)2·4H2O] in methanol afforded the nonanuclear coordination cluster [Ni9(HL-κ(2)N,O)4(OAc-κ(2)O)2(μ2-OAc-κ(1)O)2(μ2-OAc-κ(2)O,O')4(μ3-OAc-κ(2)O;κ(2)O,O')2(μ3-OMe)8] (1). All nickel ions are hexacoordinated and show a slightly distorted octahedral coordination geometry. This unusual centrosymmetric coordination cluster can be described as constituted by two cubane moieties connected by a linker comprising a nickel atom, situated on the inversion centre, four bridging acetates and two triply-bridging acetates. Each cubane contains four Ni(II) centres and four triply-bridging methoxide anions, two of the Ni(II) centres are N,O-chelated by the ligand HL, another Ni(II) is chelated by an acetate ligand and the fourth Ni(II) centre is connected to the exo-cubane Ni(II) through three acetate ligands which each have a different bonding mode: μ2-κ(2)O,O', μ2-κ(1)O, and μ3-κ(1)O;κ(2)O,O'. The magnetic and catalytic properties for ethylene oligomerization of the unusual complex have been investigated.