Sodium-centered dodecanuclear Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes with 2-(phosphonomethylamino)succinic acid: studies of spectroscopic, structural, and magnetic properties.

Two new isostructural cobalt(II) and nickel(II) polynuclear complexes with 2-(phosphonomethyl)aminosuccinic acid, H4PMAS, namely, Na[Co12(PMAS)6(H2O)17(OH)]·x2H2O, 1·x2H2O, and Na[Ni12(PMAS)6(H2O)17(OH)]·xH2O, 2·xH2O, have been synthesized for the first time from aqueous solutions and studied by single crystal X-ray diffraction, infrared, and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy; TG/DTA analysis; and magnetochemistry. Both 1 and 2 crystallize in the rhombohedral crystal system with the R3[overline] space group with 1/6 of the Co12(PMAS)6 or Ni12(PMAS)6 moieties in the asymmetric unit. The X-ray refinements reveal the presence of 18 water sites, but unit cell charge balance requires that one water molecule must be an OH(-) anion, an anion which is disordered over the 18 sites.