Supramolecular isomorphic dodecanuclear cobalt clusters with the same metal shell but different core ligands.

In this work, we report two supramolecular isomorphic dodecanuclear cobalt complexes, [Co()(L)(NO)(OH)(N)]·(OH) (1) and [Co()(L)(NO)(OH)(N)(OAc)]·(OH) (2), (H = 5-methyl-1-tetrazole, HL = 7,7'-(ethane-1,1-diyl) diquinolin-8-ol) crystallizing in the space group with the same unit cell parameters. In 1 and 2, two pirate hat-like hexanuclear Co(NO)(L) units form the same dodecanuclear metal shell, but the ligands between the hexanuclear units as the core are distinct. The introduction of acetate anions leads to a blue shift of the absorption band in the visible region. Magnetism studies indicate an antiferromagnetic interaction between the Co ions in the clusters.