Rational enantioselective design of chiral heterobimetallic single-chain magnets: synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic properties of oxamato-bridged M(II)Cu(II) chains (M=Mn, Co).

A new series of neutral oxamato-bridged M(II)Cu(II) chiral chains of general formula [MCuL(x)(S)(m)(H(2)O)(n)]·aS·bH(2)O [L(1)=(M)-1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-bis(oxamate) with M=Mn (1a) and Co (1b); L(2)=(P)-1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-bis(oxamate) with M=Mn (2a) and Co (2b)] and the analogous racemic chains of formula [MCuL(3)(S)(m)(H(2)O)(n)]·aS·bH(2)O [L(3)=1,1'-binaphthalene-2,2'-bis(oxamate) with M=Mn (3a) and Co (3b)] have been prepared by reaction of the corresponding dianionic oxamatocopper(II) complex [Cu(L(x))](2-) with Mn(2+) or Co(2+) cations in either dimethylformamide (DMF) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Solid circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the bimetallic chain compounds were reco…