Magnetism and variable temperature and pressure crystal structures of a linear oligonuclear cobalt bis-semiquinonate

The crystal structure of the first oligomeric cobalt dioxolene complex, Co3(3,5-DBSQ)2((t)BuCOO)4(NEt3)2, 1, where DBSQ is 3,5-di-tert-butyl-semiquinonate, has been studied at various temperatures between 20 and 200 K. Despite cobalt-dioxolene complexes being generally known for their extensive ability to exhibit valence tautomerism (VT), we show here that the molecular geometry of compound 1 is essentially unchanged over the full temperature range, indicating the complete absence of electron transfer between ligand and metal. Magnetic susceptibility measurements clearly support the lack of VT between 8 and 300 K. The crystal structure is also determined at elevated pressures in the range f…