Abstract

Tris(ligand)iron(II) complexes of 2-(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine (3ppH) and 3-(thiazol-2-yl)pyrazole (3tpH) undergo temperature-induced singlet (¹A₁) ⇔ quintet (⁵T₂) transitions. The transition in [Fe(3ppH)₃] [CF₃SO₃]₂.2H₂O is continuous and centred above room temperature while that in the anhydrous triflate salt is discontinuous and is centred below room temperature. The latter transition occurs via a thermal hysteresis loop of width 12 K, Tc↓ and Tc↑ being 229 and 241 K, respectively. The displacement of the transition to lower temperature in the anhydrous salt is believed to be associated with the loss of hydrogen bonding involving the uncoordinated pyrazole >NH group and solvate water. In [Fe(3tpH)₂(3tp)] [ClO₄].2H₂O and [Fe(3tpH)₂(3tp)] [BF₄].2H₂O (3tp is the deprotonated ligand) continuous transitions are observed, centred below room temperature. In these instances the displacement is consistent with the intrinsically weaker field of the bidentate system containing two five-membered heterocycles. Structural data were obtained for [Fe(3ppH)₃][CF₃SO₃]₂.2H₂O, [Fe(3tpH)₃] [BF₄]₂.1·5H₂O and [Ni(3tpH)₃] [BF₄]₂.2(3tpH). The average metal–nitrogen distances in the complexes are 1·97, 2·18 and 2·09 Å, severally. The large difference in the distances for the two iron complexes arises from the different ground states: a singlet for the 3ppH complex and a quintet for the 3tpH complex. In all three salts there is extensive hydrogen bonding involving the pyrazole >NH groups, the anions and the solvate molecules. [Fe(3ppH)₃] [CF₃SO₃]₂.2H₂O: monoclinic, space group P2₁/c, a 12·33(1), b 24·44(1), c 12·55(1) Å, β 115·27(4)°, Z 4. [Fe(3tpH)₃] [BF₄]₂.1·5H₂O: monoclinic, space group C 2/c, a 41·56(2), b 16·418(3), c 18·154(7) Å, β 106·94(2)°, Z 8. [Ni(3tpH)₃] [BF₄]₂.2(3tpH):P bcn, a 14·928(2), b 15·310 (3), c 17·882 (3) Å, Z 4.