Influence of the steric properties of pyridine ligands on the structure of complexes containing the {LnCd2(bzo)7} fragment

The reaction of Cd(NO3)2 · 4H2O and Eu(NO3)3 · 6H2O or Tb(NO3)3 · 6H2O with potassium 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzoate (Kbzo) and N-donor ligands (1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 2,4-lutidine (2,4-lut), 3,4-lutidine (3,4-lut), phenanthridine (phtd), 2,3-cyclododecenopyridine (cdpy), acridine (acr)) afforded heterometallic LnCd2 complexes: [EuCd2(bzo)7(EtOH)2(phen)] (2), [LnCd2(bzo)7(2,4-lut)4] (Ln = Eu (3), Tb (4)), [EuCd2(bzo)7(H2O)2(2,4-lut)2] · MeCN (5), [EuCd2(NO3)(bzo)6(EtOH)2(2,4-lut)2] (6), [EuCd2(bzo)7(H2O)(EtOH)(3,4-lut)2] · 5EtOH (7), 3[EuCd2(bzo)7(H2O)2(phtd)2] · 4phtd (8), [EuCd2(bzo)7(EtOH)3(cdpy)] (9), 2[EuCd2-(bzo)2(EtOH)4] · acr (10). The structures of complexes 2, 3, and 5–10 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The isostructurality of complexes 3 and 4 was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction. The structure of the trinuclear {Ln2Cd} metal core is stable and independent of the type of peripheral ligands coordinated to cadmium atoms. Photoluminescent properties of compounds 3 and 4 were studied.