Novel asymmetric pentadentate N(X-substituted salicylidene)-N′,N′-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine ligands afford the first hexanuclear manganese( III ) complexes

The topological arrangement of the metal centres in the first characterized hexanuclear manganese complexes, [{MnIII3L(O)(O2CMe)(OMe)3}2]·2solv [L =N-(X-Substituted salicylidene)-N′,N′-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethyienediamine (X = 5-MeO, 5-Cl, 5-Br) and N-(naphthylidene)-N,N′-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine, solv = 2H2O or MeOH], is unprecedented and shows that a variety of small bridging ligands including oxo, carboxylato and alkoxo anions may simultaneously cooperate with a dinucleating ancillary ligand to the building up of high-nuclearity manganese assemblies.