Tetranuclear Lanthanide Complexes Supported by Hydroxyquinoline-Calix[4]arene-Ligands: Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Properties of [Ln₄(H₃L)₂(µ-OH)₂(NO₃)₄] (Ln = Tb, Dy, Yb) and [Dy₂(H₄L)₂(NO₃)](NO₃)

The coordination behavior of the calixarene-based N4O4 donor ligand H6L bearing two pendant 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-hydrazone arms towards the lanthanide ions Tb3+, Dy3+, and Yb3+ has been investigated. H6L was found to support tetra- and dinuclear mixed-ligand complexes with the pendant hydrazone units in a deprotonated enolate and/or a neutral amide form. The direct reaction of H6L with Ln(NO3)3(H2O)6 and NEt3 in a 1:1:2 molar ratio leads to tetranuclear [Ln4(H3L)2(µ-OH)2(η2-NO3)4] complexes {Ln = Tb (1), Dy (2), Yb (3)} containing a rectangular arrangement of four eight-coordinate Ln3+ ions bridged by two hydroxido- and four quinolinolato-O atoms as established by X-ray crystallography. Degradation of 2 occurs upon addition of further equiv. of H6L to give dinuclear [Dy2(H4L)(NO3)2(MeCN)2]NO3 (4) with eight- and ten-coordinated Dy3+ ions. ESI-MS studies reveal that such dinuclear species exist also in the solution state. The results of variable temperature direct and alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements for 1–4 and high frequency EPR study on 4 are also reported.