Cr(III)-Tetraaza Macrocyclic Complexes Containing Auxiliary Ligands (Part I); Synthesis and Characterization of Cr(III)-Benzoato and Chlorobenzoato Macrocyclic Complexes

The reaction of $cis-[Cr([14]-decane)(OH_2)_2]^+$ ([14]-decane = rac-5,5,7,12,12,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-teraazacyclotetradecane) with auxiliary ligands {$L_a$ = benzoate(bz) or chlorobenzoate(cbz)} leads to a new compound $[Cr([14]-decane)(bz)_2]ClO_4$ or $[Cr([14]-decane)(cbz)_2]ClO_4$. These complexes have been characterized by a combination of elemental analysis, conductivity, IR and Vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure of $[Cr([14]-decane)(cbz)_2]^+$ was determined. The complex shows a distorted octahedral coordination environment with the macrocycle adopting a folded cis-V conformation. The angle $N_{axial}-Cr-N_{axial}$ deviates by $14.5^{\circ}$ from the ideal value of $180^{\circ}$for a perfect octahedron. The bond angle cis-O-Cr-O between the Cr(III) ion and the two carboxylate oxygen atoms of the monodentate p-chlorobenzoate ligands is close to 90$^{\circ}$. The FAB mass spectra of the $cis-[Cr([14]-decane)(La)_2]ClO_4$ display peaks due to the molecular ions $[Cr([14]-decane)(bz)_2-H]^\;,\;[Cr([14]-decane)(cbz)_2-2H]^$ at m/z 578, 646, respectively.