Solvent-induced two heterometallic coordination polymers based on a flexible ferrocenyl ligand

The bidentate ferrocenyl sandwich molecule N,N′-bis-3-pyridylmethyl-1,1′-ferrocenedicarboxamide (3-BPMFA) has been employed as an organometallic coordination ligand in reaction with CdBr2 to construct heterobimetallic architectures. By assembling the flexible arm-like molecule with CdBr2, two novel bimetallic 1D chain structures are constructed in different solvent systems: the solvated [Cd(μ-3-BPMFA)2Br2]n·nMeOH (1) from methanol and the unsolvated [Cd(3-BPMFA)(μ-Br)2]n (2) from DMF–Et2O. Different roles of bromine ions have been observed in these two complexes. In 1, bromine ions only act as terminal coordinated ligand, while they play bridging roles in 2. Electrochemistry properties of the ligand and complexes were discussed preliminarily.