The three transition-metal complexes, (meso-5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-κ4N)bis(perchlorato-κO)copper(II), [Cu(ClO4)2(C18H40N4)], (I), (meso-5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-κ4N)bis(nitrato-κO)zinc(II), [Zn(NO3)2(C18H40N4)], (II), and aquachlorido(meso-5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-κ4N)copper(II) chloride, [CuCl(C18H40N4)(H2O)]Cl, (III), are described. The molecules display a very similarly distorted 4+2 octahedral environment for the cation [located at an inversion centre in (I) and (II)], defined by the macrocycle N4group in the equatorial sites and two further ligands intrans-axial positions [two O–ClO3ligands in (I), two O–NO2ligands in (II) and one chloride and one aqua ligand in (III)]. The most significant difference in molecular shape resides in these axial ligands, the effect of which on the intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonding is discussed. In the case of (I), all strong hydrogen-bond donors are saturated in intramolecular interactions, while weak intermolecular C—H...O contacts result in a three-dimensional network. In (II) and (III), instead, there are N—H and O—H donors left over for intermolecular interactions, giving rise to the formation of strongly linked but weakly interacting chains.
Three transition-metal complexes with the macrocyclic ligandmeso-5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (L): [Cu(ClO4)2(L)], [Zn(NO3)2(L)] and [CuCl(L)(H2O)]Cl
