A new family of NxOy pyridine-containing macrocycles: Synthesis and characterization of their Y(III), Ln(III), Zn(II), and Cd(II) coordination compounds

Reaction between 2,6-bis(2-formylphenoxymethyl)pyridine and N,N-bis(3-aminopropyl)methylamine or tris(2-aminoethyl)amine has been used as the starting point for the synthesis of seven oxa-aza macrocyclic ligands, five of them never reported previously. They all feature different pendant arms, which provide a wide range of coordination possibilities. The Schiff base macrocycles L1 and L4 and their reduced ligands L2 and L5 are derived from 2,6-bis(2-formylphenoxymethyl)pyridine and tris(2-aminoethyl)amine or N,N-bis(3-aminopropyl)methylamine, respectively. The reaction of L1 with salicylaldehyde forms L3, which features an imine bond in the pendant arm. The ligand L5 has been the precursor for the pendant-armed L6 and L7, by alkylation of the free NH groups with methyl-imidazole or methyl-indole. By a template or a nontemplate approach, we have synthesized different mono- and dinuclear complexes with Y(III), Ln(III), Zn(II), and Cd(II) cations. Both the free macrocyclic ligands and their corresponding metal complexes have been characterized by microanalysis, IR, UV–vis, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, FAB mass spectrometry, MS electrospray, and conductivity measurements.Key words: Schiff-base macrocycle, template synthesis, macrocyclic ligand complexes, lanthanide(III) complexes.