The electronic properties of bis(2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine)iron(II)
triflate depend markedly on the extent of hydration. The trihydrate is low
spin while the monohydrate is high spin at room temperature but undergoes a
discontinuous transition to low spin at low temperatures. In the anhydrous
complex magnetic and Mössbauer spectral data indicate that there is a
minor fraction of low-spin species at room temperature and this fraction
increases at low temperatures. The spin transition in the anhydrous salt is
continuous and incomplete at 80 K. The structure of the trihydrate reveals an
extensive hydrogen-bonding network which involves the uncoordinated >NH
groups of the pyrazolyl groups in the ligands, the water molecules and the
anions. The disruption of this network on loss of water is believed to be
responsible for the change in electronic properties.
Bis(2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine)iron(II) triflate trihydrate: triclinic,
space group P-1,
a 11·490(5), b
12·218(6), c 13·666(6) Å, α
104 ·67(2), β 104·58(2), γ 104·35(2)°,
Z 2.