Functionalised β-diketone assisted self-assembly of a hexanuclear yttrium oxo-hydroxo cluster

Abstract

The reaction of YCl3·6H2O with ortho-hydroxydibenzoylmethane (HO-DBMH) in a 1:2 ratio, in methanol and in the presence of excess triethylamine as a base yielded a yellow precipitate which on crystallization from toluene or benzene /hexane afforded pale yellow block-like crystals. Single crystal X-ray diffraction of 1 revealed the formation of an interesting hexanuclear yttrium oxo-hydroxo cluster [Y6(O-DBM)6(HO-DBM)4(μ3-OH)2(MeOH)4]; the core resembles a butterfly framework flanked by a lanthanide atom on each side. Ten phenolic β-diketone ligands are present in the cluster, which bridge the metal centers in both chelating and chelating-bridging fashions. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.