Synthesis and Characterization of Heteronuclear Copper(II)-Lanthanide(III) Complexes of N,N′-1,3-Propylenebis(Salicylaldiminato) Where Lanthanide(III) = Gd or Eu

Three complexes, namely, [Cu(salbn)] (1), [Cu(salbn)Gd(NO3)3·H2O] (2), and [Cu(salbn)Eu(NO3)3·H2O] (3) where salbn = N,N′-1,3-propylenebis (salicylaldiminato) have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, ICP-AES, IR, UV, NMR, MS, EDX, powder XRD, and EPR spectroscopies. The EDX results suggest the presence of two different metal ions in heteronuclear complexes (2) and (3). The ligand(salbn), complex (1), and complex (3) crystallize in triclinic system while complex (2) crystallizes in monoclinic system. The EPR studies suggest that [Cu(salbn)] complex is tetragonally coordinated monomeric copper(II) complex with unpaired electron in the orbital and spectral features that are the characteristics of axial symmetry while complex (2) in DMF solution at liquid nitrogen temperature exhibits an anisotropic broad signal around g ~ 2.03 which may suggest a weak magnetic spin-exchange interaction between Gd(III) and Cu(II) ions. The fluorescence intensity of Eu(III) decreased markedly in the complex (3).