New butane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylato bridged cobalt(II) complexes

The supramolecular architectures of three new cobalt(II) butane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylato (BTC) complexes, [Co2(H2O)5(BTC)]·2H2O 2, [Co2(H2O)6(bpy)2(BTC)]·4H2O 3 and Co2(H2O)2(bpy)2(BTC) 4 (bpy = 2,2′-bipydine) exhibit novel multi-nodal topologies, and the magnetic characterizations suggest π···π stacking interactions to be effective pathways for weak antiferro- and ferromagnetic couplings for 3 and 4, respectively.