Synthesis, characterization and electrochemistry of unsymmetrical macrocyclic organocobalt complexes

Macrocyclic cobalt complexes with varying ring sizes have been prepared by template synthesis using bis(benzil)ethylene diimine and different diamines viz. 1,4-diaminobutane, 1,2-diaminobenzene and 3,4-diaminotoluene, These c omplexes have been alkylated using CH3I and/or C2H5Br in the presence of py ridine and/or imidazole to obtain corresponding macrocyclic organocobalt co mplexes. The alkylated derivatives have been characterized by elemental ana lysis, conductivity measurements, magnetic susceptibility measurments, elec tronic and infrared spectral data. The CV results suggest that all the alky l cobalt(III) complexes undergo two sequential one electron reductions, Co( III) --> Co(II) and Co(II) --> Co(I).