Reactions of ortho-phenylenediamine with a nickel trimethylacetate complex

Interaction of ortho-phenylenediamine with the nonanuclear nickel trimethyl acetate cluster Ni-9(mu (4)-OH)(3)(mu (3)-OH)(3)(mu (n)-OOCMe3)(12)(HOOCCMe 3)(4) (I) in an amine deficiency yields the antiferromagnetic trinuclear co mplex [Ni-3{mu -N,N'-(NH2)(2)C6H4}(2)(HCCOOCMe3)(3)(mu (3)-OH)(mu -OOCCMe3) (4)](+)(OOCCMe3)(-) (III) containing bridging diamine ligands. Reaction of excess diamine with I or III leads to the formation of the paramagnetic mon omer Ni{eta (2)-o-(NH2)(2)C6H4}(2)(OOCCMe3)(2) (IV), which reacts with atmo spheric oxygen to form the known bis(semiquinonediimine) complex Ni[1,2-(NH )(2)C6H4](2) (V).