Magnetostructural correlations in polynuclear complexes of phthalazine-based tetra- and hexadentate ligands

This thesis describes the synthesis, spectroscopic and crystallographic characterisation, and magnetism of a series of polynuclear Cu(II) complexes of the ligand 1,4-bis(3{dollar}spprime{dollar}-methyl-2{dollar}spprime{dollar}-pyridyl)aminophthalazine (PAP3Me), and a series of Ni(II) and Mn(II) complexes of the ligand 1,4-bis((6-methylpyridine-2-carboxaldiimino)amino)phthalazine (PHP6Me), with particular interst in {dollar}musb2{dollar}-1,1 azide bridged systems. In addition, a series of Extended Huckel molecular orbital calculations investigating the variation of magnetic behaviour with changes in the geometry of the binuclear centre in the phthalazine/{dollar}musb2{dollar}-1,1 azide bridged Cu(II) binuclear system was also undertaken.; Part A is an introduction, consisting of three chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study of polynuclear metal complexes. Chapter 2 develops the theory of molecular magnetism of binuclear metal complexes. Chapter 3 is an overview of the magnetic properties of binuclear and polynuclear complexes linked via azide or thiocyanate bridges.; Part B consists of experimental results, and contains two chapters. Chapter 4 describes the synthesis of complexes based on a Cu{dollar}sb2{dollar}PAP3Me core. Chapter 5 presents the synthesis, preliminary X-ray diffraction studies, spectroscopic studies, and magnetism of Ni(II) and Mn(II) complexes of the ligand PHP6Me, plus either azide or thiocyanate. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...