The potentially tridentate ligand 2-(8-aminoquinolino)-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol, H[1LAP], has been synthesized and its coordination chemistry with MnIV, FeIII, and CoIII has been investigated by X-ray crystallography, electro- and magnetochemistry, electronic, Mössbauer and EPR spectroscopies. The following complexes have been prepared [MnIV(1LAP − H)2]
(1), St
=
3/2; [MnIV(1LAP − H)(1LISQ)](PF6)·CH2Cl2
(2), St
= 1; [FeIII(1LISQ)2](ClO4)·0.5H2O (3), St
=
1/2; [FeIII(1LISQ)(3,5-dtcat)]2
(4), St
= 0; K[CoII(1LISQ)(1LIBQ)](NCS)2
(5), St
= 1; [CoIII2(NCS)2(1LAP − H)2(AQ)]
(6), St
= 0, where (1LAP − H)2− corresponds to the o-iminophenolate(2−) dianion, (1LISQ)− is the o-iminobenzosemiquinonate(1−)
π radical derivative of the ligand H[1LAP], (1LIBQ)0 is the neutral iminobenzoquinone ligand, and 3,5-dtcat is 3,5-di-tert-butylcatecholate(2−) and N,N-coordinated (AQ) is 8-aminoquinoline. It is shown that the π radical anions in 2, 3, 4 couple antiferromagnetically to the respective paramagnetic metal ion. Complex 4 is a dinuclear neutral complex with weak antiferromagnetic coupling between two [FeIII(1LISQ)(3,5-dtcat)] halves. The asymmetrically ligated complex 6 contains two bridging (1LAP − H)2− ligands and two diamagnetic CoIII ions. In contrast, 5 is correctly described as [CoII(1LISQ)(1LIBQ)]+ rather than [CoIII(1LISQ)2]+ since it possesses a temperature-independent magnetic moment of μeff
(10–298 K)
= 3.0 μB indicating an St
= 1 ground state which is attained via strong antiferromagnetic coupling (|J|
≥ 200 cm−1) between a high spin cobalt(II) ion (SCo
=
3/2) and a single π radical anion (Srad
=
1/2).