Copper-ligand bond-lengths in axial complexes of the copper(II) ion

Three water-soluble copper(II) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes: toward copper-catalyzed ketone reduction under sustainable conditions

A series of tridentate copper(II) N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes with imidazole, benzimidazole, and 5,6-dimethylbenzimidazole azole rings were synthesized and comprehensively characterized via X-ray crystallography, ESI-MS, cyclic voltammetry, and UV-Vis and EPR spectroscopic studies. These complexes were then utilized for the optimization of ketone reduction under sustainable conditions using 2-acetylpyridine and phenylsilane. The relationships between product formation, temperature, reaction time, and catalyst loading for the hydrogenation reactions are covered in detail. Reduction of eighteen different aliphatic, cyclic, and aromatic ketones were demonstrated, which were compatible to produce the corresponding products in moderate to good yields. These systems were used to develop related DNA-hybrid catalytic systems, but only supported weak enantioselectivity. Further thermodynamic experiments showed Cu-NHC complexes did not demonstrate specific binding to DNA, which is consistent with their limited selectivity.

Scaling Relation between the Reduction Potential of Copper Catalysts and the Turnover Frequency for the Oxygen and Hydrogen Peroxide Reduction Reactions

Changes in the electronic structure of copper complexes can have a remarkable impact on the catalytic rates, selectivity, and overpotential of electrocatalytic reactions. We have investigated the effect of the half-wave potential (E1/2) of the CuII/CuI redox couples of four copper complexes with different pyridylalkylamine ligands. A linear relationship was found between E1/2 of the catalysts and the logarithm of the maximum rate constant of the reduction of O2 and H2O2. Computed binding constants of the binding of O2 to CuI, which is the rate-determining step of the oxygen reduction reaction, also correlate with E1/2. Higher catalytic rates were found for catalysts with more negative E1/2 values, while catalytic reactions with lower overpotentials were found for complexes with more positive E1/2 values. The reduction of O2 is more strongly affected by the E1/2 than the H2O2 rates, resulting in that the faster catalysts are prone to accumulate peroxide, while the catalysts operating with a low overpotential are set up to accommodate the 4-electron reduction to water. This work shows that the E1/2 is an important descriptor in copper-mediated O2 reduction and that producing hydrogen peroxide selectively close to its equilibrium potential at 0.68 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) may not be easy.

Oxidoborates Templated by Cationic Nickel(II) Complexes and Self-Assembled from B(OH)3

Several oxidoborates, self-assembled from B(OH)3 and templated by cationic Ni(II) coordination compounds, were synthesized by crystallization from aqueous solution. These include the ionic compounds trans-[Ni(NH3)4(H2O)2][B4O5(OH)4].H2O (1), s-[Ni(dien)2][B5O6(OH)4]2 (dien = N-(2-aminoethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine (2), trans-[Ni(dmen)2(H2O)2] [B5O6(OH)4]2.2H2O (dmen = N,N-dimethyl-1,2-diaminoethane) (3), [Ni(HEen)2][B5O6(OH)4]2 (HEen = N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1,2-diaminoethane) (4), [Ni(AEN)][B5O6(OH)4].H2O (AEN = 1-(3-azapropyl) -2,4-dimethyl-1,5,8-triazaocta-2,4-dienato(1-)) (5), trans-[Ni(dach)2(H2O)2][Ni(dach)2] [B7O9(OH)5]2.4H2O (dach = 1,2-diaminocyclohexane) (6), and the neutral species trans-[Ni(en)(H2O)2{B6O7(OH)6}].H2O (7) (en = 1,2-diaminoethane), and [Ni(dmen)(H2O){B6O7(OH)6}].5H2O (8). Compounds 1–8 were characterized by single-crystal XRD studies and by IR spectroscopy and 2, 4–7 were also characterized by thermal (TGA/DSC) methods and powder XDR studies. The solid-state structures of all compounds show extensive stabilizing H-bond interactions, important for their formation, and also display a range of gross structural features: 1 has an insular tetraborate(2-) anion, 2–5 have insular pentaborate(1-) anions, 6 has an insular heptaborate(2-) anion (‘O+’ isomer), whilst 7 and 8 have hexaborate(2-) anions directly coordinated to their Ni(II) centers, as bidentate or tridentate ligands, respectively. The Ni(II) centers are either octahedral (1–4, 7, 8) or square-planar (5), and compound 6 has both octahedral and square-planar metal geometries present within the structure as a double salt. Magnetic susceptibility measurements were undertaken on all compounds.

Recent Advances in Crystalline Oxidopolyborate Complexes of d-Block or p-Block Metals: Structural Aspects, Syntheses, and Physical Properties

Crystalline materials containing hybrid inorganic–organic metal borates (complexes with oxidoborate ligands) display a variety of novel framework building blocks. The structural aspects of these hybrid metallaoxidoborates containing Cd^(II), Co^(II), Cu^(II), Ga^(III), In^(III), Mn^(II), Ni^(II) or Zn^(II) metal centers are discussed in this review. The review describes synthetic approaches to these hybrid materials, their physical properties, their spectroscopic properties and their potential applications.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Spectroscopic Properties, and Hirshfeld Surface Analysis of Diaqua [3,14-dimethyl-2,6,13,17 tetraazatricyclo(16.4.0.07,12)docosane]copper(II) Dibromide

A newly prepared Cu(II) complex salt, Cu(L1)(H2O)2Br2, where L1 is 3,14-dimethyl-2,6,13,17-tetraazatricyclo(16.4.0.07,12) docosane, is characterized by elemental and crystallographic analyses. The Cu(II) center is coordinated by four nitrogen atoms of macrocyclic ligand and the axial position by two water molecules. The macrocyclic ligand adopts an optimally stable trans-III conformation with normal Cu–N bond lengths of 2.018 (3) and 2.049 (3) Å and long axial Cu1–O1W length of 2.632 (3) Å due to the Jahn–Teller effect. The complex is stabilized by hydrogen bonds formed between the O atoms of water molecules and bromide anions. The bromide anion is connected to the neighboring complex cations and water molecules through N–H···Br and O–H···Br hydrogen bonds, respectively. The g-factors obtained from the electron spin resonance spectrum show the typical trend of g∥ > g⊥ > 2.0023, which is in a good accordance to the dx2-y2 ground state. It reveals a coordination sphere of tetragonal symmetry for the Cu(II) ion. The infrared and electronic absorption spectral properties of the complex are also discussed. Hirshfeld surface analysis represents that the H···H, H···Br/Br···H and H···O/O···H contacts are the major molecular interactions in the prepared complex.

Models for Copper Dynamic Behavior in Doped Cadmium dl-Histidine Crystals: Electron Paramagnetic Resonance and Crystallographic Analysis

Electron paramagnetic resonance and crystallographic studies of copper-doped cadmium dl-histidine, abbreviated as CdDLHis, were undertaken to gain further understanding on the relationship between site structure and dynamic behavior in biological model complexes. X-ray diffraction measurements determined the crystal structure of CdDLHis at 100 and 298 K. CdDLHis crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with two cadmium complexes per asymmetric unit. In each complex, the Cd is hexacoordinated to two histidine molecules. Both histidines are l in one complex and d in the other. Additionally, each complex contains multiple waters of varying disorder. Single crystal EPR spectroscopic splitting (g) and copper hyperfine (A(Cu)) tensors at room temperature (principal values: g = 2.249, 2.089, 2.050; A(Cu) = -453, -30.5, -0.08 MHz) were determined from rotational experiments. Alignments of the tensor directions with the host structure were used to position the copper unpaired dx(2)-y(2) orbital in an approximate plane made by four proposed ligand atoms: the N-imidazole and N-amino of one histidine, and the N-amino and O-carboxyl of the other. Each complex has two such planes related by noncrystallographic symmetry, which make an angle of 65° and have a 1.56 Å distance between their midpoints. These findings are consistent with three interpretations that can adequately explain previous temperature-dependent EPR powder spectra of this system: (1) a local structural distortion (static strain) at the copper site has a temperature dependence significant enough to affect the EPR pattern, (2) the copper can hop between the two sites in each complex at high temperature, and (3) there exists a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect involving the copper ligands.

Self-assembled hydrogen-bonded coordination networks in two copper(II) carboxylates with 4-pyridylmethanol

The crystal and molecular structure of [Cu(nif)2(4-PM)2]·CH3OH (1) and [Cu(2-Clbz)2(4-PM)2(H2O)] (2), (where nif = niflumate anion, 2-Clbz = 2-chlorobenzoate anion and 4-PM is the 4-pyridylmethanol), have been determinated by X-ray crystallography. The Cu2+ cation in (1), is coordinated by two pairs of oxygen atoms from asymmetric bidentate niflumate anions and by a pair of pyridine nitrogen atoms from monodentate 4-pyridylmethanol ligands in trans position forming an extremely elongated bipyramid. The Cu2+ cation in (2), is coordinated by a pair of oxygen atoms from monodentate 2-chlorobenzoate anions, further by a pair of pyridine nitrogen atoms from monodentate 4-pyridylmethanol ligands and finally by a water oxygen atom forming a tetragonal-pyramidal coordination polyhedron. The molecules of both complexes in crystal structures are linked by O-H…O hydrogen bonds, which created a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding networks. The Π-Π stacking interactions are also observed in crystal structures of complex 2. The spectral properties (IR and electronic spectra) of both complexes were also investigated.

trans-Diaqua-bis(ethyl-enediamine-κN,N')copper(II) bis[3-(3-pyrid-yl)propionate] dihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title complex, [Cu(C(2)H(8)N(2))(2)(H(2)O)(2)](C(8)H(8)NO(2))(2)·2H(2)O, contains one anion, one half-cation and one water mol-ecule. The Cu(II) atom in the [Cu(en)(2)(H(2)O)(2)](2+) cation (en is ethyl-enediamine) lies on an inversion centre. The four N atoms of the en ligands in the equatorial plane around the Cu(II) atom form a slightly distorted square-planar arrangement, while the slightly distorted Jahn-Teller octa-hedral coordination is completed by two water O atoms in axial positions. In the crystal structure, intra- and inter-molecular N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds form a three-dimensional network.

Structural systematics of the [Cu(chelate)3][Y]2series. An interesting crystallographic structural insight involving vibronic coupling and the Jahn–Teller effect (JTE). The syntheses and low temperature crystal structures of tris(2,2′bipyridyl)copper(ii) tetraphenylborate and tris(2,2′bipyridyl)zinc(ii) tetraphenylborate

The crystal structures of [Cu(bipy)(3)][BPh(4)](2), 1, and [Zn(bipy)(3)][BPh(4)](2), have been determined at low temperature. 1 and 2 are closely related, but are not isostructural. Both contain a two-dimensional supramolecular construct (SC) involving a sandwich structure. 1 has a six-coordinate CuN(6) chromophore with a regular elongated octahedral stereochemistry and rhombic in-plane bond lengths. The associated tetragonality value, T, of 1 is 0.8868. 2 involves a six-coordinate octahedral chromophore. Differences between 1 and 2 relate to the tendency of copper(II) complexes to undergo a Jahn-Teller (JT) distortion. The zinc(II) cation feels solely the host site strain, whereas the copper(II) cation also involves vibronic JT type coupling. The copper polyhedron geometry is characterized by both phenomena, with the vibronic interaction dominating. Scatter plot analysis involving the tris-chelate copper(II) series suggests that neither pure Q(theta) or Q(epsilon) components or the a(2u) mode operate in isolation over the entire series. All three operate in combination with varying quantifiable contributions, leading to distortion from the regular tetragonal octahedral stereochemistry.