Crystal structures of copper(III) dithiocarbamate complexes [Cu(η2-S2CNMe2)2][ClO4] and [Cu(η2-S2CNEt2)2][FeCl4] with and without anion–cation interactions

High-Valent Ni and Cu Complexes of a Tetraanionic Bis(amidateanilido) Ligand

High-valent metal species are often invoked as intermediates during enzymatic and synthetic catalytic cycles. Anionic donors are often required to stabilize such high-valent states by forming strong bonds with the Lewis acidic metal centers while decreasing their oxidation potentials. In this report, we discuss the synthesis of two high-valent metal complexes [ML]+ in which the NiIII and CuIII centers are ligated by a new tetradentate, tetraanionic bis(amidateanilido) ligand. [ML]+, obtained via chemical oxidation of ML, exhibits UV-vis-NIR, EPR, and XANES spectra characteristic of square planar, high-valent MIII species, suggesting the locus of oxidation for both [ML]+ is predominantly metal-based. This is supported by theoretical analyses, which also support the observed visible transitions as ligand-to-metal charge transfer transitions characteristic of square planar, high-valent MIII species. Notably, [ML]+ can also be obtained via O2 oxidation of ML due to its remarkably negative oxidation potentials (CuL/[CuL]+: -1.16 V, NiL/[NiL]+: -1.01 V vs Fc/Fc+ in MeCN). This demonstrates the exceptionally strong donating nature of the tetraanionic bis(amidateanilido) ligation and its ability to stabilize high-valent metal centers..

Copper Dithiocarbamates: Coordination Chemistry and Applications in Materials Science, Biosciences and Beyond

Copper dithiocarbamate complexes have been known for ca. 120 years and find relevance in biology and medicine, especially as anticancer agents and applications in materials science as a single-source precursor (SSPs) to nanoscale copper sulfides. Dithiocarbamates support Cu(I), Cu(II) and Cu(III) and show a rich and diverse coordination chemistry. Homoleptic [Cu(S2CNR2)2] are most common, being known for hundreds of substituents. All contain a Cu(II) centre, being either monomeric (distorted square planar) or dimeric (distorted trigonal bipyramidal) in the solid state, the latter being held together by intermolecular C···S interactions. Their d9 electronic configuration renders them paramagnetic and thus readily detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Reaction with a range of oxidants affords d8 Cu(III) complexes, [Cu(S2CNR2)2][X], in which copper remains in a square-planar geometry, but Cu–S bonds shorten by ca. 0.1 Å. These show a wide range of different structural motifs in the solid-state, varying with changes in anion and dithiocarbamate substituents. Cu(I) complexes, [Cu(S2CNR2)2]−, are (briefly) accessible in an electrochemical cell, and the only stable example is recently reported [Cu(S2CNH2)2][NH4]·H2O. Others readily lose a dithiocarbamate and the d10 centres can either be trapped with other coordinating ligands, especially phosphines, or form clusters with tetrahedral [Cu(μ3-S2CNR2)]4 being most common. Over the past decade, a wide range of Cu(I) dithiocarbamate clusters have been prepared and structurally characterised with nuclearities of 3–28, especially exciting being those with interstitial hydride and/or acetylide co-ligands. A range of mixed-valence Cu(I)–Cu(II) and Cu(II)–Cu(III) complexes are known, many of which show novel physical properties, and one Cu(I)–Cu(II)–Cu(III) species has been reported. Copper dithiocarbamates have been widely used as SSPs to nanoscale copper sulfides, allowing control over the phase, particle size and morphology of nanomaterials, and thus giving access to materials with tuneable physical properties. The identification of copper in a range of neurological diseases and the use of disulfiram as a drug for over 50 years makes understanding of the biological formation and action of [Cu(S2CNEt2)2] especially important. Furthermore, the finding that it and related Cu(II) dithiocarbamates are active anticancer agents has pushed them to the fore in studies of metal-based biomedicines.

Dithiocarbamate Complexes as Single Source Precursors to Nanoscale Binary, Ternary and Quaternary Metal Sulfides

Nanodimensional metal sulfides are a developing class of low-cost materials with potential applications in areas as wide-ranging as energy storage, electrocatalysis, and imaging. An attractive synthetic strategy, which allows careful control over stoichiometry, is the single source precursor (SSP) approach in which well-defined molecular species containing preformed metal-sulfur bonds are heated to decomposition, either in the vapor or solution phase, resulting in facile loss of organics and formation of nanodimensional metal sulfides. By careful control of the precursor, the decomposition environment and addition of surfactants, this approach affords a range of nanocrystalline materials from a library of precursors. Dithiocarbamates (DTCs) are monoanionic chelating ligands that have been known for over a century and find applications in agriculture, medicine, and materials science. They are easily prepared from nontoxic secondary and primary amines and form stable complexes with all elements. Since pioneering work in the late 1980s, the use of DTC complexes as SSPs to a wide range of binary, ternary, and multinary sulfides has been extensively documented. This review maps these developments, from the formation of thin films, often comprised of embedded nanocrystals, to quantum dots coated with organic ligands or shelled by other metal sulfides that show high photoluminescence quantum yields, and a range of other nanomaterials in which both the phase and morphology of the nanocrystals can be engineered, allowing fine-tuning of technologically important physical properties, thus opening up a myriad of potential applications.

A Structurally Characterized CuIII Complex Supported by a Bis(anilido) Ligand and Its Oxidative Catalytic Activity

Three copper(II) complexes of the (R,R)-N,N'-bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-aminobenzylidene)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane ligand, namely [Cu(^N L)], [Cu(^N LH)]⁺ and [Cu(^N LH₂ )]²⁺ , were prepared and structurally characterized. In [Cu(^N LH₂ )]²⁺ the copper ion lies in an octahedral geometry with the aniline groups coordinated in equatorial positions. In [Cu(^N L)] the anilines are deprotonated (anilido moieties) and coordinated to an almost square-planar metal ion. Complex [Cu(^N L)] displays two oxidation waves at E_1/2^ox, 1 =-0.14 V and E_1/2^ox, 2 =0.36 V vs. Fc⁺ /Fc in CH₂ Cl₂ . Complex [Cu(^N LH₂ )]²⁺ displays an irreversible oxidation wave at high potential (1.21 V), but shows a readily accessible and reversible metal-centered reduction at E_1/2^red =-0.67 V (Cu^II /Cu^I redox couple). Oxidation of [Cu(^N L)] by AgSbF₆ produces [Cu(^N L)](SbF₆ ), which was isolated as single crystals. X-ray structure analysis discloses a contraction of the coordination sphere by 0.05 Å upon oxidation, supporting a metal-centered process. Complex [Cu(^N L)](SbF₆ ) displays an intense NIR band at 1260 nm corresponding to an anilido-to-copper(III) charge transfer transition. This compound slowly evolves in CH₂ Cl₂ solution towards [Cu(^N LH)](SbF₆ ), which is a copper(II) complex comprised of both anilido and aniline groups coordinated to the metal center. The copper(III) complex [Cu(^N L)](SbF₆ ) is an efficient catalyst for benzyl alcohol oxidation, with 236 TON in 24 h at 298 K, without additives other than oxygen and a base.

Crystal structure and carrier transport properties of a new 3D mixed-valence Cu(I)-Cu(II) coordination polymer including pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate ligand

A novel mixed-valence Cu(i)-Cu(ii) coordination polymer having an infinite three-dimensional (3D) structure, {[Cu(I)(4)Cu(II)(2)Br(4)(Pyr-dtc)(4)]·CHCl(3)}(n) (1) (Pyr-dtc(-) = pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate), has been prepared and structurally characterized via X-ray diffraction. This complex consists of 1D Cu(i)-Br chains and bridging mononuclear copper(ii) units of Cu(II)(Pyr-dtc)(2), which form an infinite 3D network. A magnetic study indicates that this complex includes copper(ii) ions exhibiting a weak antiferromagnetic interaction (θ = -0.086 K) between the unpaired electrons of the copper(ii) ions present in the diamagnetic Cu(i)-Br chains. The carrier transport properties of 1 are investigated using an impedance spectroscopy technique and flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity measurement (FP-TRMC). The impedance spectroscopy reveals that this complex exhibits intriguing semiconducting properties at a small activation energy (E(a) = 0.29 eV (bulk)). The sum of the mobilities of the negative and positive carriers estimated via FP-TRMC is Σμ∼ 0.4 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1).