Polymeric Copper(II) Complexes with a Newly Synthesized Biphenyldicarboxylic Acid Schiff Base Ligand—Synthesis, Structural and Thermal Characterization

The newly synthesized biphenyldicarboxylic acid Schiff base and its complexes with Cu(II) were synthesized, and their spectroscopic and structural analysis was performed. The reaction of the ligand and copper(II) acetate in different solvents resulted in the formation of two solvatomorphic complexes, one with MeOH, and the other with DMF molecules, in the crystal lattice. The differences in the results of the thermal analysis could be explained by the different polarities of the solvents present. SC-XRD analysis revealed that the ligand is coordinated as a dianion, in a pentadentate manner, through two phenoxide oxygen atoms, two azomethine nitrogen atoms, and with the oxygen atom of one carboxylate functioning as a bridge that connects the monomeric units. The coordination polyhedron was described with several parameters obtained from different methods of calculation. The presence of different solvents in the crystal structure results in differences in the H-bond networks, and an overall different crystal packing of the structural units in the obtained complexes.

VCD studies on chiral characters of metal complex oligomers

The present article reviews the results on the application of vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy to the study of stereochemical properties of chiral metal complexes in solution. The chiral characters reflecting on the vibrational properties of metal complexes are revealed by measurements of a series of β-diketonato complexes with the help of theoretical calculation. Attention is paid to the effects of electronic properties of a central metal ion on vibrational energy levels or low-lying electronic states. The investigation is further extended to the oligomers of β-diketonato complex units. The induction of chiral structures is confirmed by the VCD spectra when chiral inert moieties are connected with labile metal ions. These results have demonstrated how VCD spectroscopy is efficient in revealing the static and dynamic properties of mononuclear and multinuclear chiral metal complexes, which are difficult to clarify by means of other spectroscopes.