The Crystal and Molecular Structure of (μ‐terephthlato) bis [(N‐Salicylidene ‐N'‐(2‐hydroxyethyl) ethylenediamine) Copper(II)]

The title compound [[Cu(shen)]₂(tp)], {[Cu(C₁₅H₁₇O₄N₂)]2}, where tp = dianion of terephthalic acid and shen = (N‐salicylidene‐N'‐(2‐hydroxyethyl ethylene‐diamine)) has been prepared and its crystal structure determined by single crystal X‐ray diffraction at room temperature. The complex crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pbca with four formula units in a unit cell of dimensions a = 12.298(2), b = 14.214(2) and c = 16.436(2)Å. The structure consists of binuclear units with Cu(II) ion bridged by the tp ligand in a bis‐unidentate fashion. The five coordinate Cu(II) complex adopts a distorted square‐based pyramid. A crystallographic inversion center has been located at the center of the benzene ring of the tp bridging ligand. The Cu … Cu distance inside a same binuclear entity is 11.069Å. Intermolecular aromatic ring stacking interactions were observed with the shortest atom to atom contact being 3.423Å.