Synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of two 1-D helical coordination polymeric Cu(II) complexes

Two helical coordination polymeric copper(II) complexes bearing amino acid Schiff bases HL or HL′, which are condensed from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde with 2-aminobenzoic acid or l-valine, respectively, have been prepared and characterised by X-ray crystallography. In [CuL]_n (1) the copper(II) atoms are bridged by syn-anti carboxylate groups giving infinite 1-D right-handed helical chains which are further connected by weak C-H?Cu interactions to build a 2-D network. While in [CuL′]_n (2) the carboxylate group acts as a rare monatomic bridge to connect the adjacent copper(II) atoms leading to the formation of a left-handed helical chain. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that 1 exhibits weak ferromagnetic interactions whereas an antiferromagnetic coupling is established for 2. The magnetic behavior can be satisfactorily explained on the basis of the structural data.