Hydrothermal Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Electrochemical Properties of a New Dinuclear Copper Complex [C2H6ON]2[Cu2Cl2（μ-CH3COO）4]

The hydrothermal reaction of copper chloride dihydrate and 5,5-dimethyl-imidazolidine,-2,4-dione with a mole ratio of 1：1 in acetonitrile resulted in the formation of a new acetate-bridged dinuclear copper complex, [C2H6ON]2[Cu2Cl2（μ-CH3COO）4]. Protonated acetamide in eaolie form and acetic acid were yielded by the hydrolysis of acetonitrile under hydrothennal condition. The rifle complex （C12H24Cl2Cu2N2O10） was characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, IR spectrum, elemental and electrochemical analysis. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system, space group P21/c with a = 8.298004）, b = 14.358（2）, c = 12.0010（2） A^°, β= 130.620（3）°, V = 1085.3（2） A^°^3, Dc = 1.696 g/cm^3, 34, = 554.31, Z = 2, F（000） = 564 and μ = 2.254 mm^-1. The crystal structure consists of a tetraacetate-bridging dinulcear copper complex anion [Cu2Cl2（μ-CH3COO）4]^2-, with the chlorine anions in the axial positions, and two protonated acetamide cations [C2H6ON]^＋, which were connected through hydrogen bonds to form a three-dimensional infinite network.     

二个钴5-磺酸基水杨酸、邻菲罗啉配合物的合成、次级合成与结构

Cobait（Ⅱ） nitrate reacted with 1,10-phenanthroline （phen） and 5-sulfosaiicylic acid （H3ssal） to yield the cobait（Ⅰ） complex [Co（phen）2（H2O）2]（Hssal）o4H2O （1） and the reaction of 1 with copper acetate led to a novel complex [Co（phen）（H2O）4][Cu2（ssal）2（phen）2]·5H2O （2）. These two complexes were cationanion species and the cationic motif [Co（phen）2（H2O）2]^2＋of 1 could be converted to [Co（phen）（H2O）4]^2＋ in the formation process of new anion [Cu2（phen）2（ssal）2]^2- of 2. In both complexes abundant hydrogen bonds construct different supramolecular architectures, thus the conversion reaction can provide a new path to create novel supramolecular network.     

Four New Cu（Ⅱ） Complexes with Benzotriazole-based Ligands： Syntheses,Crystal Structures and Theoretical Investigations

Four new Cu（Ⅱ） complexes with two benzotriazole-based ligands, [Cu2（L^1）2（NO3）2]· 2H2O （1）, [Cu2（L^1）2]·2ClO4·2H2O （2）, [Cu2（HL^2）2（NO3）4]·2CH3COCH3 （3） and [Cu（HL^2）2（Cl）]·Cl·2CH2Cl2 （4）, where HL^1 = 1,3-bis（benzotriazol-2-yl）-2-propanol and HL^2 = 1,3-bis（benzotriazol-1-yl）-2-propanol, were synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, IR and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. It is revealed that complexes 1～3 have dinuclear structures, while 4 possesses a one-dimensional （1-D） chain structure, which extends in two orthogonal orientations. In 1～4, the coordination numbers of Cu（Ⅱ） centers range from four to six, which may be attributed to the different geometries and coordination abilities of the ligands and anions. The L^1 ligand in complexes 1 and 2 adopts a tridentate di-chelating coordination mode, whereas ligand HL^2 in complexes 3 and 4 has a bidentate bridging coordination mode. The different coordination modes of these two ligands may be explained by the different charges of nitrogen donor atoms in the benzotriazole ring, which has been investigated by density functional theory （DFT） calculations.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Three Diverse Coordination Frameworks under Co-ligand Intervention

The chelating organic ligands of 2,2’-bipyridine (2,2’-bipy), di(pyrid-2-yl)amine (dpa) and 2,6-di(pyrid-2-ylamino)pyridine (dpap) were respectively applied to react with H2fum (fumaric acid) and copper salts, affording three different complexes [Cu2(fum)(2,2’-bipy)4]•2ClO4 (1), [Cu2(µ-OH)2(fum)(dpa)2]•2H2O (2) and [Cu(SO4)(H2O)(dpap)]•H2O (3). These complexes were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Each penta-coordinated Cu(II) ion exhibits a distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry in 1. The fum ligand links copper ions to form a dinuclear copper unit. While in 2, the fum ligands connect [Cu2(µ-OH)2(dpa)2] unit to construct a 1D zigzag chain. Unexpectedly, when dpap instead of dpa was used under the same conditions, only one mononuclear complex 3 was formed. Crystal packings show that 1—3 form 3D supramolecular architectures through non-covalent interactions (multiple hydrogen bonds and C—H…π/π-π interactions). In addition, the study of the magnetic property reveals dominating ferromagnetic interactions between Cu(II) atoms in 1.     

Di- and tetranuclear heterometallic CuII-LnIII complexes (Ln = Gd and Dy): Synthesis, structure and magnetic properties

Four 3d-4f heterometallic complexes, [CuⅡ LnⅢ (bpt) 2 (NO 3 ) 3 (MeOH)] (Ln = Gd, 1; Dy, 2; bptH = 3,5-bis(pyrid-2-yl)-1,2,4- triazole), [CuⅡ 2 LnⅢ 2 (μ-OH) 2 (bpt) 4 Cl 4 (H 2 O) 2 ]·6H 2 O (Ln = Gd, 3; Dy, 4), have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. X-ray structural analyses reveal that 1 and 2 are isostructural while 3 and 4 are isostructural. In each complex, the copper and gadolinium or dysprosium ions are linked by two triazolate bridges and form a CuⅡ -LnⅢ dinuclear unit. The intramolecular Cu-Ln distances are 4.542, 4.525, 4.545 and 4.538 for 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Two dinuclear CuLn units are bridged by two OH- groups into the zig-zag tetranuclear {CuⅡ 2 LnⅢ 2 } structures with the Ln(Ⅲ) Ln(Ⅲ) distances of 3.742 and 3.684 for 3 and 4, respectively. Magnetic studies show that the antiferromagnetic CuⅡ-LnⅢ interactions occur in 1 (J CuGd = 0.21 cm-1 ) and 2. The antiferromagnetic interaction occurs in complex 3 with J CuGd = 0.82 cm-1 and J GdGd = 0.065 cm-1 , while dominant ferromagnetic interaction occurs in complex 4.     

New Copper（Ⅱ） and Nickel（Ⅱ） Complexes of 4-Morpholinoacetophenone Thiosemicarbazone： Structural, Electrochemical and Antimicrobial Studies

4-Morpholinoacetophenone thiosemicarbazone, MAPT, and its nickel（Ⅱ） and copper（Ⅱ） complexes have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, spectral methods （FT-IR, ^1H NMR） and cyclic voltammetry. Electrochemical behaviors of the complexes have been studied by cyclic voltammetry in DMF media showing metal centered reduction processes for both of them. The redox properties, nature of the electrode processes and the stability of the complexes were discussed. [Cu（MAPT）2]Cl2 complex shows Cu（Ⅱ）/Cu（Ⅰ） couple and quasi-reversible wave associated with the Cu（Ⅲ）/Cu（Ⅱ） process. The reduction/oxidation potential values depend on the structures of complexes. Also, the antimicrobial activities of these complexes were determined against S. aureus, E. coli and B. subtilis.     

Syntheses and Structures of Two Isomorphous Metal-organic Coordination Complexes Based on 4-Pyrimidin-5-ylbenzoic Acid

The reactions of 4-pyrimidin-5-ylbenzoic acid （HL） with Co（NO3）2·6H2O and Ni（NO3）2·6H2O gave rise to two isomorphous mononuclear coordination complexes, namely, [CoL2（H2O）4] （1） and [NiL2（H2O）4] （2）. Both compounds were characterized by IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. X-ray crystallographic analyses reveal that they crystallize in monoclinic, space group P21/n. In the crystal structures of these two complexes, only one nitrogen atom of L coordinates to the metal center, and neither carboxylate group nor another nitrogen atom of L links to Co（Ⅱ） or Ni（Ⅱ）. 2D Layers with significant hydrogen bonds can be observed, and they are further linked by L to form a 3D supramolecular network. Nitrogen atoms are not involved in forming hydrogen bonds, but carboxylic groups of the ligands play an important role in the configuration of this hydrogen-bond layer.     

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel 3D Coordination Polymer Based on Cu（II） Cations and Mellitic Acid

A new mellitate complex [Cu3（μ2-mellitate）（μ2-H2O）（H2O）2·H2O]n 1 has been synthesized by the reaction of mellitic acid and Cu（CH3COO）2·H2O in the presence of base. Crystallographic data for 1： C12H8O16Cu3, Mr = 598.80, orthorhombic, Pbcn, a = 8.4378（6）, b = 10.0396（7）, c = 17.6799（12）A, V = 1497.70（18）A^3, Z = 4, De = 2.656 g/cm^3, μ = 4.327 mm^-1, F（000） = 1180, R = 0.0431 and wR = 0.0964 for 1075 observed reflections （I 〉 2σ（I））. X-ray crystal structural analysis revealed that the mellitate anions behave as the bridging ligands and link eight copper atoms repeatedly to form a novel three-dimensional metal-organic coordination polymer with two different rhombic tunnels in the solid-state structure.     

Electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric studies to probe the interaction of Cu(II) with amoxicillin简

This study describes the application of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS) to investigate copper ion interaction with amoxicillin. ESI mass spectra of Cu–amoxicillin complexes show complex ions at m/z 828, 792, 753, 731, 428, 388 and 366 corresponding to [63Cu+(2A-H)+2H2 O]+, [63Cu+(2A-H)]+, [2A+Na]+, [2A+H]+, [63Cu+(A-H)]+, [A+Na]+and [A+H]+(where A = amoxicillin). Based on the observed m/z values of Cu–amoxicillin complex ions, it is found that the Cu–amoxicillin ratios are 1:1 and 1:2, and the copper ions exhibited three feasible coordination numbers(2, 4 and 6) with amoxicillin complexes. The structures and coordination numbers of copper–amoxicillin complex ions were probed from their collisionally activated dissociation(CAD) spectra. Based on these results, it is confirmed that the copper ions could form stable tetrahedral and octahedral complexes with amoxicillin. This study validates the applicability of ESI-MS for probing copper–amoxicillin complex ions.     

Simultaneous analysis of Cu and Pb as ABEDTA complexes in Rhizoma coptidis by capillary electrophoresis coupled with solid phase extraction

A novel capillary electrophoresis method for simultaneous determination of Cu and Pb has been developed in this paper.Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ） ions were reacted with ABEDTA to form complex to achieve an ideal sensitivity of heavy metal complexes.The digestion solution of Rhizoma coptidis drug sample was purified by neutral Al₂O₃ column chromatography and the chromatographic behavior of metal-L complexes was investigated.The calibration curve was linear in the range of 5-60μg/mL for Cu²⁺ and 5-25μg/mL for Pb²⁺ with the correlation coefficients 0.9970 and 0.9972 for each（n = 5）.The average recoveries were 86.2%for Pb and 90.1%for Cu,while the relative standard deviations were 5.1%and 3.6%respectively.The method was successfully applied to determine Cu and Pb in R.coptidis drug samples.     

Dicopper(II) trihydroxide cyanoureate dihydrate

The title compound, poly[[μ‐cyanoureato‐tri‐μ‐hydroxido‐dicopper(II)] dihydrate], {[Cu₂(C₂H₂N₃O)(OH)₃]·2H₂O}_n, is a new layered copper(II) hydroxide salt (LHS) with cyanoureate ions and water molecules in the interlayer space. The three distinct copper(II) ions have distorted octahedral geometry: one Cu (symmetry ) is coordinated to six hydroxide groups (4OH + 2OH), whilst the other two Cu atoms (symmetries and 1) are coordinated to four hydroxides and two N atoms from nitrile groups of the cyanoureate ions (4OH + 2N). The structure is held together by hydrogen‐bonding interactions between the terminal –NH₂ groups and the central cyanamide N atoms of organic anions associated with neighbouring layers.     

Single‐armed salamo‐like dioxime and its multinuclear Cu (II), Zn (II) and Cd (II) complexes: Syntheses,structural characterizations,Hirshfeld analyses and fluorescence properties

Three multinuclear Cu (II), Zn (II) and Cd (II) complexes, [Cu₂(L)(μ‐OAc)]·CHCl₂ ( 1 ), [Zn₂(L)(μ‐OAc)(H₂O)]·3CHCl₃ ( 2 ) and [{Cd₂(L)(OAc)(CH₃CH₂OH)}₂]·2CH₃CH₂OH ( 3 ) with a single‐armed salamo‐like dioxime ligand H₃L have been synthesized, and characterized by FT‐IR, UV–vis, X‐ray crystallography and Hirshfeld surfaces analyses. The ligand H₃L has a linear structure and C‐H···π interactions between the two molecules. The complex 1 is a dinuclear Cu (II) complex, Cu1 and Cu2 are all five‐coordinate possessing distorted square pyramidal geometries. The complex 2 also forms a dinuclear Zn (II) structure, and Zn1 and Zn2 are all five‐coordinate bearing distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometries. The complex 3 is a symmetrical tetranuclear Cd (II) complex, and Cd1 is a hexa‐coordinate having octahedral configuration and Cd2 is hepta‐coordinate with a pentagonal bipyramidal geometry, and it has π···π interactions inside the molecule. In addition, fluorescence properties of the ligand and its complexes 1 – 3 have also been discussed.     

Synthesis and Characterization of an Unexpected Asymmetric Binuclear Copper（Ⅰ） Complex Containing 4-Vinyl-pyridine

The asymmetric binuclear copper(I) complex [Cu₂(dppm)₂(C₇H₇N)(μ‐HCOO)](NO₃) (dppm=Ph₂PCH₂PPh₂, C₇H₇N=4‐vinyl‐pyridine) has been prepared and characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The complex is photoluminescent at room temperature. It crystallizes in triclinic system, space group P‐1 with a= 1.2719(3) nm, b=1.8637(4) nm, c=1.1656(2) nm, a=97.16(3)°, β= 104.94(3)″, γ=89.39(3)°, V=2.648.1(9) nm³, D_c= 1.390 g.m^?3, Z=2, μ=0.974 mm^?1, R=0.0483 for 5716 independently observed reflections with I>2δ(I). The structure consists of [Cu₂(dppm)₂(C₇H₇N)(μ‐HCOO)]⁺cations and nitrate anions. The copper atoms show different coordination modes: Cu(1) displays a distorted trigonal and Cu(2) a tetrahedred geometry.     

A new copper(II) coordination polymer containing chains of interconnected paddle‐wheel antiferromagnetic clusters

The construction of supramolecular architectures based on inorganic–organic coordination frameworks with weak noncovalent interactions has implications for the rational design of functional materials. A new crystalline binuclear copper(II) one‐dimensional polymeric chain, namely catena‐poly[[[tetrakis(μ‐4‐azaniumylbutanoato‐κ²O :O ′)dicopper(II)(Cu —Cu )]‐μ‐chlorido‐[diaquadichloridocopper(II)]‐μ‐chlorido] bis(perchlorate)], {[Cu₃Cl₄(C₄H₉NO₂)₄(H₂O)₂](ClO₄)₂}_n , was obtained by the reaction of 4‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) with CuCl₂·2H₂O in aqueous solution. The structure was established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and was also characterized by IR spectroscopy and magnetic measurements. The crystal structure consists of [{Cu₂(GABA)₄}{CuCl₄(H₂O)₂}]⁺ cations and isolated perchlorate anions. Two symmetry‐related Cu^II centres are bridged via carboxylate O atoms into a classical paddle‐wheel configuration, with a Cu…Cu distance of 2.643 (1) Å, while bridging Cl atoms complete the square‐pyramidal geometry of the metal atoms. The Cl atoms connect the paddlewheel moieties to a second Cu^II atom lying on an octahedral site, resulting in infinite helical chains along the c axis. The packing motif exhibits channels containing free perchlorate anions. The crystal structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the perchlorate anions, the coordinated water molecules and the ammonium groups of the polymeric chains. The magnetic analysis of the title compound indicates a nontrivial antiferromagnetic behaviour arising from alternating weak–strong antiferromagnetic coupling between neighbouring Cu^II centres.     

Synthesis and Characterization of New M‐Triazole Complexes (M = Co,Cu, Zn)

Three new complexes with the ligand 3,5‐diamino‐1,2,4‐triazole (Hdatrz), [Co₃(μ₂‐Hdatrz)₆(H₂O)₆]·(NO₃)₈·4H₂O ( 1 ), [Cu₃(μ₂‐Hdatrz)₄(μ₂‐Cl)₂(H₂O)₂Cl₂]·Cl₂·4H₂O·2C₂H₅OH ( 2 ) and {[Zn₂(μ₂‐SO₄) (μ₃‐datrz)₂]·2H₂O}_n ( 3 ) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Complex 1 has a linear trinuclear mixed‐valence cobalt structure with six neutral triazole ligands in the N(1), N(2)‐bridging mode. The central cobalt atom, Co(1), is coordinated to six nitrogen atoms (octahedral) whereas the terminal cobalt atom, Co(2), is coordinated to an N₃O₃ moiety (octahedral). In complex 1 , the uudd cyclic water clusters, nitrate anions and the trimeric cations are linked to a supramolecular structure. Complex 2 features a linear trinuclear copper(II) core, with four N(1), N(2)‐bridging triazole ligands and two chlorido bridges. The central copper atom is coordinated to an N₄Cl₂ moiety (octahedral) whereas the terminal copper is coordinated to an N₂Cl₂O moiety (square‐pyramidal). In complex 2 , tetrahedral hydrogen bonding interactions play an important role to form a supramolecular network. Complex 3 exhibits a polymeric structure, with N(1), N(2), N(4)‐bridging triazolate ligands and sulfate bridges, in which zinc is coordinated to an N₃O moiety (tetrahedral). In complex 3 , water molecules and sulfate anions construct the sulfate‐water supramolecular chain with hydrogen bonding interactions. In addition, the complexes were investigated by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopic, and thermogravimetric measurements.     

Supramolecular architectures in CoII and CuII complexes with thiophene‐2‐carboxylate and 2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine ligands

The coordination chemistry of mixed‐ligand complexes continues to be an active area of research since these compounds have a wide range of applications. Many coordination polymers and metal–organic framworks are emerging as novel functional materials. Aminopyrimidine and its derivatives are flexible ligands with versatile binding and coordination modes which have been proven to be useful in the construction of organic–inorganic hybrid materials and coordination polymers. Thiophenecarboxylic acid, its derivatives and their complexes exhibit pharmacological properties. Cobalt(II) and copper(II) complexes of thiophenecarboxylate have many biological applications, for example, as antifungal and antitumor agents. Two new cobalt(II) and copper(II) complexes incorporating thiophene‐2‐carboxylate (2‐TPC) and 2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine (OMP) ligands have been synthesized and characterized by X‐ray diffraction studies, namely (2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine‐κN)aquachlorido(thiophene‐2‐carboxylato‐κO)cobalt(II) monohydrate, [Co(C₅H₃O₂S)Cl(C₆H₉N₃O₂)(H₂O)]·H₂O, (I), and catena‐poly[copper(II)‐tetrakis(μ‐thiophene‐2‐carboxylato‐κ²O:O′)‐copper(II)‐(μ‐2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine‐κ²N¹:N³)], [Cu₂(C₅H₃O₂S)₄(C₆H₉N₃O₂)]_n, (II). In (I), the Co^II ion has a distorted tetrahedral coordination environment involving one O atom from a monodentate 2‐TPC ligand, one N atom from an OMP ligand, one chloride ligand and one O atom of a water molecule. An additional water molecule is present in the asymmetric unit. The amino group of the coordinated OMP molecule and the coordinated carboxylate O atom of the 2‐TPC ligand form an interligand N—H…O hydrogen bond, generating an S(6) ring motif. The pyrimidine molecules also form a base pair [R₂²(8) motif] via a pair of N—H…N hydrogen bonds. These interactions, together with O—H…O and O—H…Cl hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions, generate a three‐dimensional supramolecular architecture. The one‐dimensional coordination polymer (II) contains the classical paddle‐wheel [Cu₂(CH₃COO)₄(H₂O)₂] unit, where each carboxylate group of four 2‐TPC ligands bridges two square‐pyramidally coordinated Cu^II ions and the apically coordinated OMP ligands bridge the dinuclear copper units. Each dinuclear copper unit has a crystallographic inversion centre, whereas the bridging OMP ligand has crystallographic twofold symmetry. The one‐dimensional polymeric chains self‐assemble via N—H…O, π–π and C—H…π interactions, generating a three‐dimensional supramolecular architecture.     

Three New cpt‐Metal Complexes Displaying 0D, 1D,and 3D Topology Structures

Three new cpt‐metal complexes of different topology structures were synthesized by solvothermal methods [Hcpt = 4‐(4‐carboxyphenyl)‐1,2,4‐triazole]. The structure of [Mn(cpt)₂ · 2H₂O] ( 1 ) is essentially 0D monomeric, but extended into a 2D supramolecular network through cross‐linking hydrogen bonds. In [Cu(cpt)(OH) · 2H₂O] · 2H₂O ( 2 ), the hydroxo groups as well as cpt ligands join the copper ions into an infinite polymeric [Cu(μ‐cpt)(μ‐OH)] chain, which is interconnected into a 3D supramolecular network with different oriented channels by 1D water chains. The complex [Zn(cpt)₂] · 0.5DMF · CH₃CH₂OH ( 3 ), which crystallizes in a 3D open framework with fourfold interpenetrated diamondoid network topology, represents the first 3D structure based on cpt anions. The structure differences demonstrate that the reaction metal ions have an important effect on the structures of these complexes.     

Syntheses,Crystal Structures,and Properties of Three Copper(II) Complexes Constructed by 4‐(4,6‐Bis(1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2‐yl)morpholine

Three copper(II) complexes of the polydentate N‐donor ligand [4‐(4,6‐bis(1H‐pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐1,3,5‐triazin‐2‐yl)morpholine] (L) with chlorides, nitrates, and perchlorates as anions, namely, [CuCl₂(L)] · 0.5(MeCN) ( 1 ), [Cu(NO₃)₂(H₂O)(L)] · (MeCN) ( 2 ), and [Cu(L)₂](ClO₄)₂ · (MeCN) ( 3 ) were synthesized and structurally characterized by IR, elemental analysis and X‐ray crystallographic analysis. In these complexes, the L ligand binds the copper(II) cation in the tridentate N₃ form. The coordination arrangement around the central copper(II) atom is distorted square‐pyramidal in 1 but it is distorted octahedral in 2 and 3 . The interesting noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonds, π–π stacking, and anion–π interactions present in the solid‐state structures are discussed. The crystal results reveal that the counteranions play important roles in determining the diverse structures of these complexes. Moreover, the PXRD, TG, DRS, and fluorescence properties of compounds 1 – 3 were investigated.     

Synthesis,crystal structures and characterizations of three new copper(II) complexes including anti‐inflammatory diclofenac

Three new diclofenac‐based copper(II) complexes, namely tetrakis{μ‐2‐[2‐(2,6‐dichloroanilino)phenyl]acetato‐κ²O:O′}bis(methanol‐κO)copper(II), [Cu₂(μ‐dicl)₄(CH₃OH)₂] ( 1 ), bis{2‐[2‐(2,6‐dichloroanilino)phenyl]acetato‐κ²O,O′}bis(1‐vinyl‐1H‐imidazole‐κN³)copper(II), [Cu(dicl)₂(vim)₂] ( 2 ), and bis{2‐[2‐(2,6‐dichloroanilino)phenyl]acetato‐κ²O,O′}bis(1H‐imidazole‐κN³)copper(II), [Cu(dicl)₂(im)₂] ( 3 ) [dicl is diclofenac (C₁₄H₁₀Cl₂NO₂), vim is 1‐vinylimidazole (C₅H₆N₂) and im is imidazole (C₃H₄N₂)], have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, FT–IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction. X‐ray diffraction analysis shows that complex 1 consists of dimeric units in which the dicl ligand exhibits a bidentate syn,syn‐μ₂ coordination mode linking two copper(II) centres. Complexes 2 and 3 have mononuclear units with the general formula [Cu(dicl)₂L₂] (L is vim or im) in which the Cu^II ions are octahedrally coordinated by two L and two dicl chelating ligands. The L and dicl ligands both occupy the trans positions of the coordination octahedron. The different coordination modes of dicl in the title complexes were revealed by Fourier transform IR (FT–IR) spectroscopy. The spin matching between the copper(II) centres in the dimeric [Cu₂(μ‐dicl)₄(CH₃OH)₂] units was also confirmed by magnetic data to be lower than the spin‐only value and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. The thermal properties of the complexes were investigated by thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques.