Synthesis of Rh(I) diamine complexes and their exploitation for asymmetric hydrogen transfer processes

In this paper, we report the synthesis and characterisation of two novel chiral diamine ligands and three new Rh(I) complexes. The diamine ligands were prepared by reducing the Schiff base precursors using NaBH₄. Unusually, when ligand 2 was recrystallised in a methanol:acetone solution (10:1) a five membered imidazolidine ring was formed, as confirmed by X-ray crystallography, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The Rh(I) cationic complexes were prepared in high yields and purities and these have been exploited for the asymmetric reduction of acetophenone to 1-phenylethanol. Modest conversions (up to 88%) and enantioselectivities (up to 50%) have been achieved.     

稀土N-苯基邻氨基苯甲酸-1,10-邻菲咯啉二元、三元配合物的合成、表征及其光物理性质

合成了几种新型的稀土(钆,铕,铽)的N-苯基邻氨基苯甲酸-1,10-邻菲咯啉的二元、三元配合物.以元素分析、红外光谱和紫外光谱进行了表征,确定了组成.同时以低温磷光光谱确定了配体的三重态能级为24330cm^-1,研究了配体与稀土离子的能级匹配.详细讨论了配合物的光物理性质如发光性能和配体与稀土离子之间以及有机配体之间的分子内能量传递机制,结果发现,铽的N-苯基邻氨基苯甲酸-1,10-邻菲咯啉配合物的发光性能良好.     

Synthesis,spectral characterization,properties and structures of copper(I) complexes containing novel bidentate iminopyridine ligands

Four new ligands, (4-methyl-phenyl)-pyridin-2-ylmethylene-amine (A), (2,3-dimethyl-phenyl)-pyridin-2-ylmethylene-amine (B), (2,4-dimethyl-phenyl)-pyridin-2-ylmethylene-amine (C) and (2,5-dimethyl-phenyl)-pyridin-2-ylmethylene-amine (D), and their corresponding copper(I) complexes, [Cu(A)₂]ClO₄ (1a), [Cu(B)₂]ClO₄ (1b), [Cu(C)₂]ClO₄ (1c), [Cu(D)₂]ClO₄ (1d), [Cu(A)(PPh₃)₂]ClO₄ (2a), [Cu(B)(PPh₃)₂]ClO₄ (2b), [Cu(C)(PPh₃)₂]ClO₄ (2c) and [Cu(D)(PPh₃)₂]ClO₄ (2d), have been synthesized and characterized by CHN analyses, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, IR and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The crystal structures of [Cu(B)₂]ClO₄ (1b), [Cu(C)₂]ClO₄ (1c) and [Cu(A)(PPh₃)₂]ClO₄ · 1/2CH₃CN (2a) were determined from single crystal X-ray diffraction. The coordination polyhedron about the copper(I) center in the three complexes is best described as a distorted tetrahedron. A quasireversible redox behavior is observed for the complexes.     

Synthesis,characterization and structures of copper(II) complexes with amide-based ligands: Unusual formation of a linear trimer and a zig-zag chain and their contrast magnetic behaviour

The present work illustrates the versatile coordination modes of the amide-based ligands towards copper(II) ion. The reaction of the deprotonated form of the ligand, [L¹]²⁻ with CuCl₂ affords a linear trinuclear complex, [Cu₃(L¹)₂(Cl)₂(H₂O)] (1) which has been characterized thoroughly including single crystal structure analysis. The structure of 1 shows that one of the arm of the flexible ligand flips to coordinate second copper(II) centre, resulting in the formation of a trinuclear complex. On the other hand, ligand H₂L² in its deprotonated form reacts with Cu(II) ion to give complex 2 with general formula, [Cu(L²)]_n (2). The crystal structure of the complex 2 shows that each copper is square-pyramidal with 5th coordination coming from the O-atom of the amide group from a neighbouring complex. This results in the generation of an one-dimensional zig-zag chain. The variable temperature magnetic measurements of the complexes, 1 and 2 show that while Cu ions in the former are antiferromagnetically coupled (J = −110.34 cm⁻¹), a weak ferromagnetic interaction (J = +3.08 cm⁻¹) exists in the later. A rationale, based on the orbital overlap from the copper ions and associated ligands, is provided for the observed magnetic coupling between the copper ions.     

Synthesis, characterization and luminescence properties of copper(I) complexes containing 2-phenyl-3-(benzylamino)-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4(3H)-one and triphenylphosphine as ligands

Some copper(I) complexes of the formula [Cu(L)(PPh₃)₂]X (1-4) [where L = 2-phenyl-3-(benzylamino)-1,2-dihydroquinazolin-4(3H)-one; PPh₃ = triphenylphosphine; X = Cl⁻, NO₃⁻, ClO₄⁻ and BF₄⁻] have been prepared and characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis and ¹H NMR spectral studies. The representative complex of the series 4 has been characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction which reveal that in the complex the central copper(I) ion assumes the irregular distorted-tetrahedral geometry. Cyclic voltammetry of the complexes indicate a quasireversible redox behavior corresponding to Cu(II)/Cu(I) couple. All the complexes exhibit intraligand (π → π^∗) fluorescence with high quantum yield in dichloromethane solution.     

New Cu(I) Coordination Complexes Based on Tetrathiafulvalene Substituted Triazol‐pyridine Ligand: Synthesis,Properties and Theoretical Studies

Two Cu(I) complexes based on the thioethyl‐bridged triazol‐pyridine ligand with tetrathiafulvalene unit (TTF‐TzPy, L ), [Cu(I)(Binap)(L)]BF₄ ( 5 , Binap=2,2’‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐1,1’‐binaphthyl) and [Cu(I)(Xantphos)(L)]BF₄ ( 6 , Xantphos=9,9‐dimethyl‐4,5‐bis(diphenylphosphino)‐xanthene), have been synthesized. All new compounds are characterized by elemental analyses, ¹H NMR and mass spectroscopies. The complex 5 has been determined by X‐ray structure analyses which shows that the central copper (I) ion assumes distorted tetrahedral geometry. The photophysical, computational and electrochemical properties of L and 5 ‐ 6 have been investigated. The most representative molecular orbital energy‐level diagrams and the spin‐allowed singlet? singlet electronic transitions of the three compounds have been calculated with density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TD‐DFT). The luminescence bands of Cu(I) complexes 5 ‐ 6 have been assigned as mixed intraligand and metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer ³(MLCT+π→π^*) transitions through analysis of the photophysical properties and DFT calculations. The electrochemical studies reveal that 5 ‐ 6 undergo reversible TTF/TTF^+?/TTF²⁺ redox processes and one irreversible Cu⁺→Cu²⁺ oxidation process.     

In vitro antitumor activity of water-soluble copper(I) complexes with diimine and monodentate phosphine ligands

Copper(I) complexes including diimine ligands of the bicinchoninic acid (BCA) and bathocuproinedisulfonic acid (BCS) families and water-soluble phosphines have been synthetized, characterized and investigated for their in vitro anticancer potential against human tumor cell lines representing examples of lung, breast, pancreatic and colon cancers and melanoma. All copper complexes exhibited moderate to high cytotoxic activity and the ability to overcome cisplatin resistance. Remarkably, growth-inhibitory effects evaluated in human non-transformed cells revealed a preferential cytotoxicity versus neoplastic cells. The remarkable cytotoxic effect towards BxPC3 pancreatic cancer cells, notoriously poor sensitive to cisplatin, was not related to a DNA or proteasome damage.     

The influence of the carbon double bond on the structure and photophysical properties of copper(I) coordination polymers

The reaction of [Cu(CH₃CN)₄]BF₄, pyridine-2-carbaldehyde azine, triphenylphosphine, and diimine ligands derived from 4,4′-bipyridine and/or trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene gave two copper(I) coordination polymers, [Cu₂(µ-paa)(µ-bp)(PPh₃)₂] _n (BF₄)_{2 n} (1) and [Cu₂(µ-paa)(µ-tbpe)(PPh₃)₂] _n (BF₄)_{2 n} (2). Despite 1 and 2 differing only by a double bond, they have significantly different photophysical and structural properties. Crystallographic studies show that 2 is a porous solid while 1 is not porous. The two polymers are photoluminescent as solids at room temperature, but the emission peaks of 2 are obviously red-shift. Moreover, different from 1, 2 has a good emission centered at 510 nm in CH₃CN solution. The double bond in the diimine ligand plays an important role in these two copper(I) coordination polymers.     

Silver(I) and copper(I) complexes with ferrocenyl ligands bearing imidazole or pyridyl substituents

The reactions between five ferrocenyl derivatives containing both a CO and at least an imidazole or pyridine nitrogen atom and AgPF₆, AgOTf, or [Cu(NCCH₃)₄]PF₆ precursors were studied. The ligand {[bis(2-pyridyl)amino]carbonyl}ferrocene (L3), derived from (2-pyridyl)amine, favored tetrahedral coordination of Ag⁺ (with two ligands) and of Cu⁺ (with two acetonitrile ligands left from the precursor). In all the other ligands, both metal centers coordinated linearly to two ligands, preferring the imidazole or pyridinic nitrogen to other nitrogen atoms (amine) or oxygen donors.When the counter anions were triflate, the crystal structure showed a dimerization of the complex, with the ferrocenyl moieties occupying cis positions, by means of a weak Ag?Ag interaction. This was shown experimentally in the crystal structure of complex [Ag(L1)₂]OTf (L1 = ferrocenyl imidazole) and in the presence of peaks corresponding to {Ag₂(L2)₃(OTf)}⁺ and {Ag₂(L2)₄(OTf)}⁺ in the mass spectra of [Ag(L2)₂]OTf (L2 = ferrocenyl benzimidazole). In all complexes containing PF₆, there was no evidence for dimerization. Indeed, in the crystal structure of [Ag(L2)₂]PF₆, the ferrocenyl moieties occupy trans positions and the metal centers are far from each other. DFT calculations showed that the energy of the cis and trans conformers is practically the same and the balance of crystal packing forces leads to dimerization when triflate is present.     

A one pot multi-component CuAAC “click” approach to bidentate and tridentate pyridyl-1,2,3-triazole ligands: Synthesis,X-ray structures and copper(II) and silver(I) complexes

A one pot, multi-component CuAAC reaction has been developed for the generation of alkyl, benzyl or aryl substituted bi and tridentate pyridyl-1,2,3-triazole ligands from their corresponding halides, sodium azide and alkynes in excellent yields. The ligands have been fully characterized by elemental analysis, HR-ESMS, IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR and in the ferrocenyl substituted cases the structures were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. Additionally, we have examined the coordination chemistry of these ligands and found that a variety of geometrically diverse Cu(II) and Ag(I) complexes, including interesting tri and tetrasilver complexes, can be formed.     

Synthesis,spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of copper(I) complexes with functionalized pyrazino[2,3-f]-1,10-phenanthroline

The present work reports the synthesis and spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of homoleptic copper(I) complexes with substituted pirazino [2,3-f]-1,10-phenanthroline, RpplR′, (R = H, Me, COOH or COOMe, and R′ = H, Me) as ligand. The ligand ppl works as an acceptor of electronic density, which is delocalized mainly in the quinoxaline part of its structure. The UV–Vis spectra show that all the complexes display bands in the range 400–650 nm, which are MLCT in character. The λ_max and extinction coefficients of the MLCT band at 450 nm and the LC band do not change significatively when varying the R substituent. Nevertheless, the intensity of the shoulder around 500 nm does change; this absorption has been related to either a static or dynamic flattening distortion of the complex D_2d → D₂ symmetry. The cyclic voltammetry of the complexes shows irreversible redox processes with E_p values that do not follow the tendency expected from the donor/acceptor character of the substituents on the ligand. All the complexes studied showed no emission both in acetonitrile and dichloromethane as solvent at room temperature and under argon atmosphere.     

Synthesis of a novel rigid molecule family for the investigation of electron and energy transfer

Three new rigid bridging ligands for metal complexation (7=bmb, 8=bqb and 11=btb) were prepared from a rigid triptycene spacer connected to two bipyridine ligands using a Horner–Emmons type reaction. The triptycene spacer is substituted by methoxy groups in the case of bmb and in the case of bqb by a benzoquinone substituent. The corresponding metal complexes (ruthenium and/or osmium) were synthesised and the different luminescence behaviour was tested. They show great potential for the investigation of intramolecular electron and energy transfer reactions. The dinuclear metal complex Ru---bqb---Os is an interesting system in which the bridging ligand bqb acts as a redox switch, able to tune the conductivity for energy or electrons across the bridge.     

Synthese von Kupfer- und Silberkomplexen mit fünfzähnigen N,S- und sechszähnigen N,O-Chelatliganden – Charakterisierung und Kristallstrukturen von {Cu2[C6H4(SO2)NC(O)]2(C5H5N)4}, {Cu2[C5H3N(CHNC6H4SCH3)2]2}(PF6)2 und {Ag[C5H3N(CHNC6H4SCH3)2]}PO2F2

Synthesis of Copper and Silver Complexes with Pentadentate N,S and Hexadentate N,O Chelate Ligands – Characterization and Crystal Structures of {Cu₂[C₆H₄(SO₂)NC(O)]₂(C₅H₅N)₄}, {Cu₂[C₅H₃N(CHNC₆H₄SCH₃)₂]₂}(PF₆)₂, and {Ag[C₅H₃N(CHNC₆H₄SCH₃)₂]}PO₂F₂ In the course of the reaction of copper(II)-acetate monohydrate with 2,2′-bisbenzo[d][1,3]thiazolidyl in methanol the organic component is transformed to N,N′-bis-(2-thiophenyl)ethanediimine and subsequently oxidized to the N,N′-bis-(2-benzenesulfonyl)ethanediaciddiamide H₄BBSED, which coordinates in its deprotonated form two Cu²⁺ ions. Crystallisation from pyridine/n-hexane yields [Cu₂(BBSED)(py)₄] · MeOH. It forms triclinic crystals with the space group P1 and a = 995.5(2) pm, b = 1076.1(3) pm, c = 1120.7(2) pm, α = 104.17(1)°, β = 105.28(1)°, γ = 113.10(1)° and Z = 1. In the centrosymmetrical dinuclear complex the copper ions are coordinated in a square-pyramidal arrangement by three nitrogen and two oxygen atoms. The Jahn-Teller effect causes an elongation of the axial bond by approximately 30 pm. The reactions of the pentadentate ligand 2,6-Bis-[(2- methylthiophenyl)-2-azaethenyl]pyridine BMTEP with salts of copper(I), copper(II) and silver(I) yield the complexes [CU₂(BMTEP)₂](PF₆)₂, [Cu(BMTEP)]X₂ (X = BF, C1O) and [Ag(BMTEP)]X (X = PO₂F, ClO). [Cu₂(BMTEP)₂](PF₆)₂ crystallizes from acetone/diisopropyl- ether in form of monoclinic crystals with the space group C2/c, and a = 1833.2(3) pm, b = 2267.30(14) pm, c = 1323.5(2) pm, β= 118.286(5)°, and 2 = 4. In the dinuclear complex cation with the symmetry C₂ the copper ions are tetrahedrally coordinated by two bridging BMTEP ligands. The Cu? Cu distance of 278.3pm can be interpreted with weak Cu? Cu interactions which also manifest itself in a temperature independent paramagnetism of 0.45 B.M. The monomeric silver complex [Ag(BMTEP)]PO₂F₂ crystallizes from acetone/thf in the triclinic space group P1 with a = 768.7(3) pm, b = 1074.0(5) pm, c = 1356.8(5) pm, α = 99.52(2)°, β = 96.83(2)°, γ = 99.83(2)° and Z = 2. The central silver ion is coordinated by one sulfur and three nitrogen atoms of the ligand in a planar, semicircular arrangement. The bond lengths Ag? N = 240.4–261.7 and Ag? S = 257.2 pm are significantly elongated in comparison with single bonds.     

New Re(I) tricarbonyl-diimine complexes with N,N′-bis(substituted benzaldehyde)-1,2-diiminoethane Schiff base ligands: Synthesis,spectroscopic and electrochemical studies and crystal structures

The syntheses, structures and spectroscopic properties of tricarbonylrhenium(I) complexes with N,N′-bis(2-bromo, 4-bromo, 4-chloro and 3-methoxybenzaldehyde)-1,2-diiminoethane Schiff base ligands have been investigated in this paper. Characterization of these complexes was carried out with FTIR, NMR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis and X-ray crystallography. The electrochemical behavior of the investigated complexes has been studied by cyclic voltammetry. The crystal structures of the 4-chloro, 4-bromo and 4-methoxy substituted complexes are stabilized by intermolecular C–H?Cl and C–H?O hydrogen bonds. The remarkable features of the 2-bromo, 4-bromo and 4-chloro substituted complexes are short intermolecular halogen–oxygen contacts. In the 4-bromo complex, short intermolecular Br?O and O?O contacts link neighboring molecules along the [1 0 0] direction, which are further stabilized by short intermolecular π?π interactions. In 2-bromo complex, intermolecular Br?O interactions link neighboring molecules into 1D extended chains along the [0 1 0] and [0 0 1] directions, forming a 2D network which is parallel to the bc-plane.     

Synthesis,spectral characterization,thermal, computational and antibacterial studies of lanthanide complexes with 2-fluorobenzoic acid-(5-R-2-hydroxy-benzylidene)hydrazide {R = chloro or bromo)

Tridentate Schiff base ligands, 2-Fluorobenzoic acid-(5-chloro-2-hydroxy benzylidene)hydrazide {H₂L_Cl} and 2-Fluorobenzoic acid-(5-bromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)hydrazide {H₂L_Br} have been used to prepare a variety of lanthanide complexes [HNEt₃][LnL_x(NO₃)₂(H₂O)]H₂O, Ln = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy and Er. The ¹H and ¹³C NMR of lanthanum in conjunction with the infrared, elemental, thermal, molecular mass and conductance measurements enable the assignment of the formula to these complexes. The anionic unit [LnL_x(NO₃)₂(H₂O)]^? contains one tridentate ONO-donor, L^2?, which coordinates the metal ions via the phenolate-O, the imine-N and the deprotonated amide-O atoms in enol tautomeric form. The coordination environment around central metal ion is completed by two bidentate nitrate ligands and one coordinated water molecule to give a coordination number of eight for Ln(III). In order to get a better insight into the structural features of the complexes, their molecular geometries were fully optimized using density functional theory calculations at the M06-2X/6-31G¹ level of theory. The antibacterial activity results, on a panel of six different bacterial strains, show that the activity of the complexes is higher than that of the free ligands and in some cases higher than that of amoxicillin which is taken as standard reference drug. Compared to the free ligands, the emission spectra of the complexes exhibit a blue-shift with a clear enhancement in the emission intensity.     

Antiproliferative Homoleptic and Heteroleptic Phosphino Silver(I) Complexes: Effect of Ligand Combination on Their Biological Mechanism of Action

A series of neutral mixed-ligand [HB(pz)₃]Ag(PR₃) silver(I) complexes (PR₃ = tertiary phosphine, [HB(pz)₃]⁻ = tris(pyrazolyl)borate anion), and the corresponding homoleptic [Ag(PR₃)₄]BF₄ compounds have been synthesized and fully characterized. Silver compounds were screened for their antiproliferative activities against a wide panel of human cancer cells derived from solid tumors and endowed with different platinum drug sensitivity. Mixed-ligand complexes were generally more effective than the corresponding homoleptic derivatives, but the most active compounds were [HB(pz)₃]Ag(PPh₃) (5) and [Ag(PPh₃)₄]BF₄ (10), both comprising the lipophilic PPh₃ phosphine ligand. Detailed mechanistic studies revealed that both homoleptic and heteroleptic silver complexes strongly and selectively inhibit the selenoenzyme thioredoxin reductase both as isolated enzyme and in human ovarian cancer cells (half inhibition concentration values in the nanomolar range) causing the disruption of cellular thiol-redox homeostasis, and leading to apoptotic cell death. Moreover, for heteroleptic Ag(I) derivatives, an additional ability to damage nuclear DNA has been detected. These results confirm the importance of the type of silver ion coordinating ligands in affecting the biological behavior of the overall corresponding silver complexes, besides in terms of hydrophilic–lipophilic balance, also in terms of biological mechanism of action, such as interaction with DNA and/or thioredoxin reductase.     

Synthesis, spectral properties, crystal structures and antimicrobial effects of copper(II) pyridinecarboxylate adducts with chelating ligands

The reaction of an ethanolic solution of copper(II) pyridinecarboxylates CuX₂·nH₂O (where X is nicotinate (nic) (n=0) or isonicotinate (isonic) (n=4)) with ethylenediamine (en) in a molar ratio of 1:2 lead to the isolation of solid tetragonally distorted octahedral complexes of the type [Cu(en)₂(H₂O)₂]X₂·nH₂O (n=1 for nic; n=0 for isonic). The analogous reaction of CuX₂·nH₂O with diethylenetriamine (dien) in a molar ratio of 1:1 leads to the formation of square-pyramidal pentacoordinated complexes of the type [CuX(dien)(H₂O)]X. On the other hand, the reaction of equimolar quantities of copper(II) nitrate and dien with nicotinate anions (equimolar quantities of pyridinecarboxylic acid and NaOH) in ethanolic solutions gives a solid monomeric complex [Cu(nic)(NO₃)dien)(H₂O)]·H₂O in which the coordination polyhedron around the Cu(II) atom is a (4+1+1) distorted tetragonal bipyramid. Based on the molecular structure the electronic and IR spectra are discussed. Moreover, the results of the quantitative determination of antimicrobial activity of the isonic complexes [Cu(isonic)₂(H₂O)₄], [Cu(en)₂(H₂O)₂](isonic)₂, [Cu(isonic)(dien)(H₂O)](isonic), as well as isonicotinic acid, ethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine alone are discussed.     

Synthesis and photophysical characterization of a titanium(IV) phthalocyanine-C60 supramolecular dyad

An axially substituted titanium(IV) phthalocyanine-fullerene donor-acceptor supramolecular dyad has been prepared by two different approaches, one of them representing a convenient convergent strategy. The dyad system exhibits photoinduced electron transfer upon irradiation with visible light to produce a microsecond lived charge separated state.     

Synthesis, structural and magnetic properties of diphenoxo-bridged binuclear mixed-ligand Cu(II) complexes

The copper(II) complexes [Cu₂(phen)₂(HL¹)₂] (ClO₄)₂ (1) and [Cu₂(phen)₂(HL²)₂] (ClO₄)₂ (2) synthesized from two potentially tridentate ligands N-(2-hydroxybenzyl) propanolamine (H₂L¹) and N-(5-methyl-2-hydroxybenzyl) propanolamine (H₂L²) have centrosymmetric bis(μ₂-phenoxo)-bridged dicopper(II) structures. Variable temperature magnetic measurements have revealed the existence of relatively weak antiferromagnetic interactions (1: 2J=−212.5, 2: 2J=−337.0 cm⁻¹) with respect to the bridging angles (1: θ=101.47(18)°, 2: θ=102.79(12)°). The results suggest that the distortion index of the Cu(II) atoms (1: τ=0.73, 2: τ=0.53) may be the major factor governing the spin coupling between the copper(II) centers of these diphenoxo-bridged binuclear complexes. The coordination moieties of complex 1 are connected into a 1D linear structure via intermolecular hydrogen bonds between alkoxyl, amine, and perchlorate groups.     

Copper(II) complexes of tetradentate N2S2 donor sets: Synthesis,crystal structure characterization and reactivity

Two mononuclear and one dinuclear copper(II) complexes, containing neutral tetradentate NSSN type ligands, of formulation [Cu^II(L¹)Cl]ClO₄ (1), [Cu^II(L²)Cl]ClO₄ (2) and [Cu^II₂(L³)₂Cl₂](ClO₄)₂ (3) were synthesized and isolated in pure form [where L¹ = 1,2-bis(2-pyridylmethylthio)ethane, L² = 1,3-bis(2-pyridylmethylthio)propane and L³ = 1,4-bis(2-pyridylmethylthio)butane]. All these green colored copper(II) complexes were characterized by physicochemical and spectroscopic methods. The dinuclear copper(II) complex 3 changed to a colorless dinuclear copper(I) species of formula [Cu^I₂(L³)₂](ClO₄)₂,0.5H₂O (4) in dimethylformamide even in the presence of air at ambient temperature, while complexes 1 and 2 showed no change under similar conditions. The solid-state structures of complexes 1, 2 and 4 were established by X-ray crystallography. The geometry about the copper in complexes 1 and 2 is trigonal bipyramidal whereas the coordination environment about the copper(I) in dinuclear complex 4 is distorted tetrahedral.