EPR and electronic spectral studies of bis(dihalcogenocarbamato)copper(II)-solvent interactions

The interaction of bis(diethyldithiocarbamato)copper(II), Cu(Et2dtc)2, and bis(diethyldiselenocarbamato)copper(II), Cu(Et2dsc)2, complexes with solvents is studied by EPR and electronic spectroscopy. The solvents used are CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, C6H5 x CH3, DMFA and DMSO. It is found that Cu(Et2dsc)2 is destroyed in a first order reaction in CCl4 with an activation energy of 5.2 kcal/mol. The other complex, Cu(Et2dtc)2, is only destroyed in DMSO. The observed effects and reaction pathways are discussed in terms of solute-solvent donor-acceptor interactions taking into account the differences in the electronic structures of both complexes.