Copper(I) coordination chemistry of (pyridylmethyl)amide ligands

Copper(I) chloro complexes were synthesized with a family of ligands, HL(R) HL(R) = N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide, R = null; 2-phenyl-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide, R = Ph; 2,2-dimethyl-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)propionamide, R = Me3; 2,2,2-triphenyl-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)acetamide, R = Ph3)]. Five complexes were synthesized from the respective ligand and cuprous chloride: Cu(HL)Cl]n (1), Cu2(HL)4Cl2] (2), Cu2(HL(Ph))2(CH3CN)2Cl2] (3), Cu2(HL(Ph)3)2Cl2] (4), and Cu(HL(Me)3)2Cl] (5). X-ray crystal structures reveal that for all complexes the ligands coordinate to the Cu in a monodentate fashion, and inter- or intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions formed between the amide NH group and either amide C=O or chloro groups stabilize these complexes in the solid state and strongly influence the structures formed. Complexes 1-5 display a range of structural motifs, depending on the size of the ligand substituent groups, hydrogen bonding, and the stoichiometry of the starting materials, including a one-dimensional coordination polymer chain (1) and binuclear (2-4) or mononuclear (5) structures.