Unusual structurally characterized pyridine carbinoxide copper(II) coordination compounds,isolated from organic solvents

The coordination behavior of pyridine carbinoxide NC₅H₄(CH₂O)-2 or OPy] with copper in organic solvents was crystallographically determined. Initial attempts to generate the Cu(II) OPy derivatives from an alcoholysis exchange of Cu(OCH₃)₂, with H–OPy in toluene, led to the isolation of Cu(µ_c-OPy)(O^cPy)]₂ (1, “c” indicates chelation). The square-based pyramidal geometries noted for each Cu center resulted from one O^cPy and two µ_c-OPy ligands, generating an unusual C_i symmetry. From the reaction of H–OPy and the Cu(I) species Cu(C₆H₂(CH₃)₃-2,4,6), mononuclear Cu(II) complex Cu(O^cPy)₂(H–OPy)₂ (2) was isolated. Compound 2 is unusual in that it adopts a square planar arrangement around the Cu metal center using two O^cPy ligands; however, the metal center also coordinates with two H–OPy molecules forming an octahedral geometry. Upon dissolution in water, both 1 and 2 react to form the previously reported Cu(O^cPy)₂ · 2H₂O (3). Attempts to add a Lewis base through dissolution of 1 in selected solvents (i.e., tetrahydrofuran, pyridine, 1-methylimidazole) led to Cu(µ_c-OPy)(O^cPy)]₂ · H₂O (4), which possesses a C ₂ symmetry. The water was believed to be extracted from the “dry” solvents. A Cl derivative was also solved for the Cu(II)/Cu(I) species Cu(OPy)₂]₂CuCl(H–OPy)₂]₂ (5) from tetrahydrofuran dried over apparently contaminated sieves.