Mono-, di- and trinuclear copper(II) dioxime complexes; 3-{2-[2-(2-hydroxyimino-1-methylpropylideneamino)ethylamino]ethylimino}butan-2-one oxime

A new ligand incorporating a dioxime moiety, 3-{2-2-(2-hydroxyimino-1-methylpropylideneamino)ethylamino]ethylimino}butan-2-one oxime, (H₂mdo), has been synthesized and its mono-, di- and trinuclear copper(II), and hetero-dinuclear copper(II)–manganese(II) complexes have been prepared and characterized by elemental analyses, magnetic moments, ¹H- and ¹³C-n.m.r., i.r. and mass spectral studies. A mononuclear copper(II) complex of H₂mdo was found to have a 1:1 metal:ligand ratio. Elemental analyses, stoichiometric and spectroscopic data of the metal complexes indicated that the metal ions are coordinated to the oxime and imine nitrogen atoms (C=N); the data support the proposed structure of H₂mdo and its complexes.