Crystal structures of copper(II) complexes with methyliminodiacetate ions and 1,10-phenanthroline or imidazole [Cu(Phen)H2O][Cu(Mida)2]·2H2O and [Cu(Mida)Im]

Methyliminodiacetic acid (H₂Mida) and imidazole react with copper(II) to form crystals of the square pyramidal complex [Cu(Mida)Im]. One N and two O atoms of the Mida ligand (Cu-N 2.010(1) Å, Cu-O 1.955(1) Å, and 1.978(1) Å) and the imidazole N atom (1.950(1) Å) lie at the base of the pyramid. The carboxyl O atom of the neighboring complex lies at the apical position (2.411(1) Å); in this way the individual complexes are linked into infinite zigzag chains. Substitution of imidazole by 1,10-phenanthroline gave [Cu₂(Mida)₂(Phen)H₂O]·2H₂O crystals with two nonequivalent centrosymmetric octahedral anions [Cu(Mida)₂]^2? of face type (Cu-N 2.023 Å and 2.028(2) Å, Cu-O_ax 2.579 Å and 2.530(2) Å, Cu-O_bas 1.952 Å and 1.936(2) Å). The anions serve as bridges in chains between the [Cu(Phen)H₂O]²⁺ cation fragments to which they are bonded by their axial carboxyl groups. The Cu atom of the cation has a [4+1] environment (with the H₂O molecule lying on the axis of the pyramid, and with two N atoms of the ligand and two O atoms of the anions lying at the base).