Synthesis and crystal structure of the copper(I) complex with 2-[(o-pyridyl)-sulfanylmethyl]-pyrimidine ligand

The reaction of a flexible monothioether ligand, 2-(o-pyridyl)-sulfanylmethyl]-pyrimidine (L), with CuI leads to the formation of a novel complex Cu₄I₄(L)₂] (1), which has been characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis: monoclinic, space group P2₁/n, with a = 10.921(5), b = 10.824(5), c = 13.128(6) Å, β = 109.333(5)° and Z = 2. Single-crystal X-ray analyses show that complex 1 is tetranuclear structure with a distorted chair-like Cu₄I₄ skeleton. Cu···Cu interactions are found to exist in this tetranuclear molecule. In the packing mode of complex 1, there exist N⋯⋯⋯I weak interactions and intermolecular π–π contacts. These weak interactions not only stabilize the structure of complex, but also further link the tetranuclear molecules into a high-dimensional supramolecular architecture.