The effects of substitution on tetrakis­(substituted imidazole)­copper(II) tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonates

The organic ligands 4‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole and 2‐ethyl‐4‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole react with Cu(CF₃SO₃)₂·6H₂O to give tetrakis(5‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole‐κN³)­cop­per(II) bis­(tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate), Cu(C₄H₆N₂)₄](CF₃SO₃)₂, and aqua­tetrakis(2‐ethyl‐5‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole‐κN³)copper(II) bis(tri­ fluoro­methane­sulfonate), Cu(C₆H₁₀N₂)₄(H₂O)](CF₃SO₃)₂. In the former, the Cu atom has an elongated octahedral coordination environment, with four imidazole rings in equatorial positions and two tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate ions in axial positions. This conformation is similar to those in the analogous complexes tetrakis­(imidazole)­cop­per(II) tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate and tetrakis(2‐methyl‐1H‐imidazole)­cop­per(II) tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate. In the second of the title compounds, the ethyl groups block the central Cu atom, and a square‐pyramidal coordination environment is formed around the Cu atom, with the substituted imidazole rings in the basal positions and a water mol­ecule in the axial position.