Synthesis and structural characterization of a double helical dinuclear copper(II) complex with tetradentate biacetyl bis(benzoylhydrazone)

Abstract

The reaction of tetradentate hydrazone ligand H2babh with Cu(CH3COO)2 in methanol solvent leads to the formation of the mono-nuclear complex [Cu(babh)]. However, on being dissolved in dichloromethane solvent and on addition of ethanol solvent, a dinuclear complex of [Cu2(μ1,3-babh)2(C2H5OH)2] is obtained. The X-ray crystallography indicates that the dinuclear helical complex formation is caused due to the unsymmetrical twisting of the H2babh ligand. One oxygen and two nitrogen atoms from the ligand and one oxygen atom from the other ligand coordinate to each copper(II) center. Both the copper(II) centers in a dinuclear unit are penta-coordinate with a slightly distorted square pyramidal geometry. The IR spectra of mono- and dinuclear copper(II) complexes have different bands. The absorption spectra of mono- and di-nuclear complexes are quite similar in methanol solvent. However, the electronic absorption spectra of the two complexes are basically different in the solid state.