Copper complexes oxygen ligands

X-ray crystallographic data has become available on the commercially important 1 1 copper complex azo dyes. The symmetrical dihydroxyazo ligand (16) forms the 1 1 square planar complex (17).13 A pyridine molecule occupies the fourth coordination site since this complex facilitated the formation of crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction. The complex (17) actually exists as an unusual trimer which is held together by long bridging interactions between the copper atom in one molecule and one of the hydroxy oxygen atoms from the adjacent molecules. 

In the solid state, the metal atoms in bis(salicylaIdoximato)copper(II) show two additional contacts with the oxime oxygens of adjacent molecules, resulting in a distorted octahedral structure. However, the axial Cu—O distance (2.66 A) is much longer than the metal—ligand distances in the square-planar array (Cu—O, 1.92 A and Cu—N, 1.94 A).154 Studies by ESR of copper(II) extracts of the commercial reagent SME 529 (14 R = Me, R = C9H)9) have shown that the copper complex exists as a square-planar species in hydrocarbon solutions, but that five-coordinate adducts are formed in the presence of ammonia or pyridine.155... 

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