Four-coordinate structures

Figure 6 (a) Structural relationships in (a) copper(I) two-, three- and four-coordinate structures and (b) structural relationships between die closed (A) and open (B) cubane structures... 

Copper and nickel complexes of the tridentate l-(2-carboxyphenyl)-3,5-diphenyl- (169 X = C02 R = R = Ph) and 1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3,5-diphenyl-(169 X = 0 R = R = Ph) formazans were prepared118 by the interaction of the formazan and the appropriate metal acetate in alcohol and were assigned the three-coordinate structures (170 X = O, C02 R = R = Ph M = Ni, Cu) since the diamagnetic nickel complexes were found to be unimolecular in benzene solution. Treatment of the nickel complex (170 X = O, R = R = Ph M = Ni) with pyridine gave a violet crystalline adduct which was assigned the four-coordinate structure (171 X = O R = R = Ph M = Ni). A product similar to the latter could not be obtained from the nickel complex of l-(2-carboxyphenyl)-3,5-diphenylformazan but nickel complexes of this type were obtained from both l-(2-hydroxyphenyl)- (169 X = O, R = CN R = Ph) and l-(2-carboxyphenyl)- (169 X = C02 R = CN R = Ph) 3-cyano-5-phenylformazans. In all three cases a considerable shade change occurred on going from the three-coordinate complex to the pyridine adduct. 

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