Counter-anions and their coordination behavior with Cu(II) complexes of thiophen-3-yl-dipicolylamine

A new ligand, 1-(pyridin-2-yl)-N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)-N-(thiophen-3-ylmethyl)methanamine, ThDPA, was synthesized, as a new example of an N₃S donor. Cu(II) complexes of this ligand were isolated. When Cu(NO₃)₂ was used as the metal source, a homobinuclear complex with the formula CuThDPA(NO₃)₂]₂·H₂O, 1, with two different types of nitro coordination was isolated. 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic P2₁/n space group with a = 15.193, b = 8.181, c = 32.827 Å, β = 103.3° and V = 3971.9 Å³. In the case of CuSO₄ as the source of copper(II), uncommon sulfato-bridged structures were isolated. The homobinuclear complex crystallized in two different lattices, depending on the solvent evaporation rate. Compound 2, with the formula CuThDPA(SO₄)]₂·3H₂O, crystallizes with 3 water molecules per binuclear structure in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a = 10.143, b = 17.013, c = 11.793 Å, β = 97.18° and V = 2019.1 Å³, and 3, CuThDPA(SO₄)]₂·4H₂O, crystallizes with 4 water molecules per binuclear structure in the triclinic space group, with a = 9.2906, b = 10.7297, c = 12.7236 Å, α = 79.66, β = 72.18, γ = 67.1° and V = 1109.7 Å³.