Copper(II) compounds of the planar-tridentate ligand 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine

The tridentate ligand 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine (dPzPy) renders coordination compounds with halide, nitrate and tetrafluoroborate salts of copper. The complexes, which have the form Cu(dPzPy)X₂] with X=Br and Cl, Cu(dPzPy)(NO₃)₂](H₂O), and Cu(dPzPy)₂](BF₄)(SiF₆)_0.5(MeOH)₃ have been characterized by elemental analysis and by IR, EPR and ligand field spectroscopy. The single-crystal X-ray structure of Cu(C₁₁H₉N₅)Br₂] shows the copper(II) ion to be coordinated by three N atoms of 2,6-bis(pyrazol-3-yl)pyridine and two bromides in a geometry exactly in between a trigonal-bipyramid and a square-pyramid. Each molecule lies on a crystallographic C₂-symmetry axis. They are coupled to one another by a two-dimensional network through NH to Br hydrogen bonds. The crystal structure of Cu(C₁₁H₉N₅)Cl₂] is analogous to the bromide. The single-crystal X-ray structure of Cu(dPzPy)₂](BF₄)(SiF₆)_0.5(MeOH)₃ shows the copper ion to be in a Jahn-Teller distorted octahedral N₆ environment of two mer-oriented tridentate ligands.