Imidazole-containing ternary complexes of N-benzyloxycarbonyl-aminoacids. Crystal and molecular structure of bis(N-benzyloxycarbonyl-alaninato)bis-(N-methylimidazole)copper(II) ethanol solvate

Mixed ligand complexes of the type Cu(Z-aminoacidato)₂(B₂) (Z = benzyloxycarbonyl group, Z-aminoacidate = Z-glycinate (Zgly), Z-alaninate (Zala); Z-valinate (Zval), Z-leucinate (Zleu) ion, B = imidazole (Im), N-methylimidazole (MeIm)) were synthesized and characterized by means of electronic, infrared and EPR spectroscopies. For one of them, bis(Z-alaninato)bis(N-methylimidazole)copper(II) ethanol solvate, the crystal and molecular structure was also determined by the single crystal X-ray diffraction method. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c, with cell dimensions a = 11.1119(6), b = 18.8398(7), c = 8.9652(5) Å, β = 105.380(2)° and Z = 2. The structure was solved by conventional Patterson and Fourier methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares to an R value of 0.045. The complex has square-planar coordination via two centrosymmetric carboxylic oxygens and two N-methylimidazole nitrogens. The second carboxylate oxygen is 2.731(5) Å from the copper atom in an ‘out of plane’ position. Packing is mainly determined by hydrogen bondings between amide nitrogen and amide carboxyl oxygen. Electronic, infrared and EPR spectra are consistent with this type of coordination geometry for anhydrous complexes, while for hydrate complexes are suggestive of tetragonal bipyramidal geometry.