DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE FOR SIMPLE DIAMINE COPPER(I) COMPLEXES

Abstract

Abstract We wish to present new synthetic and structural evidence for the existence of two copper(1) complexes : N, N'-diisopropylethylenediaminecopper(1) bromide, DIEDCuBr, (I), which adopts a threecoordinate planar geometry and the N, N'.diisopropylethylenediaminecopper0) iodide dimer, [DIEDCuI]2, (2), which exhibits pseudo-tetrahedral geometry about each copper in addition to a copper(I)copper(I) interaction. The aforementioned complexes represent the first of a series1 of classical Werner coordination compounds involving diamine ligands in copper(1) halide complexes. These complexes have been previously uncharacterized due to their extreme air and moisture sensitivity? The preponderance in the literature of copper(1) complexes coordinated to unsaturated nitrogen ligands rather than amino groups is based on the expected instability of the latter due to disproprtionation3. Stability of saturated nitrogen ligands coordinated to copper(I) has been achieved by the presence of strongly π-acidic groups such as carbon monoxide4 and isocyanide ligands5 .This preliminary communication will demonstrate that strongly π-acidic groups are not essential toward the stabilization of copper(1) halide compounds and that the hitherto elusive6 diamine copper(I) halide complexes can be successfully characterized.