Vapor-diffusion-mediated single crystal-to-single crystal transformation of a discrete dimeric copper(II) complex to a discrete tetrameric copper(II) complex.
The symmetric dimeric complex [Cu(mu(2)-hep)(TFA)(H(2)O)](2) (1) has been synthesized from 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine (hep-H), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA-H), and copper acetate in a 95:5 (v/v) MeOH-H(2)O mixture at 298 K. Each Cu(II) ion in 1 is linked with two mu(2)-alcoholic oxygen atoms and one pyridine nitrogen atom of hep, and the other two coordination sites are occupied by the oxygen donors of TFA and H(2)O. At room temperature, the blue single crystals of 1 transform to the green single crystals of a tetrameric complex, [Cu(4)(mu(3)-hep)(2)(mu(2)-hep)(2)(mu(2)-TFA)(2)(TFA)(2)] (2), in presence of alcoholic vapor. The facile single crystal-to-single crystal (SCSC) transformation of 1 to 2 is accompanied by the removal of coordinated H(2)O molecules in 1 and concomitant formation of four new covalent bonds, two Cu-O(mu(3)-hep) and two Cu-O(mu(2)-TFA). The SCSC transformation of 1 to 2 is selective to the alcoholic vapor; the exposure of single crystals of 1 to heat or light or in vacuum has resulted in an immediate loss in crystallinity.
National Single Crystal X-ray Diffraction Facility and Department of Chemistry, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400076, India.
Shaikh M
SM
Mobin
Ashwini K
AK
Srivastava
Pradeep
P
Mathur
Goutam Kumar
GK
Lahiri
D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D004058:Diffusion; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014835:Volatilization; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D014867:Water; D003300:Copper