title: Dicopper double-strand helicates held together by additional π-π interactions.
abstract: The bis-bidentate ligand, obtained from Schiff base condensation of RR-1,2-cyclohexanediamine and 8-naphthylmethoxyquinoline-2-carbaldehyde (L-L), forms with [Cu(I)(MeCN)4]ClO4 a double strand helicate complex, made especially stable by the presence of four definite interstrand π-π interactions involving a quinoline subunit and a naphthylmethoxy substituent of the two strands. The [Cu(I)2(L-L)2](2+) complex, which does not decompose even on excess addition of either L-L or Cu(I), undergoes a two electron oxidation in MeCN, through two one-electron fully reversible steps, separated by 260 mV, as shown by cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies. The high stability of the mixed valence complex [Cu(I)Cu(II)(L-L)2](3+) with respect to disproportionation to [Cu(I)2(L-L)2](2+) and [Cu(II)2(L-L)2](4+) is essentially due to a favorable electrostatic term. Cu(II) forms with L-L a stable species, with a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio, but, in the absence of crystallographic data, it was impossible to assess whether it is of mono- or dinuclear nature. However, CV studies on an MeCN solution containing equimolar amounts of Cu(II) and L-L showed the presence in the reduction scan of two fully reversible waves, separated by about 250 mV, which indicated the presence in solution of a dicopper(II) double strand helicate complex, [Cu(II)2(L-L)2](4+). This work demonstrates that additional interstrand π-π interactions can favor the formation of unusually stable dicopper(I) and dicopper(II) helicate complexes.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica and ‡Centro Grandi Strumenti, Università di Pavia , 27100 Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boiocchi
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brega
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciarrocchi
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fabbrizzi
authors.forename: Piersandro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pallavicini