Structural investigations of copper(II) complexes containing unsymmetrical β-diketonate and monothio-β-diketonate ligands

The crystal structures of the complexes Cu(txhd)₂ and Cu(S-tmhd)₂ (where txhd is the anion of 2,2,6-trimethylheptane-3,5-dione and S-tmhd is the anion of 5-mercapto-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-hepten-3-one) were determined. In the solid state, both complexes are square planar. In each case, only one geometrical isomer (trans or cis) was observed in the crystals; arguments are presented that both isomers are present in bulk samples of Cu(txhd)₂, while from electronic considerations, the monothio-β-diketonate ligands probably have cis geometry in Cu(S-tmhd)₂. Calculations of molecular volumes for structurally similar Cu[t-BuC(O)CHC(O)R]₂ complexes showed that there is a slight decrease in packing efficiency as the steric bulk of R increases. More importantly, strong ring-stacking interactions, such as those found for Cu(acac)₂ are not observed, or are greatly attenuated, in complexes with bulkier peripheral substituents. [Cu(txhd)(μ ₃-OEt)]₄, an impurity that co-sublimed with Cu(txhd) ₂, was isolated in low yield. The tetrameric structure, which is isomorphous with known [Cu(tmhd)(μ₃-OEt)]₄ (where tmhd is the anion of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylheptane-3,5-dione), has a cubane-like core.