Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
![[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F59739.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
09:12
[DPEPhosbcpCu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst
Published on: May 21, 2019
8.8K
(1-Butyl-4-methyl-pyridinium)[Cu(SCN)2]: a coordination polymer and ionic liquid
Eike T Spielberg1, Eugen Edengeiser, Bert Mallick
1Inorganic Chemistry III, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstrasse 150, 44801 Bochum (Germany).
Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|March 20, 2014
Summary
This study introduces a novel organic-inorganic hybrid material, (C4C1py)[Cu(SCN)2], which acts as both a coordination polymer and an ionic liquid. It exhibits unique thermal properties, including glass formation and a less stable crystalline polymorph, with interesting optical and luminescence characteristics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Coordination Chemistry
- Ionic Liquids
Background:
- Organic-inorganic hybrid materials combine properties of both components.
- Ionic liquids offer unique thermal and electrochemical characteristics.
- Coordination polymers exhibit diverse structures and properties based on metal-ligand interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize a new organic-inorganic hybrid material, (C4C1py)[Cu(SCN)2].
- To investigate its structural, thermal, and optical properties.
- To explore its potential as a coordination polymer and ionic liquid.
Main Methods:
- Single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction for structural analysis.
- Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and temperature-dependent polarizing optical microscopy (POM) for thermal behavior.
- Raman spectroscopy and solid-state UV/Vis spectroscopy for material properties.
- Luminescence spectroscopy to study optical transitions and fluorescence.
Main Results:
- The compound (C4C1py)[Cu(SCN)2] was synthesized, forming 1D coordination polymer chains.
- It exhibits complex thermal behavior, including supercooling, glass formation, and a less stable crystalline polymorph.
- Raman spectroscopy indicated polyanionic chain fragments in the melt.
- UV/Vis spectroscopy revealed a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition at 2.4 eV.
- The material showed weak fluorescence at 630 nm, which intensified upon cooling.
Conclusions:
- The synthesized compound is a novel hybrid material with dual coordination polymer and ionic liquid characteristics.
- Its thermal behavior is typical of ionic liquids, with glass formation and polymorphism observed.
- The material displays interesting optical properties, including MLCT transitions and temperature-dependent luminescence.
Related Concept Videos
02:57Coordination Number and Geometry
15.6K
For transition metal complexes, the coordination number determines the geometry around the central metal ion. Table 1 compares coordination numbers to molecular geometry. The most common structures of the complexes in coordination compounds are octahedral, tetrahedral, and square planar.
15.6K
03:02Colors and Magnetism
12.1K
Color in Coordination Complexes
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human...
12.1K
02:42Ionic Crystal Structures
18.0K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
18.0K
02:34Structural Isomerism
16.8K
Isomerism in Complexes
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly,...
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly,...
16.8K
02:54Coordination Compounds and Nomenclature
21.1K
In most main group element compounds, the valence electrons of the isolated atoms combine to form chemical bonds that satisfy the octet rule. For instance, the four valence electrons of carbon overlap with electrons from four hydrogen atoms to form CH4. The one valence electron leaves sodium and adds to the seven valence electrons of chlorine to form the ionic formula unit NaCl (Figure 1a). Transition metals do not normally bond in this fashion. They primarily form coordinate covalent bonds, a...
21.1K
02:42Valence Bond Theory
8.9K
Coordination compounds and complexes exhibit different colors, geometries, and magnetic behavior, depending on the metal atom/ion and ligands from which they are composed. In an attempt to explain the bonding and structure of coordination complexes, Linus Pauling proposed the valence bond theory, or VBT, using the concepts of hybridization and the overlapping of the atomic orbitals. According to VBT, the central metal atom or ion (Lewis acid) hybridizes to provide empty orbitals of suitable...
8.9K