Characterization and Reactivity Studies of Mononuclear Tetrahedral Copper(II)-Halide Complexes
Yang Lan1, Yuma Morimoto1, Ikuma Shimizu1
1Department of Molecular Chemistry, Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
Abstract:
Structures, physicochemical properties, and reactivity of the whole series of copper(II)-halide complexes (1; X = F, Cl, Br, and I) were examined using a TMG3tach tridentate supporting ligand consisting of cis,cis-1,3,5-triaminocyclohexane (tach) and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylguanidine (TMG). The tach ligand framework with the bulky and strongly electron-donating TMG substituents enforces the copper(II) complexes to take a tetrahedral geometry, as inferred from the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra, exhibiting relatively large g and small A values. The electronic absorption spectra of 1 agreed with the simulation spectra obtained by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations on a slightly distorted tetrahedral geometry. 1 and 1 gradually decomposed to generate the corresponding copper(I) complex and halide radical X•, and in the case of 1, intramolecular hydroxylation of a methyl group of the TMG substituent took place under aerobic conditions, which may be caused by the reaction of the generated copper(I) complex and dioxygen (O2), generating a reactive oxygen species. 1 except 1 showed hydrogen atom abstraction (HAA) reactivity toward 1,4-cyclohexadiene (CHD), where 1 exhibited the highest reactivity with a second-order rate constant as 1.4 × 10-3 M-1 s-1 at 25 °C. Such an HAA reactivity can be attributed to the higher basicity of F- and/or large bond dissociation free energy of conjugate acid H-F as well as the unstable copper(II) electronic state in the tetrahedral geometry.
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