Crystal Structures of a Family of New Copper(I) Cyanide Complexes of Thiourea and Substituted Thioureas.

The syntheses and crystal structures of the first cyanide, sulfur mixed ligand copper(I) complexes are reported. The first complex of the family was discovered when (CuCN)(3)(C(6)H(12)N(4))(2) (1) (C(6)H(12)N(4) = hexamethylenetetramine) was treated with aqueous thiourea. The sulfur ligands include thiourea (tu), 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea (dmtu), 1,3-diethyl-2-thiourea (detu), 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-2-thiourea (tmtu), and 2-imidazolidinethione (N,N'-ethylenethiourea, etu). Synthesis was effected by adding the ligand to a solution of CuCN in aqueous sodium thiosulfate. Complex 2, (CuCN)(2)(tu)(3)(H(2)O), crystallizes in the triclinic space group P&onemacr;with unit cell dimensions a = 7.696(5) Å, b = 9.346(2) Å, c = 10.772(2) Å, alpha = 106.53(2) degrees, beta = 91.11(4) degrees, gamma = 98.42(3) degrees, and Z = 2. Complex 3, (CuCN)(3)(dmtu)(2), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group Cc with unit cell dimensions a = 10.082(3) Å, b = 14.984(5) Å, c = 11.413(3) Å, beta = 104.50(2) degrees, and Z = 4. Complex 4, (CuCN)(2)(detu)(H(2)O), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with unit cell dimensions a = 7.969(5) Å, b = 11.559(4) Å, c = 13.736(5) Å, beta = 100.48(4) degrees, and Z = 4. Complex 5, (CuCN)(tmtu) (polymorph a), crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with unit cell dimensions a = 8.653(1) Å, b = 9.426(1) Å, c = 11.620(3) Å, and Z = 4. Complex 6, (CuCN)(tmtu) (polymorph b), which has the same connectivity as 5, crystallizes in the triclinic space group P&onemacr; with unit cell dimensions a = 9.660(4) Å, b = 14.202(4) Å, c = 16.03(1) Å, alpha = 101.68(5) degrees, beta = 107.08(6) degrees, gamma = 70.07(2) degrees, and Z = 8. The difference between the polymorphs is that 5 has a zig-zag chain with a repeat unit of two while 6 has a 4-fold helix. Complex 7, (CuCN)(2)(etu), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)( )()with unit cell dimensions a = 3.994(2) Å, b = 13.886(3) Å, c = 7.556(1) Å, beta = 97.07(2) degrees, and Z = 2.