Bis[(R)-3,5-dichloro-N-(1-phenylethyl)salicylideneaminato-kappa2N,O]copper(II) and bis[(R)-3-ethoxy-N-(1-phenylethyl)salicylideneaminato-kappa2N,O]copper(II).

The title compounds, [Cu(C(15)H(12)Cl(2)NO)(2)], (I), and [Cu(C(17)H(18)NO(2))(2)], (II), both adopt a compressed tetrahedral trans-[CuN(2)O(2)] coordination geometry, the molecules having an umbrella conformation overall. These complexes differ from one another with respect to the 1-phenylethylamine moieties, the direction of the benzene rings being either inside [in (I)] or inside and outside [in (II)] of the molecules. The crystals of (I) and (II) have Delta(R,R) and Lambda(R,R) absolute configurations, respectively.