Ligand conformation enforces trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry in a new dinuclear bis(pyrazolato)-bridged copper(II) complex: synthesis, crystal structure, and properties of [Cu(Npy2pz)]2(ClO4)2.2CH3CN.

The reaction of Cu(ClO(4))(2).6H(2)O with the new tripodal ligand HNpy(2)pz (N-bis[(pyridin-2-yl)methyl][1H-pyrazol-3-yl)methyl]amine) in the presence of 1 equiv of triethylamine results in the formation of a doubly pyrazolato-bridged dicopper(II) complex, [Cu(Npy(2)pz)](2)(ClO(4))(2).2CH(3)CN (1). The crystal structure of 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography and was found to consist of two nearly identical discrete dinuclear molecules with bis(pyrazolato) bridges. The copper(II) ion has a trigonal bipyramid geometry achieved by the coordination of an aliphatic nitrogen, two pyridine moieties, and two pyrazolato nitrogens. Variable temperature-dependent magnetic data show that antiferromagnetic interactions operate in 1 as a result of the binding angle of the pyrazolato bridge. In solution, the stability of the dinuclear cation, [Cu(py(2)pz)](2)(2+), is highly dependent on the concentration, as indicated by ESI-MS, ligand field, cyclic voltammetry, EPR, and (1)H NMR studies.