Copper(II) Complexes with Bulky N-Substituted Diethanolamines: High-Field Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, Magnetic, and Catalytic Studies in Oxidative Cyclohexane Amidation.

The novel coordination compounds [Cu2(H tBuDea)2(OAc)2] (1) and [Cu2(H nBuDea)2Cl2]· nH2O (2) have been prepared through the reaction of the respective copper(II) salts with N- tert-butyldiethanolamine (H2 tBuDea, for 1) or N-butyldiethanolamine (H2 nBuDea, for 2) in methanol solution. Crystallographic analysis reveals that, in spite of the common binuclear {Cu2(μ-O)2} core, the supramolecular structures of the complexes are drastically different. In 1 binuclear molecules are linked together by H-bonds into 1D chains, while in 2 the neighboring pairs of binuclear molecules are H-bonded, forming tetranuclear aggregates. Variable-temperature (1.8-300 K) magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 and 2 show a dominant antiferromagnetic behavior. Both complexes are also studied by HF-EPR spectroscopy. While the interaction between Cu(II) centers in 1 can be described by a single coupling constant J = 130.1(3) cm-1 (using H = JS1 S2), the crystallographically different {Cu2(μ-O)2} pairs in 2 are expected exchange from ferro- to antiferromagnetic behavior (with J ranging from -32 to 110 cm-1, according to DFT calculations). Complexes 1 and 2 act as catalysts in the amidation of cyclohexane with benzamide, employing tBuOO tBu as oxidant. The maximum achieved conversion of benzamide (20%, after 24 h reaction time) was observed in the 1/ tBuOO tBu system. In the cases of tBuOO(O)CPh or tBuOOH oxidants, no significant amidation product was observed, while for tBuOO(O)CPh, the oxidative dehydrogenation of cyclohexane occurred, giving cyclohexene, to afford the allylic ester (cyclohex-2-en-1-yl benzoate) as the main reaction product.