The coordination chemistry of tartronic acid with copper: magnetic studies of a quasi-equilateral tricopper triangle

• Published in: Dalton transactions : an international journal of inorganic chemistry Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 656 - 662
• Main Authors: Pascu, Gabriel, Deville, Claire, Clifford, Sarah E, Guenée, Laure, Besnard, Céline, Krämer, Karl W, Liu, Shi-Xia, Decurtins, Silvio, Tuna, Floriana, McInnes, Eric J. L, Winpenny, Richard E. P, Williams, Alan F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 14.01.2014
• Subjects: Bonding; Bridges (structures); Carbon-carbon composites; Carboxylates; Copper; Ligands; Oxidation; Triangles
• ISSN: 1477-9226; 1477-9234
• DOI: 10.1039/c3dt51838h

The coordination chemistry of tartronic acid, 1 , with copper( ii ) has been investigated. Structures of two complexes are reported containing respectively the complex [Cu( 1 -2H) 2 Cl] 3− where 1 acts as a bidentate ligand through carboxylates, and [Cu 3 ( 1 -3H) 3 ] 3− where the alcohol function is deprotonated to bridge two coppers in a triangular trinuclear complex. The latter species undergoes facile oxidation leading to carbon-carbon bond formation. The magnetic and EPR properties of the trinuclear complex have been studied in detail. Tartronic acid, H 4 C 3 O 5 , binds copper in many ways including a tricopper triangle.