Oxamidato complexes. Part 4. Electrochemical study of the copper(III)/copper(II) couple in monomeric N,N′-bis(substituent)oxamidatocopper(II) complexes

Summary

The electrochemical behaviour of a series of monomeric N,N′-bis(substituent)oxamidato copper(II) complexes of formula Na₂[Cu(3,5,3′,5′-X₄obbz)]·4H₂O [X = Cl (1), Br (2), I (3) and obbz = oxamidobis(benzoato)], Na₂-[Cu(obbz)]·4H₂O (4), Na₂[Cu(5,5′-Me₂obbz)]·4H₂O (5), Na₂[Cu(4,5,4,5′-(MeO)₄obbz)]·4H₂O(6),Na₂[Cu(obp)]· 3.5H₂O (7) (obp = oxamidobis(propionato)) and Na₂[Cu(pba)]·6H₂O (8), [pba = propylenebis(oxamate)] has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry, rotating disk electrode and coulometry in water and dimethylsulphoxide (dmso) solutions. NaNO₃ (0.1 M) and n-Bu₄NPF₆ (0.1 M) were used as supporting electrolytes in H₂O and dmso respectively, all solutions being thermostatted at 25 °C. In aqueous solution, the complexes show an oxidation peak ranging from 1.19 to 0.86 V (values referred to the s.c.e.), the corresponding reduction being unobserved, even at high scan rates. In dmso, all the complexes exhibit only one oxidation peak ranging from 0.86 to 0.51 V, the corresponding reduction being observed for all of them except for (3). The oxidation potentials are strongly dependent upon the nature of the N,N′-substituent of the oxamide. The copper(III)-assisted hydrolysis of the oxamidate ligand is analysed in terms of the lack of planarity of the oxamidate ligand induced by the steric effect of the halogen substituent in the 3-position on the phenyl rings. The influence of the nature of the solvent was also studied.