COORDINATION AND OXIDATION OF ETHYLAMINE AND DIETHYLAMINE BY COPPER(2) CHLORIDE

Anhydrous copper(II) chloride binds 6, 5, 4, and 2 moles of ethylamine and 2 moles of diethylamine at 0°. Both the bis-(amine) complexes have negligible dissociation pressures at room temperature. On heating, they dissociate at a temperature dependent on the volume of vapor space to give transient 1:1 complexes. These decompose by oxidation-reduction; ethyl groups are dehydrogenated and polymeric alkylammonium dichlorocuprate(I)-amine complexes are formed. These re¬semble the previously described simple dichlorocuprate(I) complexes.3,4 The course of these internal oxidation-reduction reactions differs from that of the analogous triethylamine complex.5 The dichlorobis(amine)copper(II) complexes have normal magnetic behavior; their epr spectra are presented. Their “d-d” transition shifts to higher energy in the sequence ammonia < ethylamine < diethylamine, but the triethylamine complex is not in order, its transition being at a lower energy than that of the ammonia complex. © 1968, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.