INTERACTION BETWEEN BINUCLEAR COPPER(I) COMPLEXES AND THE DIOXYGEN MOLECULE INVESTIGATED BY ELECTROCHEMICAL METHODS

The cyclic voltammograms of some binuclear copper(II) compounds with binucleating ligands where two molecules of tridentate ligand, N,N-bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)amine are linked by several alkyl chains, were measured under both argon and dioxygen. The results demonstrate that the binuclear copper(I) species produced by electrochemical reduction exhibit high reactivity towards dioxygen, while the reaction of the corresponding mononuclear species with oxygen is very slow. Thin-layer coulometry ([binuclear copper(I)]/[O2] = 0.47-10.6) and thin-layer cyclic voltammetry ([binuclear copper(I)]/[O2] = 4.3-10.6) revealed that two molecules of the binuclear copper(I) species react with one molecule of dioxygen.