CRYSTAL AND MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE AND SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF DIISOTHIOCYANATO-(1,10-PHENANTHROLINE)COPPER(II)

Adding solid NH4SCN to a light blue solution which contains a pale green precipitate of Cu(phen)Cl2 produces a green solid that can-be recrystallized to produce single crystals. The IR spectrum indicates that both ends of the thiocyanate ion bond to the copper. An X-ray structure determination verifies this conclusion. The structure of this complex has a four-coordinated distorted square-planar arrangement of nitrogen atoms with one nitrogen-bonded thiocyanate twisted above the plane described by copper and phen, and another thiocyanate twisted below the plane. The sulphur ends of the two thiocyanates form longer fifth and sixth bonds to copper atoms in adjacent molecules, forming a linear infinite chain of SCN- bridged copper atoms. The copper is thus six-coordinated with distorted tetragonal symmetry.