Copper(II) propionates - Crystal and molecular structure of bis(propionato)copper(II) di(methyl-3-pyridylcarbamate)

New copper(ll) propionate compounds of composition Cu(prop)(2)L (L = methyl-3-pyridylcarbamate or N,N-diethylnikotinamide) and au(prop)(2)L-2 (L = methyl-3-pyridylcarbamate or 2,6-pyridinemethanole) have been prepared. The crystal and molecular structure of the tetrakis (mu-propionato) di(methyl-3-pyridinecarbamate) dicopper(II),Cu,(prop),(mpc),, was determined by direct method and Fourier techniques. The compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pcab with four dimeric units in a cell with dimensions a = 19.350(4), b = 15.390(3), c = 10.725(2)Angstrom. The structure was refined by full-matrix least-squares methods to a R factor of 0.031, based on 3666 independent reflections. The compound is dimeric, with square-pyramidal geometry at each copper centre. The two copper atoms are bridged by four carboxylate groups, while the apical ligands are methyl-3-pyridylcarbamate. The structural data are compared with those found in similar copper(II) propionates, Spectral data of Cu(prop)(2)L are typical for dimeric copper(II) compounds. Both Cu(prop)(2)L-2 compounds seem to possess octahedral copper(II) stereochemistry with differing tetragonal distortion.