Assembly of a mixed-valence Cu(I/II) system coupled by multiple hydrogen bonding through tetrahydroxybenzoquinone

The synthesis and characterization of a mixed-valence copper complex [Cu-II(bpy)(2)Cl](2)[(CuCl2)-Cl-I](2)(C6O6H4), where bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, is described. The structure contains discrete copper(II) cation and copper(I) anion groups. In the cation each divalent copper is Linked to two bpy molecules and one chloride ion in a trigonal bipyramidal fashion, whereas in the anion each monovalent copper is linearly bound to two chlorine atoms. The mixed-valence Cu(I/II) system is associated by multiple hydrogen bonding through tetrahydroxybenzoquinone, leading to an infinite chain structure of the complex. The complex was also characterized by spectroscopic studies. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A.