[Cu(phen)2(μ-IDA)Cu(phen)](ClO4)2•-CH3OH:: tridentate and monodentate binding to two copper(II) species by a bridging ligand

The stoichiometric reaction of 1,10-phenanthroline ( phen), iminodiacetic acid (IDA-H-2) and Cu(ClO4)(2) in a H2O - CH3OH (2: 1) solution yields mu-iminodiacetato-2: 1kappa(4) O,N,O':O"- tris(1,10-phenanthroline)-1kappa(4) N, N'; 2kappa(2) N, N'-dicopper(II) diperchlorate methanol solvate, [Cu-2(C4H5NO4)(C12H8N2)(3)]( ClO4)2 . CH3OH. The IDA ligand bridges the two Cu-II ions via a carboxylate group and uses one further N and an O atom of the second carboxylate group to complete a fac-tridentate coordination at one Cu centre. A phen ligand completes a distorted square-pyramidal coordination at this metal atom, although there is weak coordination by a perchlorate O atom at a sixth position. The second Cu centre has a distorted trigonal - bipyramidal coordination to two phen moieties and a carboxylate O atom.