Synthesis and Structure of Di(μ-Ophenoxy)-bis{nitrato-2-[2-(hydroxyethylimino)-methyl]-phenoloimidazolecopper}

The crystal structure of di(μ-Ophenoxy)-bis{nitrato-2-[2-(hydroxyethylimino)-methyl]-phenoloimid-azolecopper} was determined. The crystals are monoclinic: a = 10.222(2) A, b = 13.810(3) A, c = 10.620(2) A, β =103.67(3)°, space group P21/n, Z = 2, R = 0.050. The copper atom coordinates the singly deprotonated 2-[2-(hydroxyethylimino)-methyl]-phenol molecule, imidazole, and nitrate ion. The coordination polyhedron of the central atom is an extended tetragonal bipyramid with imine and imidazole nitrogen atoms and phenol and alcohol oxygen atoms lying in its base. One axial vertex of the bipyramid is occupied by the oxygen atom of the nitrato group and the other vertex, by phenol oxygen atom of the neighboring complex joined with the initial complex by the symmetry center. Two bridging phenol oxygen atoms unite the complexes into a centrosymmetrical dimer.