The structure of a potassium-copper complex with six-membered macrocyclic ethylsiloxanolate ligands

Abstract

The structure of K₂{[EtSiO₂]₆K₂Cu₄[O₂SiEt]₆} · 4n-BuOH, a novel mixed sandwich-like complex of K⁺ and Cu²⁺ with two 6-membered macrocyclic ethylsiloxanolate ligands, was established by means of X-ray study. The ligands have an all-cis configuration and a crown conformation. Four Cu²⁺ and two K⁺ ions form a planar hexagon sandwiched between antiparallel coaxial macrocyclic ligands. The K⁺ ions occupy two opposite apices of the hexagon. The Cu²⁺ ions have square-planar coordination with four siloxanolate O_M atoms, while the K⁺ ions, are coordinated with two O atoms of the solvating butanol molecules, in addition to four O_M atoms. The electric neutrality of the whole complex is due to the two outer-sphere K⁺ counter-ions, each located over one of the two siloxanolate macrocycles, i.e., over the «decks» of the sandwich and coordinated with endocyclic siloxane O_Si atoms, as in crown-ether complexes.