A new family of dicopper(I) complexes [Cu
I2RL](X)
2 (R = H,
1X, R =
tBu,
2X and R = NO
2,
3X, X = CF
3SO
3,ClO
4, SbF
6, or BArF, BArF = [B{3,5-(CF
3)
2C
6H
3}
4]
-), where
RL is a Schiff-base ligand containing two tridentatebinding sites linked by a xylyl spacer, has been prepared and characterized, and its reaction with O
2 has beenstudied. The complexes were designed with the aim of reproducing structural aspects of the active site of type 3dicopper proteins; they contain two three-coordinate copper sites and a rather flexible podand ligand backbone.The
solid-state structures of
1ClO4,
2CF3SO3,
2ClO4, and
3BArF·
CH3CN have been established by single-crystalX-ray diffraction analysis.
1ClO4 adopts a polymeric structure in the
solid state while
2CF3SO3,
2ClO4, and
3BArF·
CH3CN are monomeric. The complexes have been studied in
solution by means of
1H and
19F NMR spectroscopy,which put forward the presence of dynamic processes.
1-3BArF and
1-3CF3SO3 in acetone react rapidly with O
2to generate metaestable [Cu
III2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-O)
2(
RL)]
2+ 1-3(O2) and [Cu
III2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-O)
2(CF
3SO
3)(
RL)]
+ 1-3(O2)(CF3SO3) species,respectively, that have been characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and resonance Raman analysis. Instead, reactionof
1-3BArF with O
2 in CH
2Cl
2 results in intermolecular O
2 binding. DFT methods have been used to study thechemical identities and structural parameters of the O
2 adducts, and the relative stability of the Cu
III2(
-O)
2 formwith respect to the Cu
II2(
![](/images/entities/mgr.gif)
-
2:
2-O
2) isomer. The reaction of
1X, X = CF
3SO
3 and BArF, with O
2 in acetone hasbeen studied by stopped-flow UV-vis exhibiting an unexpected very fast reaction rate (
k = 3.82(4) × 10
3 M
-1 s
-1,
H![](/images/entities/thermod.gif)
= 4.9 ± 0.5 kJ·mol
-1,
S![](/images/entities/thermod.gif)
= -148 ± 5 J·K
-1·mol
-1), nearly 3 orders of magnitude faster than in the parent[Cu
I2(m-XYL
MeAN)]
2+. Thermal decomposition of
1-3(O2) does not result in aromatic hydroxylation. The mechanismand kinetics of O
2 binding to
1X (X = CF
3SO
3 and BArF) are discussed and compared with those associated withselected examples of reported models of O
2-processing copper proteins. A synergistic role of the copper ions inO
2 binding and activation is clearly established from this analysis.