Crystal-to-crystal transformation upon dehydration of a copper(II) 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine complex

Acta Cryst. (2010). C66, m343-m347 (doi.org/10.1107/S0108270110041090)

The crystal-to-crystal transformation of the ionic copper(II) terpyridine complex (I) into the binuclear complex (II).

Crystal-to-crystal transformations are not uncommon and many are the result of dehydration of transition metal complexes. By carefully heating the ionic copper(II) terpyridine complex, (I), the coordinated water molecule of the cation could be eliminated, leaving a free coordination site on the metal. This was then filled by a suitably positioned O atom of the thiosulfite ligand of the anion, and resulted in the transformation of the ionic complex (I) into a centrosymmetric binuclear complex (II).