Synthesis of Coordination Polymers and Discrete Complexes from the Reaction of Copper(II) Carboxylates with Pyrazole: Role of Carboxylates Basicity

The reaction of select copper(II) monocarboxylates Cu(RCOO)2(H2O)x (R = C4H3O, C6H5, H; x = 2, 4) with pyrazole (Hpz), carried out in protic solvents, yields mono- or dinuclear species [Cu(RCOO)2(Hpz)n]m (n = 2, 4; m = 1, 2), always accompanied by tri- or hexanuclear derivatives based on the triangular [Cu3(μ3-OH)(μ-pz)3]2+ fragment. The molecular structures of all isolated compounds have been established through XRD determinations. In some cases, the mono-, or dinuclear species act as secondary building units, self-assembling into 1D or 3D coordination polymers. The hexanuclear benzoate cluster contains coordinated and crystallization MeOH molecules, whose removal generates a crystalline 1D coordination polymer that can be reconverted into the hexanuclear cluster by soaking in MeOH. The relatively high pKb values of carboxylate anions employed in the syntheses are responsible for the preferential formation of mono- or dinuclear species rather than tri- or hexanuclear ones.