Postsynthetic modification of a coordination compound with a paddlewheel motif via click reaction: DOSY and ESR studies

Postsynthetic strategy based on organic coupling reactions has been explored for the synthesis of novel coordination complexes with larger dimensions. A discrete coordination species with a paddlewheel motif, dicopper(II) tetracarboxylate Cu2(OOC-C6H4-N3)4(quinoline)2 (SBU1), was covalently modified with methyl propiolate via “Click” reaction to generate a new coordination compound Cu2(OOC-C6H4-C2N3H-COOCH3)4·(quinoline)2 (1). The combination of single-crystal X-ray diffraction, diffusion NMR and ESR has confirmed the success of covalently modifying SBU1 and the retention of the structural integrity after the postsynthetic modification.