New Cu(II) complexes based on the hydroxo-bridged dinuclear [Cu(OH)2Cu] units: step-like di- and trimerizations of [Cu(OH)2Cu] units.

Four new Cu(II) complexes {[Cu(4)(bpy)(4)(OH)(4)(H(2)O)(2)]}(NO(3))(2)(C(7)H(5)O(2))(2)·6H(2)O 1, {[Cu(4)(bpy)(4)(OH)(4)(H(2)O)(2)]}(NO(3))(2)(C(5)H(6)O(4))·8H(2)O 2, {[Cu(4)(bpy)(4)(OH)(4)(H(2)O)(2)]}(C(5)H(6)O(4))(2)·16H(2)O 3 and {[Cu(6)(bpy)(6)(OH)(6)(H(2)O)(2)]}(C(8)H(7)O(2))(6)·12H(2)O 4 were synthesized (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, H(2)(C(5)H(6)O(4)) = glutaric acid, H(C(7)H(5)O(2)) = benzoic acid, H(C(8)H(7)O(2)) = phenyl acetic acid). The building units in 1-3 are the tetranuclear [Cu(4)(bpy)(4)(H(2)O)(2)(μ(2)-OH)(2)(μ(3)-OH)(2)](4+) complex cations, and in 4 the hexanuclear [Cu(6)(bpy)(6)(H(2)O)(2)(μ(2)-OH)(2)(μ(3)-OH)(4)](6+) complex cations, respectively. The tetra- and hexanuclear cluster cores [Cu(4)(μ(2)-OH)(2)(μ(3)-OH)(2)] and [Cu(6)(μ(2)-OH)(2)(μ(3)-OH)(4)] in the complex cations could be viewed as from step-like di- and trimerization of the well-known hydroxo-bridged dinuclear [Cu(2)(μ(2)-OH)(2)] entities via the out-of-plane Cu-O(H) bonds.