Crystal structure and spectroscopy of bis-[bis(2-benzimidazolyl)propane]copper(II) bis(triflate)monohydrate, a copper complex with a geometry intermediate between tetrahedral and square planar

The structure of a mononuclear copper(II) compound with the ligand bis(2-benzimidazolyl)propane (abbreviated as tbz) is reported. The compound [Cu(tbz)2](CF3SO3)2(H2O) crystallizes in the triclinic space group P\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} $$\bar 1$$ \end{document}, with a = 12.363(6), b = 13.218(9), c = 15.365(8) Å, α = 82.74(5), β = 68.04(4), γ = 65.30(5), and Z = 2. The Cu(II) atom has a geometry intermediate between tetrahedral and square planar, consisting of four nitrogen atoms of two tbz ligands. The Cu—N—Cu angles are about 135°, while the dihedral angle between them amounts to 62° (0° for square planar and 90° for a tetrahedron). Ligand field bands are observed at 10.2 × 103, 13.8 × 103, and 20.3 × 103 cm−1, while the most characteristic infrared vibrations of the triflate anion are observed at 1273, 1260, 1238, 1221, 1171, and 1157 cm−1.