Molecular Switches Incorporating the Adducts Among Viologen unints and both Copper Bis (ethylacetoacetate) and Copper Bis(ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate)

Abstract

This work investigates the preparation and analysis of Cu (II) complexes CuE and CuECl, along with their axial adducts formed through coordination with 4,4'-bipyridine CuEbpy and CuEClbpy and mono-viologen (C₁V⁺.PF₆⁻) CuEC₁V⁺.PF₆⁻ and CuEClC₁V⁺.PF₆⁻. In addition, reduction reactions were performed on the bis-viologen-based adduct complexes (CuEV₂²⁺.2PF₆⁻) using activated zinc powder under an inert atmosphere, leading to the generation of redox-active molecular switches centered on the viologen units. All synthesized Cu(II) complexes were comprehensively characterized using a suite of analytical techniques, including FT-IR, mass spectrometry, thermal analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV-Visible spectroscopy in various solvents, and electrochemical measurements. These characterizations confirm the successful formation of the target complexes and provide insight into their structural, optical, and redox properties.