EPR and Electrochemical study of Copper Complexes with Phenanthrolines and Cinnamate ligands

Solid state and solution EPR and electrochemical studies have been carried out on a series of complexes of copper(II) with differently substituted Phenanthrolines and cinnamate ligands. Spectra were recorded on binary complexes with cinnamate ligand and on a series of ternary complexes with the same anion and 1,10-Phenanthroline, 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-o-Phenanthroline or 4,7-dimethyl-1,10-o-Phenanthroline additional ligands, respectively. The electrochemistry of the same copper complexes was studied in N,N-dimethylformamide solvent. The results of both EPR and electrochemical experimetns can be correlated with electronic and steric effects attributable to the methyl substituents on the Phenanthroline ligand