The reaction of Cu(NO3)2.3H2O with 1,3-propanediamine (pn), in the presence of NaN3, afforded a 1:1 co-crystal formed by [Cu(NO3)2(pn)2] and [Cu(N3)(NO3)(pn)2 ] (1 and 2), which were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy and single crystal X-ray diffraction. In both compounds, the copper(II) centers are in a distorted octahedral environment, formed by four N atoms of two bidentate pn ligands in the basal plane, whereas the axial bonds are formed by two O atoms from the nitrate ligands in 1 and one O atom from the nitrate ligand and one N atom from the azide ion in 2. The asymmetric unit of the crystal consists of two crystallographically independent 1 and 2 complexes, which are held together in a 3D network by a series of N-H···O and N-H···N hydrogen bonds, as well C-H···O interactions. New supramolecular synthons are identified by the occurrence of two geometrically distinct molecular recognition patterns involving the NO3- ion and amino groups from pn ligands.
copper(II) complexes; hydrogen bonds; supramolecular chemistry
