Nitric oxide reduction of copper(II) complexes: spectroscopic evidence of copper(II)-nitrosyl intermediate.

Two copper(II) complexes, 1 and 2 with L(1) and L(2) [L(1) = 2- aminomethyl pyridine; L(2) = bis-(2-aminoethyl)amine], respectively, in degassed acetonitrile solvent, on exposure to NO gas, were found to form a thermally unstable [Cu(II)-NO] intermediate which then resulted in the reduction of the copper(II) centers. The formation of the [Cu(II)-NO] intermediate was evidenced by UV-visible, FT-IR, and EPR spectroscopic studies. The reduction of the copper(II) centers by nitric oxide afforded ligand transformation through diazotization at the primary amine coordination site, in both cases. The modified ligands, in each case, were isolated and characterized.