Spectroscopic, potentiometric and quantum-mechanical studies of S-(-)-nicotine complexes with Cu(II) ion.

Copper(II)-nicotine complexes with chelating perchlorate, nitrate, acetate and formate ligands have been synthesized and characterized in solid state by elemental analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy. Coordination of Cu(II) by nicotine molecule has been also studied in water solution of various pH by potentiometry and spectroscopic (VIS, EPR and NMR) methods. Furthermore, quantum-mechanical calculations helped elucidate the experimental data as they provided some information on the energetic of the possible interaction modes of Cu(II) with nicotine. The studies showed that nicotine acts as a monodentate ligand utilizing for this purpose the pyridine nitrogen atom. In the Cu(II)/Nicotine system the MHL and ML type complexes were formed in 1:1 metal:ligand ratio.