The coordination chemistry of copper(II) complexes bearing pyridine-oxazoline (‘‘Pyox”) ligands has been
studied, with an aim of investigating their catalytic ability. Interestingly, the stability of the coordinated
ligands has been shown to be much less than previously assumed: hydrolysis of the ligands by fortuitous
water gives rise to 2-pyridine carboxylate formation, which encapsulate the copper in a two-dimensional
coordination polymer 3. The complexes [Cu(R-Pyox)(NCMe)2(ClO4)2] {R = benzyl (Bn) 2a, phenyl (Ph) 2b,
isopropyl (i
Pr) 2c} have been prepared, of which the benzyl derivative has been analysed by CW EPR
spectroscopy. The complex [Cu(Bn-Pyox)(NCMe)2(ClO4)2] and the afore-mentioned coordination polymer
have been crystallographically characterised. The performance of complexes 2a–c in the asymmetric
allylic oxidation of cyclohexene is described.