About the air- and water-stable copper(I) dicyanamide: synthesis, crystal structure, vibrational spectra and DSC/TG analysis of Cu[N(CN)2]

Abstract

Abstract Light-yellow microcrystalline samples of Cu[dca] ([dca]−≡[N(CN)2]−≡dicyanamide anion) were obtained by blending an in-situ generated aqueous Cu+ brine with stoichiometric amounts of Na[dca] dissolved in water. The crystal structure of Cu[dca] was solved and refined from powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data. Cu[dca] crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm (no. 63) with the lattice parameters of a=356.28(3), b=611.10(9) and c=1525.87(10) pm. The crystal structure contains undulated chains of alternating Cu+ and boomerang-shaped [N≡C–N–C≡N]− ions with C 2v symmetry running along [100]. It is closely related to that of Ag[dca] crystallizing in space group Pnma (no. 62). The vibrational spectra for Cu[dca] and Cu[dca]2 were recorded exhibiting modes typical for the dicyanamide anion. Comparative DSC/TG measurements were performed for both copper dicyanamides and the cyanide Cu[CN].