Copper and Zinc Complexes of 2,7-Bis(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)-1,8-naphthyridine─A Redox-Active, Dinucleating Bis(bipyridine) Ligand.

The ligand 2,7-bis(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)-1,8-naphthyridine ( Me L ) acts as a dinucleating analogue of ubiquitous 2,2'-bipyridine ligands. Coordination of Me L to [Cu(NCMe) 4 ]PF 6 and Zn(OAc) 2 led to isolation of monometallic [Zn(OAc) 2 ( Me L )], homobimetallic [Cu 2 ( Me L ) 2 ][PF 6 ] 2 , and heterobimetallic [CuZn(μ-OAc) 2 ( Me L )]PF 6 complexes. The redox-active nature of the ligand enables access to four redox states of the complex [Cu 2 ( Me L ) 2 ][PF 6 ] 2 . DFT studies indicate that these comprise a metal-centered oxidative and ligand-centered reductive processes.