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 (MeL) acts as a dinucleating analogue of ubiquitous 2,2′-bipyridine ligands. Coordination of MeL to [Cu­(NCMe)4]­PF6 and Zn­(OAc)2 led to isolation of monometallic [Zn­(OAc)2(MeL)], homobimetallic [Cu2(MeL)2]­[PF6]2, and heterobimetallic [CuZn­(μ-OAc)2(MeL)]­PF6 complexes. The redox-active nature of the ligand enables access to four redox states of the complex [Cu2(MeL)2]­[PF6]2. DFT studies indicate that these comprise a metal-centered oxidative and ligand-centered reductive processes.