An Infrared Spectroscopic Study of Crystalline Copper (II) Propionate and Butyrate

Abstract

: The vibrational spectra of crystalline anhydrous copper (II) propionate and butyrate were studied by FT-IR spectroscopy. A detailed assignment of the spectra of both compounds is presented and discussed. It is shown that the presence of two non-equivalent sets of carboxylate ligands within the crystals gives rise to several band splittings, which are particularly evident in those bands ascribable to normal modes involving predominantly the -C_βH₃ or -C_βH₂-fragments. In addition, the vibrational assignments made for the studied molecules are shown to be very useful to help understanding the much more complex spectra of long chain copper carboxylates.