Copper(II) thiocyanate (or cupric thiocyanate) is a
coordination polymer
Coordination may refer to:
* Coordination (linguistics), a compound grammatical construction
* Coordination complex, consisting of a central atom or ion and a surrounding array of bound molecules or ions
** A chemical reaction to form a coordinat ...
with formula Cu(SCN)
2.
It is a black solid which slowly decomposes in moist air.
It was first reported in 1838 by
Karl Ernst Claus
Karl Ernst Claus, also known as Karl Klaus or Carl Claus (; 22 January 1796 – 24 March 1864), was a Russian chemist and naturalist of Baltic German origin. Claus was a professor at Kazan State University and a member of the Russian Academy o ...
and its structure was determined first in 2018.
Structure
The structure of Cu(SCN)
2 was determined via powder X-ray diffraction and consists of chains of Cu(NCS)
2 linked together by weak Cu–S–Cu bonds into two-dimensional layers. It can be considered a
Jahn–Teller distorted analogue of the
mercury thiocyanate structure-type. Each copper is octahedrally coordinated by four sulfurs and two nitrogens. The sulfur end of the SCN
− ligand is doubly
bridging.
Synthesis
Copper(II) thiocyanate can be prepared from the reaction of concentrated solutions of copper(II) and a soluble thiocyanate salt in water, precipitating as a black powder.
With rapid drying, pure Cu(SCN)
2 can be isolated. Reaction at lower concentrations and for longer periods of time generates instead
copper(I) thiocyanate
Copper(I) thiocyanate (or cuprous thiocyanate) is a coordination polymer with formula CuSCN. It is an air-stable, white solid used as a precursor for the preparation of other thiocyanate salts.
Structure
At least two polymorphs have been chara ...
.
Magnetism
Copper(II) thiocyanate, like
copper(II) bromide
Copper(II) bromide ( Cu Br2) is a chemical compound that forms an unstable tetrahydrate CuBr2·4H2O. It is used in photographic processing as an intensifier and as a brominating agent in organic synthesis.
It is also used in the copper vapo ...
and
copper(II) chloride
Copper(II) chloride, also known as cupric chloride, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . The monoclinic crystal system, monoclinic yellowish-brown anhydrous form slowly absorbs moisture to form the orthorhombic blue-green hydrate, ...
, is a quasi low-dimensional antiferromagnet and it orders at into a conventional Néel ground state.
References
{{Thiocyanates
Copper(II) compounds
Coordination polymers
Thiocyanates