An FT-IR spectroscopic study of the crystalline and columnar liquid-crystalline phases of copper (II) carboxylates

Abstract

The FT-IR spectra of a series of anhydrous copper (II) carboxylates of general formula Cu2[CH3(CH2)nCOO]4 (n = 4–8, 10, 12, 14, 16) show notable changes with the phase transition from the crystalline to the columnar liquid-crystalline phase. These changes indicate that the coordination of the carboxylate groups to the bimetallic centre changes from bridging bidentate to chelating bidentate, which in turn is induced by the conformational disordering in the carbon chains.