Studies on the photoredox behavior of copper(II) acetato complexes with tripodal 4N ligands in methanol solution

The reactivity of copper(II) acetate complexes carrying the fully methylated tris(2-aminoethyl)amine ligand Me6tren under UV- and visible-light irradiation was studied in methanol solution. In the presence of water, the formation of colloidal copper nanoparticles occurred, indicating an irreversible decomposition of the copper(II) precursor under UV-light exposure. In dry methanol, a photoredox reaction involving the acetate ligand was observed, which leads to intermediate copper(I) complex formation. The potential of these processes for photocatalytic applications is briefly discussed and evaluated.