Structural and magnetic studies on copper succinate dihydrate single crystals

Single crystals of copper succinate dihydrate were grown in silica gel by slow diffusion of copper chloride to sodium metasilicate gel impregnated with succinic acid. The grown crystal was subjected to single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. In its structure each copper atom is penta co-ordinated to oxygen atoms of four succinate oxygens and oxygen of co-ordinated water molecule. The four bis-bidendate succinate anions form syn–syn bridges among two copper atoms to form a polymeric two-dimensional chain. From room temperature vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) studies, the magnetic moment of the material is calculated as 1.35 Bohr magneton (BM), indicating anti-ferromagnetic interaction between copper atoms and can be explained as due to the orbital overlap of the bridging ligand and the two copper atoms in syn–syn orientation. A strong bonding of the magnetic orbital of equatorially oriented Cu atom on both sides of the exchange pathway (Cu–O-C-O–Cu) leads to the anti-ferromagnetic interaction.