Oxidation and reduction of copper(II) complexes with saturated polyaza macrocycles of varying size and denticity

The oxidn. and redn. of Cu(II) complexes with the tetra- and pentadentate amine macrocycles I (n-n2 = 0, 1) and II (n-n2 = 0; n = 1, n1 ≠ n2 = 1, 0) in CH3CN were studied by electrochem. methods. The redox changes Cu(III) → Cu(II) and Cu(II) → Cu(I) were detected through cyclic voltammetry at high potential scan rates. The half-wave potentials are discussed in terms of the properties and structural features of the macrocyclic ligands.