One‐ and two‐electron oxidized CuII complexes of Schiff base ligands with para‐substituted phenolate moieties were synthesized and characterized. The crystal structure of the one‐electron oxidized methylthio‐substituted complex [Cu(MeS‐salen)]SbCl6 revealed the intermolecular π‐π stacking interaction of the two phenolate moieties with those of the neighboring complex cations to form the one‐dimensional chain. Such a π‐π stacking interaction could not be detected in the two‐electron oxidized complex [Cu(MeS‐salen)](SbCl6)2 and the oxidized methoxy‐substituted complexes [Cu(MeO‐salen)](SbF6)n (n=1, 2). Magnetic study of [Cu(MeO‐salen)]SbF6 showed a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the CuII ion and phenoxyl radical unpaired electron spins, while [Cu(MeS‐salen)]SbCl6 showed a ferromagnetism. Both of the two‐electron oxidized complexes exhibited a relatively strong magnetic interaction between the two radical electrons, while the signs of the electron spins are different.

Methylthiophenoxyl radical plays an important role as the active form of galactose oxidase (GO), which catalyzes oxidation of a primary alcohol to the corresponding aldehyde. Although many metal(II)‐phenoxyl radical species have been reported, only a few studies have been reported on the properties of methylthiophenoxyl radical‐metal complexes. We have prepared the group 10 metal (Ni, Pd and Pt) complexes of a salen‐type ligand with a methylthio group at para‐position of the two phenolate moieties and characterized them by X‐ray crystal structure analyses and various spectroscopic methods in order to understand the role of the methylthio moiety in phenoxyl radical metal complexes. The corresponding p‐methoxy substituted derivatives have been also characterized for comparison. All the one‐electron oxidized group 10 metal methylthiophenolate complexes have a relatively localized radical site on one of the two phenolate moieties in comparison to the one‐electron oxidized complexes of p‐methoxy derivatives and exhibit different properties dependent on the central metal ions.

Reaction of Cu(ClO4)2⋅6 H2O with a tripodal 2N2O ligand, H2Me2NL, having a p‐(dimethylamino)phenol moiety, in CH2Cl2/MeOH (1:1 v/v) under basic conditions under an inert gas atmosphere gave [Cu(Me2NL)(H2O)] (1). The same reaction carried out under aerobic conditions gave [Cu(Me2NL)(MeOH)]ClO4 (2), which could be obtained also from the isolated complex 1 by reaction with O2 in CH2Cl2/MeOH. The X‐ray crystal structures of 1 and 2 revealed similar square‐pyramidal structures, but 2 showed the (dimethylamino)phenoxyl radical features. Complex 1 exhibits characteristic CuII EPR signals of the dx2-y2 ground state in CH2Cl2/MeOH at 77 K, whereas 2 is EPR‐silent. The EPR and X‐ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) results suggest that 2 is assigned to the CuII–(dimethylamino)phenoxyl radical. However, complex 1 showed different features in the absence of MeOH. The EPR spectrum of the CH2Cl2 solution of 1 exhibits distortion from the dx2-y2 ground state and a temperature‐dependent equilibrium between the CuII–(dimethylamino)phenolate and the CuI–(dimethylamino)phenoxyl radical. From these results, CuII–phenoxyl radical complex 2 is concluded to be formed by the reaction of 1 with O2 via the CuI–phenoxyl radical species.

In order to gain new insights into the effect of the π–π stacking interaction of the indole ring with the CuII–phenoxyl radical as seen in the active form of galactose oxidase, we have prepared a CuII complex of a methoxy‐substituted salen‐type ligand, containing a pendent indole ring on the dinitrogen chelate backbone, and characterized its one‐electron‐oxidized forms. The X‐ray crystal structures of the oxidized CuII complex exhibited the π–π stacking interaction of the indole ring mainly with one of the two phenolate moieties. The phenolate moiety in close contact with the indole moiety showed the characteristic phenoxyl radical structural features, indicating that the indole ring favors the π–π stacking interaction with the phenoxyl radical. The UV/Vis/NIR spectra of the oxidized CuII complex with the pendent indole ring was significantly different from those of the complex without the side‐chain indole ring, and the absorption and CD spectra exhibited a solvent dependence, which is in line with the phenoxyl radical–indole stacking interaction in solution. The other physicochemical results and theoretical calculations strongly support that the indole ring, as an electron donor, stabilizes the phenoxyl radical by the π–π stacking interaction.