The synthesis, electrochemistry, and reactivities of a complex cation,
trans-dioxo-N,N¢-dimethyl-N,N¢-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)propane-1,3-diamineruthenium(VI)(trans-[Ru(LMe2)O2] 2+ ), have been reported. 1 It can oxidize tetrahydrofuran and aromatic hydrocarbons under mild conditions. Its pyridine functional group increases both the redox potential and the reactivity of the ruthenium oxo oxidant. It is considered that its reactivity would also depend on the geometry of the pyridine functional group on the structure of the complex cation. The redox behaviors of [Cu(LMe2) N¢-dimethyl-N,N¢-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)ethane-1,2-diamine (L¢Me2) and perchlorate ions has been also reported. 6 Only one perchlorate ion in [Cu(ClO4)(L¢Me2)]ClO4 coordinates to the Cu 2+ ion. Each N-methyl group of the [Cu(ClO4)(L¢Me2)]ClO4 is placed at a cis configuration. The crystal structures of manganese(II) and copper(II) with its L¢Me2 included in these binuclear complexes have been reported. 5,7 The pyridine functional group on the complex cation with an ethylene group between two N-pyridine-2-ylmethylamines would have a more rigid geometry than that with the propylene group. 8 The Cu-N4 square-planar geometry of [Cu(ClO4)2(LMe2)] is distorted more than that of N, N¢-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl) The complex of an isothiocyanato-N,N¢-dimethyl-N,N¢-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)propane-1,3-diaminecopper(II) perchlorate ([Cu(NCS)(LMe2)]ClO4) was prepared. Its crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffractometry. [Cu(NCS)(LMe2)]ClO4 crystallized in a triclinic system, and was characterized thus: P1, a = 9.257(3), b = 9.883(4), c = 11.806(5)Å, a = 89.638(12), b = 81.053(10), g = 88.841(12)˚, Z = 2, V = 1066.7(7)Å 3 . The crystal structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least squares on F 2 to final values of R1 = 0.058.