Nucleophilicity at copper(-I) in a compound with a Cu–Mg bond

Ross A. Jackson, Nicholas J. Evans, Dawid J. Babula, Thomas M. Horsley Downie, Rex S. C. Charman, Samuel E. Neale, Mary F. Mahon and David J. Liptrot ()
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Ross A. Jackson: University of Bath
Nicholas J. Evans: University of Bath
Dawid J. Babula: University of Bath
Thomas M. Horsley Downie: University of Bath
Rex S. C. Charman: University of Bath
Samuel E. Neale: University of Bath
Mary F. Mahon: University of Bath
David J. Liptrot: University of Bath

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Copper is ubiquitous as a structural material, and as a reagent in (bio)chemical transformations. A vast number of chemical reactions rely on the near-inevitable preference of copper for positive oxidation states to make useful compounds. Here we show this electronic paradigm can be subverted in a stable compound with a copper-magnesium bond, which conforms to the formal oxidation state of Cu(-I). The Cu-Mg bond is synthesized by the reaction of an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligated copper alkoxide with a dimeric magnesium(I) compound. Its identity is confirmed by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis and NMR spectroscopy, and computational investigations provide data consistent with a high charge density at copper. The Cu-Mg bond acts as a source of the cupride anion, transferring the NHC-copper fragment to electrophilic s-, p-, and d-block atoms to make known and new copper-containing compounds.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56544-z

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