Electron paramagnetic resonance study of X-irradiated tri-coordinated copper(I) complexes

X-irradiation of single crystals of several tri-coordinated Cu(I) monomer and dimer complexes studied by EPR revealed that Cu(I) monomer complexes form Cu(II) complexes while X-irradiation of the Cu(I) dimer complexes has no such effect. The formation of Cu(II) complexes is attributed to the addition of a radiogenic atom on the Cu(I) precursor. The absence of any structural changes due to the X-irradiation of the Cu(I) dimer complexes is discussed based on the electronic structure of these complexes.