[{Cu(PPh3)2(C6H5NCN)}2]

Dedicated to Dr John Zdysiewicz on the occasion of his retirement The X-ray crystal structure determination of bis[µ-(phenylcyanamido)bis(triphenylphosphine)copper(I)], [{Cu(PPh3)2(C6H5NCN)}2], (1) is reported. The complex has a centrosymmetric dimeric structure with the phenylcyanamide ligands bridging the copper atoms in a µ-1,3-fashion. The structure is compared with that of the 4-methylphenylcyanamido complex, [{Cu(PPh3)2(4-MeC6H4NCN)}2] (2), and the differences observed in the Cu–P bond lengths compared with changes in the solid state 31P cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CPMAS) spectra of the two complexes