(N-salicylidene-D,L-glutamato) (2-methylimidazole)copper(II).

The title racemic compound, [Cu(C12H11NO5)(C4H6N2)], adopts a square-pyramidal Cu(II) coordination with the tridentate N-salicylideneglutamate Schiff base dianion and the 2-methylimidazole ligand in the basal plane. The apex of the pyramid is occupied by a carboxylic acid O atom from the neighbouring chelate at a distance of 2.479(4)A, leading to infinite one-dimensional chains along the crystallographic a axis. Strong N-H...O and O-H...O hydrogen bonds form a helix parallel to the c axis. The electronic structure of the title compound has also been investigated by the B3LYP method.