in the formation of a novel Cu II L complex, 1. X-Ray crystallography of 1 shows the Cu II centre coordinated by two phenolate oxygens and two imine nitrogens in a distorted square plane with an elongated bond to the amine nitrogen (2.512 Å ) in the axial position. EPR spectroscopy of 1 gives g values of g 1 = 2.277, g 2 = 2.100, g 3 = 2.025, and A 1 = 15.6 mT which are consistent with the distorted square pyramidal coordination environment determined from the X-ray structure. UV/visible and electrochemical analysis of 1 shows that it undergoes two reversible processes assigned to the successive oxidation of the phenolate oxygens to phenoxyl radicals, the first at + • which is EPR silent due to antiferromagnetic coupling between the Cu II centre and the bound phenoxyl radical. The oxidised species catalyses the oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde.