An EPR method involving measurement of half-field transitions was applied to determine the intermolecular Cu–Cu distances
in copper(II)-carboxylate complexes with biologically important ligands. The experimental powder EPR spectra are composed
of allowed (Δ
M
S
= ±1) transitions centered at ~3,200 Gauss and of weak intensity, nominally forbidden, half-field (Δ
M
S
= ±2) peaks observable at ~1,600 Gauss. Values of the average interspin distance for each complex were determined from the
ratios of integrated allowed and forbidden peak areas using each of several methods. The calculated interspin distances were
correlated with the copper–copper distances experimentally obtained by X-ray crystallography. The distances determined from
the EPR spectra agree well with the X-ray determined values when the crystallographic value for one member of a series is
used to calibrate the series. Less satisfactory agreement is found when methods based on Cu-spin-label systems are used.