Paramagnetic ruthenium(III) cyclometallated complex. Synthesis, spectroscopic studies and electron-transfer properties

The reaction of Ru^II(PPh₃)₃X₂ (X = Cl, Br) with o-(OH)C₆H₄C(H)=N-CH₂C₆H₅ (HL) under aerobic conditions affords Ru^II(L)₂(PPh₃)₂, 1, in which both the ligands (L) are bound to the metal center at the phenolic oxygen (deprotonated) and azomethine nitrogen and Ru^III(L¹)(L²)(PPh₃), 2, in which one L is in bidentate N,O form like in complex 1 and the other ligand is in tridentate C,N,O mode where cyclometallation takes place from the ortho carbon atom (deprotonated) of the benzyl amine fragment. The complex 1 is unstable in solution, and undergoes spontaneous oxidative internal transformation to complex 2. In solid state upon heating, 1 initially converts to 2 quantitatively and further heating causes the rearrangement of complex 2 to the stable RuL₃ complex. The presence of symmetry in the diamagnetic, electrically neutral complex 1 is confirmed by ¹H and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy. It exhibits an Ru^II → L, MLCT transition at 460 nm and a ligand based transition at 340 nm. The complex 1 undergoes quasi-reversible ruthenium(II)—ruthenium(III) oxidation at 1.27V vs. SCE. The one-electron paramagnetic cyclometallated ruthenium(III) complex 2 displays an L → Ru^III, LMCT transition at 658 nm. The ligand based transition is observed to take place at 343 nm. The complex 2 shows reversible ruthenium(III)—ruthenium(IV) oxidation at 0.875V and irreversible ruthenium(III)—ruthenium(II) reduction at −0.68V vs. SCE. It exhibits a rhombic EPR spectrum, that has been analysed to furnish values of axial (6560 cm⁻¹) and rhombic (5630 cm⁻¹) distortion parameters as well as the energies of the two expected ligand field transitions (3877 cm⁻¹ and 9540 cm⁻¹) within the t₂ shell. One of the transitions has been experimentally observed in the predicted region (9090 cm⁻¹). The first order rate constants at different temperatures and the activation parameter ΔH^#/ΔS^# values of the conversion process of 1 → 2 have been determined spectrophotometrically in chloroform solution.