Photoinduced hydrogen evolution with water soluble bisviologen linked zinc porphyrin and hydrogenase

Water soluble bisviologen linked zinc porphyrin (ZnP(C₄V_AC₄V_B)₄) was synthesized and characterized. The quenching processes of the photoexcited singlet state and triplet state of ZnP(C₄V_AC₄V_B)₄ were measured by using fluorescence lifetime and laser flash photolysis. The photoexcited singlet state of the zinc porphyrin was quenched by the bonded bisviologen. Photoinduced hydrogen evolution with ZnP(C₄V_AC₄V_B)₄ and hydrogenase was observed under steady state irradiation.     

Photoinduced hydrogen evolution with bisviologen-linked ruthenium(II) complexes and hydrogenase

Bisviologen-linked ruthenium(II) complexes with different methylene chain length between ruthenium complex and viologen, Ru(bpy)₂(dcbpy)C_mV_AC_nV_B(m=2, n=3; m=3, n=4), were synthesized and characterized. From luminescence spectra, the photoexcited state of Ru(bpy)₂(dcbpy) moiety is oxidatively quenched by the bound viologen, and an intramolecular electron transfer occurs. Luminescence lifetime measurements show that the electron transfers from the photoexcited state of ruthenium(II) complex moiety to the bound bisviologen more rapidly than that of monoviologen-linked ruthenium(II) complexes. Ru(bpy)₂(dcbpy)C_mV_AC_nV_B were applied to the photoinduced hydrogen evolution in the system containing nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced form, NADPH), Ru(bpy)₂(dcbpy)C_mV_AC_nV_B and hydrogenase under steady state irradiation. In the case of Ru(bpy)₂(dcbpy)C₃V_AC₄V_B, the efficient photoinduced hydrogen evolution was observed.     

An azadithiolate bridged Fe2S2 complex as active site model of FeFe-hydrogenase covalently linked to a Re(CO)3(bpy)(py) photosensitizer aiming for light-driven hydrogen production

In order to create photoactive catalysts for hydrogen production, a novel trimetallic Re–Fe₂S₂ complex 4 was synthesized by the coordination of the free –PPh₂ group of the ligand of the rhenium photosensitizer 6 to an azadithiolate (ADT)-bridged diiron complex 8 with the assistance of the decarbonylation reagent Me₃NO. Complex 4 was characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, ³¹P NMR and HRMS spectra. The IR, UV–vis and electrochemical data indicate some interactions between Re and Fe₂S₂ moieties, and the photo-induced electron transfer from the excited state of the Re moiety to the Fe₂S₂ catalyst is thermodynamically feasible.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in supramolecular assemblies of transition metal complexes

Photoinduced electron transfer in supramolecular assemblies consisting of π-donor dialkoxyarene-functionalized photosensitizers and bipyridinium electron acceptors is examined. The photosensitizers include Ru(II)-tris-bipyridine complexetethered by multi-branch one-shell and two-shell dialkoxybenzene π-donor sites or a Zn(II)-porphyrin capped by a dialkoxybenzene receptor site. The photosensitizer/electron-acceptor supramolecular complexes behave as non-covalent diads and polyads. Effective internal electron transfer quenching within the supramolecular assemblies proceeds. A quantitative model that accounts for the photoinduced electron transfer in the systems is formulated.     

Porphyrin-cyclodextrin supramolecular complexes as myoglobin model in water

This mini-review reports supramolecular system composed of O-methylated β-cyclodextrins and metalloporphyrins that mimic the functions of myoglobin (Mb) in aqueous solution. Although many Mb functional models have been demonstrated so far, most models can bind dioxygen only in organic solvents such as toluene. Recently, we prepared the model systems composed of O-methylated β-cyclodextrin dimers having pyridine and imidazole linkers and tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphinato iron(II) (hemoCD and Fe(II)PImCD). HemoCD binds dioxygen reversibly in aqueous solution, and the dioxygen adduct of hemoCD is very stable (a half-lifetime is 30 h at pH 7). Although the dioxygen affinity of Fe(II)PImCD is much higher than hemoCD, the stability and the reversibility of this system is lower. This review compares the functions of these model systems with those in biological systems. This review was written to dedicate to Professor Janos H. Fendler on the occasion of his 70th birthday. He gave me a chance to study biomimetic chemistry when he was a professor of Texas A&M University.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in alpha-cyclodextrin-based supramolecular dyads: a free-energy-dependence study

Photoinduced electron transfer (PET) between alpha-cyclodextrin-appended pyrene (PYCD) and a few acceptor molecules was studied in aqueous solutions. The pyrene moiety in PYCD is located above the narrower rim of the alpha-CD and is fully exposed to water. The acceptors are monocyclic organic molecules and, upon dissolution in water in the presence of PYCD, a fraction of the donor-acceptor systems is present as supramolecular dyads and the remaining fraction as free molecules. Free-energy-dependence studies showed that electron transfer in the supramolecular dyads follows the Marcus equation. The donor-acceptor coupling and the reorganization energy were determined from fits of the data to the Marcus equation. The electronic coupling was found to be similar to those reported for hydrogen-bonded systems. It appears that the actual lambdaout values are somewhat lower than values calculated with the continuum model. The experimental design has also allowed, for the first time, a visual demonstration of the inverted region on the basis of the raw fluorescence lifetime data.     

The novel hydrogen bonding motifs and supramolecular patterns in 2,4-diaminopyrimidine-nitrobenzoate complexes

The crystal structures of the hydrogen-bonded, 1:1 molecular complexes of nitro (ortho, meta and para) benzoic acids with two 2,4-diaminopyrimidine derivatives (trimethoprim and pyrimethamine) have been investigated in detail (1-5). In all the crystal structures except pyrimethamine o-nitrobenzoate (3), the carboxylate group of the respective anions interacts with the protonated trimethoprim or pyrimethamine moiety in a linear fashion through a pair of N-H?O hydrogen bonds to form a cyclic hydrogen-bonded motif. This cyclic hydrogen-bonded motif is self-organized in different ways to get the novel types of hydrogen bonding motifs and supramolecular patterns. In the crystal structure of pyrimethamine o-nitrobenzoate (3), the chelating type of hydrogen bonding motif is self-organized to get a helical supramolecular pattern. In the crystal structures of both pyrimethamine m-nitrobezoate (4) and pyrimethamine p-nitrobenzoate (5), a novel type of an alternate arrangement of DADA (D represents donor and A represents acceptor) and DDAA arrays is present, resulting in the formation of hydrogen-bonded ladders.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in a supramolecular species building of mono-6-p-nitrobenzoyl-beta-cyclodextrin with naphthalene derivatives

Photoinduced electron transfer was observed in the supramolecular complexes of p-nitrobenzoyl-beta-cyclodextrin (NBCD) with a number of naphthalene derivatives, which were stabilized clearly via hydrophobic interactions in aqueous solution. Both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements were conducted, which revealed that there were two routes of electron transfer, i.e., electron transfer between the free donor and free acceptor in solution and electron transfer between the donor and acceptor bound in a supramolecular assembly. The evidence collected demonstrates that the latter route was very efficient. As a result, the rate and quantum yield of the fluorescence quenching in the present supramolecular system were appreciably large.     

Catalytic selective oxidation of benzyl alcohols to aldehydes with rhenium complexes

The system (ⁿBu₄N)ReO₄ 5/PhIO/CH₂Cl₂, T = 298 K catalyses effectively and with total selectivity the anaerobic oxidation of a range of primary substituted benzyl alcohols (o-, m-, p-X-C₆H₄-CH₂OH, X = H, Me, MeO, Cl, NO₂, CF₃) to the corresponding aldehydes; in contrast, it is unreactive towards secondary benzyl and aliphatic (primary and secondary) alcohols. This may prove of interest in synthetic organic transformations, when several alcoholic functionalities are present in the same molecule.     

Diverse roles of hydrogen in rhenium carbonyl chemistry: hydrides, dihydrogen complexes, and a formyl derivative

Rhenium carbonyl hydride chemistry dates back to the 1959 synthesis of HRe(CO)? by Hieber and Braun. The binuclear H?Re?(CO)? was subsequently synthesized as a stable compound with a central Re?(μ-H)? unit analogous to the B?(μ-H)? unit in diborane. The complete series of HRe(CO)(n) (n = 5, 4, 3) and H?Re?(CO)(n) (n = 9, 8, 7, 6) derivatives have now been investigated by density functional theory. In contrast to the corresponding manganese derivatives, all of the triplet rhenium structures are found to lie at relatively high energies compared with the corresponding singlet structures consistent with the higher ligand field splitting of rhenium relative to manganese. The lowest energy HRe(CO)? structure is the expected octahedral structure. Low-energy structures for HRe(CO)(n) (n = 4, 3) are singlet structures derived from the octahedral HRe(CO)? structure by removal of one or two carbonyl groups. For H?Re?(CO)? a structure HRe?(CO)?(μ-H), with one terminal and one bridging hydrogen atom, lies within 3 kcal/mol of the structure Re?(CO)?(η2-H?), similar to that of Re?(CO)??. For H?Re?(CO)(n) (n = 8, 7, 6) the only low-energy structures are doubly bridged singlet Re?(μ-H)?(CO)(n) structures. Higher energy dihydrogen complex structures are also found.     

Recognition-directed supramolecular assemblies of metal complexes of terpyridine derived ligands with self-complementary hydrogen bonding sites

The synthesis and X-ray structures of three metal complexes with terpyridine-derived ligands that contain amino-pyrimidine and amino-pyrazine moieties are presented. They have been designed in view of directing their self-assembly into specific supramolecular arrays through molecular recognition interactions. The solid-state structures indeed reveal extensive hydrogen-bonded networks. The Co complex 4a with PF6- counterions builds a two-dimensional infinite interwoven grid through strong double hydrogen bonds (d(N-H-N) =2.918-3.018 A) between the amino groups and the N atoms of the rings, with all H-bonding sites saturated. Changing the anions to BF4- in 4b leads to a similar infinite but partially broken grid with a quarter of the H-bonding sites unsaturated (d(N-H-N)=2.984-3.206 A). In the case of the Zn complex 12 with triflate anions, half of the hydrogen bonds are formed. Only one of the two orthogonal ligands has hydrogen bonds (d(N-H-N) = 3.082, 3.096 A) to the neighbouring complexes and thus builds linear, supramolecular, polymeric chains. These structural differences are mainly attributed to crystal-packing effects caused by the different anions. The data presented here may also be regarded as a prototype for the generation of organised arrays through sequential self-assembly processes.     

Photoinduced electron transfer in ionic liquids: use of 2,4,6-triphenylthiapyrylium as a photosensitizer probe

The photochemistry of 2,4,6-triphenylthiapyrylium, TPTP+, in an ionic liquid, bmim-PF6, and in zeolite Y has been investigated and compared. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the singlet excited state and to demonstrate singlet quenching by dicyclopentadiene, DCP, as an electron donor. Time-resolved laser spectroscopy documents generation of the triplet excited state, 3TPTP+, and reduction by DCP, generating the corresponding radical, TPTP*, and radical ion, DCP+*. The highly polar media stabilize the organic intermediates, causing them to be long lived.     

Photo-induced electron transfer study of rhenium(I) bipyridyl complexes with covalently linked phenothiazine donor through different bridge

A novel rhenium(I) bipyridyl complex 1a, [(4,4’-di-COOEt-bpy)Re(CO)₃(py-NHCO-PTZ)PF₆] and a model 1b, [(4,4’-di-COOEt-bpy)Re(CO)₃(py-PTZ)PF₆] (bpy is 2, 2’-bipyridine, py-NHCO-PTZ is phenothiazine-(10-carbonyl amide) pyridine and py-PTZ is 10-(4-picolyl) phenothiazine) were synthesized. Their photo-induced electron transfer (ET) reaction with electron acceptor methyl viologen (MV²⁺) in acetonitrile was studied by nanosecond laser flash photolysis at room temperature. Photoexcitation of 1 in the presence of MV²⁺ led to ET from the Re moiety to MV²⁺ generating Re(II) and methyl viologen radical (MV^·+). Then Re(II) was reduced either by the charge recombination with MV^·+ or by intramolecular ET from the attached PTZ, regenerating the photosensitizer Re(I) and forming the PTZ radical at 510 nm. In the case of 1b, the absorption for PTZ radical can be observed distinctly accompanied intermolecular ET, whereas not much difference at 510 nm can be detected for 1a on the time scale of the experiments. This demonstrates that the linking bridge plays a key role on the intramolecular ET in complex 1.     

Dioxygen and hydrogen peroxide reduction with hemocyanin model complexes

Three copper polypyridyl complexes were examined as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR): a Cu-N(3) complex, [Cu-[tris(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)methane]-(NCMe)]PF(6) (1); a related Cu(2)N(6) derivative, [Cu(2)-[1,2-bis(6-(bis(6-methylpyridin-2-yl)methyl)pyridin-2-yl)ethane]-(NCMe)(2)](PF(6))(2) (2); and the CuN(4) species [Cu-[tris(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amine]](ClO(4))(2) [3](ClO(4))(2). Compared to other copper complexes, [3](ClO(4))(2) exhibits the highest reported ORR onset potential for a Cu complex of 0.53 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode at pH 1. The Cu(2)N(6) hemocyanin model is more active than the CuN(3), but both are less active than the CuN(4) complex. The results indicate that copper polypyridyl complexes are promising cathode catalysts for ORR.     

A photosensitizer dinuclear ruthenium complex: intramolecular energy transfer to a covalently linked fullerene acceptor

A fullerene derivative (5) in which a dinuclear ruthenium complex is covalently linked to a fulleropyrrolidine (FP) through a rigid spacer has been prepared through azomethine ylide cycloaddition to C60. Electrochemical and photophysical studies revealed that ground-state electronic interactions between the bimetallic ruthenium chromophore and the FP moiety are small. The absorption spectrum of 5 displays a metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) transition at about 620 nm in CH2Cl2 which is shifted by nearly 160 nm relative to that of a previously reported mononuclear dyad (8). The photophysical investigations have also shown that both in dichloromethane and acetonitrile the photoexcited MLCT state of dyad 5 transforms into the fullerene triplet excited state with a quantum yield of 0.19 and that, contrary to mononuclear dyad 8, electron transfer, if any under the applied conditions, is negligible relative to energy transfer.     

Photochemical H2 with noble-metal-free molecular devices comprising a porphyrin photosensitizer and a cobaloxime catalyst

Among three noble-metal-free molecular devices (1-3) containing a porphyrin photosensitizer and a cobaloxime catalyst, the one with a zinc porphyrin unit displayed apparently higher efficiency for photoinduced H(2) production than complex 2 with a magnesium porphyrin and 3 with a free-base porphyrin, possibly due to the formation of a TEAZnPor-Co triad in solution.     

Diastereoselective proton transfer: a route to enantiomerically pure half-sandwich rhenium complexes

The diastereomeric methyl rhenium complex [CpRe(NO){P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2)}(CH3)] was prepared in two steps from chiral racemic [CpRe(NO)(CO)(NCMe)]BF4 and the chiral racemic phosphine P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2). The unlike diastereomer reacts preferentially with MeSO3H to give the ring-closed ionic complex unlike-[CpRe(NO){P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2)}]MeSO3 along with unreacted like-[CpRe(NO){P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2)}(CH3)], which is easily separated and converted to like-[CpRe(NO){P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2)}]MeSO3. Starting from (R)-P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2), the diastereomerically and enantiomerically pure complexes (RRe,SP)-[CpRe(NO){P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2)}]MeSO3 and (SRe,SP)-[CpRe(NO){P(Me)(Ph)(2-C6H4NMe2)}]MeSO3 were obtained. Thus, this reaction sequence demonstrates a highly diastereoselective proton transfer from a functionalized chiral phosphine to a transition metal. Furthermore, it provides efficient access to enantiomerically pure half-sandwich rhenium complexes.