Computational Assessment of MLCT versus MC Stabilities in First-to-Third-Row d6 Pseudo-Octahedral Transition Metal Complexes

An accurate modeling of metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer (MLCT) and metal-centered (MC) excited state energies is key to predict the photoinduced response in transition metal complexes (TMCs). Herein, the importance of the ground state and excited state reference geometries is addressed for three-prototype d⁶ pseudo-octahedral TMCs, each displaying a different potential energy landscape of MLCT versus MC relative stabilities. Several functionals are used within the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), as well as multireference wave-function theory (MS-CASPT2), applied to [Mn(im)(CO)₃(phen)]⁺, [Ru(im)₂(bpy)₂]²⁺, and [Re(im)(CO)₃(phen)]⁺, (im: imidazole, bpy: bypiridine, phen: phenantroline). The results revel that TDDFT is robust except when using B3LYP functional for first-row d⁶ TMCs. In contrast, MS-CASPT2 calculations are strongly biased in those cases with competitive MLCT/MC states. The results reinforce the reliability of B3LYP to describe the excited states in d⁶ TMCs, but question the validity of assessing the density functional theory (DFT)/TDDFT performance via direct comparison with MS-CASPT2 performed at the same DFT reference geometry as a standard strategy. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Nickel(II) Analogues of Phosphorescent Platinum(II) Complexes with Picosecond Excited-State Decay

Square-planar Ni^II complexes are interesting as cheaper and more sustainable alternatives to Pt^II luminophores widely used in lighting and photocatalysis. We investigated the excited-state behavior of two Ni^II complexes, which are isostructural with two luminescent Pt^II complexes. The initially excited singlet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (¹MLCT) excited states in the Ni^II complexes decay to metal-centered (³MC) excited states within less than 1 picosecond, followed by non-radiative relaxation of the ³MC states to the electronic ground state within 9–21 ps. This contrasts with the population of an emissive triplet ligand-centered (³LC) excited state upon excitation of the Pt^II analogues. Structural distortions of the Ni^II complexes are responsible for this discrepant behavior and lead to dark ³MC states far lower in energy than the luminescent ³LC states of Pt^II compounds. Our findings suggest that if these structural distortions could be restricted by more rigid coordination environments and stronger ligand fields, the excited-state relaxation in four-coordinate Ni^II complexes could be decelerated such that luminescent ³LC or ³MLCT excited states become accessible. These insights are relevant to make Ni^II fit for photophysical and photochemical applications that relied on Pt^II until now.     

Anomalous vibrational relaxation of a hot S*1 state of 3,4-benzpyrene in 2-methylpentane

Two anomalous emission bands in the fluorescence spectrum of 3,4-benzpyrene, dissolved in 2-methylpentane, have been studied as a function of temperature. These emissions originate from the second excited singlet state S₂, and from a vibrationally excited S₁ (S^*₁) respectively. From the temperature dependence of the relative yield and the decay time of the S^*₁ emission it can be concluded that the vibrational relaxation of this state is hampered. The rate constant for this relaxation process is smaller that 4 > 62;x 10⁷ sec^?1.     

Crystalline field effect on ESR parameters

The ground state wavefunction of the V⁴⁺ ion in different single crystals has been estimated using different spinhamiltonian constants obtained from ESR studies. The ground state wavefunction is the d_xy type with a slight admixture of the excited states d_x²–_y², d_xz and d_yz. The hyperfine interaction parameter has also been determined and the nature of the chemical binding in complexes has been explained on the basis of this parameter.     

Hot Branching Dynamics in a Light-Harvesting Iron Carbene Complex Revealed by Ultrafast X-ray Emission Spectroscopy

Iron N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have received a great deal of attention recently because of their growing potential as light sensitizers or photocatalysts. We present a sub-ps X-ray spectroscopy study of an Fe^IINHC complex that identifies and quantifies the states involved in the deactivation cascade after light absorption. Excited molecules relax back to the ground state along two pathways: After population of a hot ³MLCT state, from the initially excited ¹MLCT state, 30 % of the molecules undergo ultrafast (150 fs) relaxation to the ³MC state, in competition with vibrational relaxation and cooling to the relaxed ³MLCT state. The relaxed ³MLCT state then decays much more slowly (7.6 ps) to the ³MC state. The ³MC state is rapidly (2.2 ps) deactivated to the ground state. The ⁵MC state is not involved in the deactivation pathway. The ultrafast partial deactivation of the ³MLCT state constitutes a loss channel from the point of view of photochemical efficiency and highlights the necessity to screen transition-metal complexes for similar ultrafast decays to optimize photochemical performance.     

The Metal–Metal‐to‐Ligand Charge Transfer Excited State and Supramolecular Polymerization of Luminescent Pincer PdII–Isocyanide Complexes

Pincer Pd^II–isocyanide complexes are described that display intermolecular interactions and emissive ³MMLCT excited states in aggregation state(s) at room temperature. The intermolecular Pd^II?Pd^II and ligand–ligand interactions drive these complexes to undergo supramolecular polymerization in a living manner. Comprehensive spectroscopic studies reveal a pathway with a kinetic trap that can be modulated by changing the counteranion and metal atom. The Pd^II supramolecular assemblies comprise two different aggregation forms with only one to be emissive. DFT/TDDFT calculations lend support to the MMLCT absorption and emission of these pincer Pd^II–isocyanide aggregates.     

Synthesis and properties of isocyanate and isothiocyanate d1- and d2-complexes of vanadocene

The reactions of vanadocene and its halides Cp₂VCl and Cp₂VCl₂ with R₃MNCX (M  Sn, Si, X  O, S) and R₂M(NCX)₂ in various molar ratios have been studied. The reactions proceed either by an exchange of groups, with no change in the oxidation state of vanadium, or by an oxidative addition of pseudohalide ligand: V^II → V^III; V^III → V^IV. Oxidative addition results in the formation of (R₃M)₂ or gaseous hydrogen (in the reaction with HCl) in the reaction products.We have prepared the first ever monomeric and readily oxidisable d²-complexes of V^III of Cp₂VNCX-type and asymmetric d¹-complexes of Cp₂V(Cl)NCX type, which, although rather stable in air, undergo disproportionation into symmetric d¹-complexes on heating. In transmetallation reactions the ligand activity is found to increase in the order C1 < NCO < NCS. The complexes were characterised by GLC analysis, IR and ESR spectroscopy. A general scheme for the disproportionation reaction of asymmetric complexes of vanadocene is supported by differential thermal analysis data.     

Hot Branching Dynamics in a Light‐Harvesting Iron Carbene Complex Revealed by Ultrafast X‐ray Emission Spectroscopy

Iron N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes have received a great deal of attention recently because of their growing potential as light sensitizers or photocatalysts. We present a sub‐ps X‐ray spectroscopy study of an Fe^IINHC complex that identifies and quantifies the states involved in the deactivation cascade after light absorption. Excited molecules relax back to the ground state along two pathways: After population of a hot ³MLCT state, from the initially excited ¹MLCT state, 30 % of the molecules undergo ultrafast (150 fs) relaxation to the ³MC state, in competition with vibrational relaxation and cooling to the relaxed ³MLCT state. The relaxed ³MLCT state then decays much more slowly (7.6 ps) to the ³MC state. The ³MC state is rapidly (2.2 ps) deactivated to the ground state. The ⁵MC state is not involved in the deactivation pathway. The ultrafast partial deactivation of the ³MLCT state constitutes a loss channel from the point of view of photochemical efficiency and highlights the necessity to screen transition‐metal complexes for similar ultrafast decays to optimize photochemical performance.     

The Nephelauxetic Effect Becomes an Important Design Factor for Photoactive First-Row Transition Metal Complexes

The expansion of d-orbitals as a result of metal-ligand bond covalence, the so-called nephelauxetic effect, is a well-established concept of coordination chemistry, yet its importance for the design of new photoactive complexes based on first-row transition metals is only beginning to be recognized. Until recently, much focus has been on optimizing the ligand field strength, coordination geometries, and molecular rigidity, but now it becomes evident that the nephelauxetic effect can be a game changer regarding the photophysical properties of 3d metal complexes in solution at room temperature. In Cr^III and Mn^IV complexes with the d³ valence electron configuration, the nephelauxetic effect was exploited to shift the well-known ruby-like red luminescence to the near-infrared spectral region. In Fe^II and Co^III complexes with the low-spin d⁶ electron configuration, charge-transfer excited states were stabilized with respect to detrimental metal-centered excited states, to improve their properties and to enhance their application potential. In isoelectronic (3d⁶) isocyanide complexes of Cr⁰ and Mn^I, the nephelauxetic effect is likely at play as well, enabling luminescence and other favorable photoreactivity. This minireview illustrates the broad applicability of the nephelauxetic effect in tailoring the photophysical and photochemical properties of new coordination compounds made from abundant first-row transition metals.     

Metal centered ligand field excited states: Their roles in the design and performance of transition metal based photochemical molecular devices

Transition metal complexes are vital components in a wide range of photooptical applications; these range from targeted drug delivery to devices for the conversion of solar energy to electrical and/or stored chemical energy. Metal centered (MC) ligand field excited states play important roles in the photophysics of those complexes having partially filled d-orbitals. This review offers a broad perspective on key investigations that have characterized the chemistry and physics of MC excited states in d³ and d⁶ transition metal complexes. It will also illustrate the impact of these excited states on various photooptical applications and highlight efforts to understand, control, and tune these MC excited states in the context of such applications.     

Tuning the Excited State of Photoactive Building Blocks for Metal‐Templated Self‐Assembly

The reaction of 2,2′:4,4′′:4′,4′′′‐quaterpyridyl (qtpy), with d⁶ ruthenium(II) (Ru^II), and rhenium(I) (Re^I) metal centers has been investigated. The pendant pyridyl groups on the products have also been methylated to produce a second series of complexes containing coordinated Meqtpy²⁺. The absorption spectra of the complexes are dominated by intraligand and charge‐transfer bands. The ruthenium(II) complexes display broad unstructured luminescence consistent with emission from a Ru(d)→diimine(π*) manifold in acetonitrile solutions. In aqueous solutions, their emissions are weaker and the lifetimes are shorter. This effect is particularly acute for complexes incorporating coordinated dipyridylpyrazine, dppz, ligands. Although the emission of the ruthenium(II) complexes containing Meqtpy²⁺ is generally shorter than their qtpy analogs, it is notable that solvent‐dependent effects are much less intense. The rhenium(I) complexes also display broad unstructured luminescence but, compared with the ruthenium(II) systems, they have a relatively short lifetime in acetonitrile. Electrochemical studies reveal that all of the Ru^II complexes display chemically reversible metal‐based oxidations. Re^I complexes only display irreversible metal‐based oxidations. In most cases, the reduction processes were not fully chemically reversible. The electrochemical and optical studies reveal that the nature of the lowest excited state of these complexes—particularly, the systems incorporating dppz—is highly dependent on the nature of the coordinated ligands. Calculations indicate that, although the excited state of most of the complexes is centered on the qtpy or Meqtpy²⁺ ligands, the excited state of the complexes containing dppz ligands is switched away from the dppz by qtpy methylation. A crystallographic study on one of the dicationic ruthenium(II) structures reveals that it forms an inclusion complex with benzene.     

双核Pt(II)配合物的光谱结构和激发态性质的密度泛函理论研究

采用基于第一性原理的密度泛函理论对单核和双核三联吡啶Pt(II)配合物[Pt(trpy)C≡CH]^＋ (1)和[Pt(trpy)C≡ (2)的基态和激发态以及光谱性质进行了系统研究. 结果揭示了双体配合物中Pt—Pt间距离在激发态时明显短于基态时的距离, 而且双体聚合后最低能吸收和发射波长相对单体配合物发生了明显红移, 这种激发的本质被指认为是来自于[d_σ*(d_δ*π*)]的MMLCT (metal-to-metal-to-ligand charge transfer)电荷转移跃迁. 另外, 对研究的配合物, 用VWN (Vosko-Wilk-Nusair)泛函优化得到的几何和用SAOP(轨道势的统计平均)计算的光谱能量和实验值符合得很好, 能够准确反映实验现象.     

Electronic states of π complexes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">d</Emphasis><Superscript>0</Superscript> early transition metals and energy transfer to unsaturated hydrocarbons

The orbital nature of excited states of organometallic π-complexes of early transition metals of the third-fifth periods with the d ⁰ electronic configuration was surveyed, and their photophysical characteristics were discussed. Examples of long-lived luminescence generated by ligand-to-metal charge transfer in liquid solutions at room temperature were thoroughly considered. Regularities of nonradiative triplet-triplet energy transfer from aromatic molecules and d ⁰ metallocene complexes of Group 4B transition metals to unsaturated hydrocarbons were examined.     

A Theoretical Investigation into the Luminescent Properties of d8‐Transition‐Metal Complexes with Tetradentate Schiff Base Ligands

A theoretical investigation on the luminescence efficiency of a series of d⁸ transition‐metal Schiff base complexes was undertaken. The aim was to understand the different photophysics of [M‐salen]ⁿ complexes (salen=N,N′‐bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine; M=Pt, Pd (n=0); Au (n=+1)) in acetonitrile solutions at room temperature: [Pt‐salen] is phosphorescent and [Au‐salen]⁺ is fluorescent, but [Pd‐salen] is nonemissive. Based on the calculation results, it was proposed that incorporation of electron‐withdrawing groups at the 4‐position of the Schiff base ligand should widen the ³MLCT–³MC gap (MLCT=metal‐to‐ligand charge transfer and MC=metal centered, that is, the dd excited state); thus permitting phosphorescence of the corresponding Pd^II Schiff base complex. Although it is experimentally proven that [Pd‐salph‐4E] (salph=N,N′‐bis(salicylidene)‐1,2‐phenylenediamine; 4E means an electron‐withdrawing substituent at the 4‐position of the salicylidene) displays triplet emission, its quantum yield is low at room temperature. The corresponding Pt^II Schiff base complex, [Pt‐salph‐4E], is also much less emissive than the unsubstituted analogue, [Pt‐salph]. Thus, a detailed theoretical analysis of how the substituent and central metal affected the photophysics of [M‐salph‐X] (X is a substituent on the salph ligand, M=Pt or Pd) was performed. Temperature effects were also investigated. The simple energy gap law underestimated the nonradiative decay rates and was insufficient to account for the temperature dependence of the nonradiative decay rates of the complexes studied herein. On the other hand, the present analysis demonstrates that inclusions of low‐frequency modes and the associated frequency shifts are decisive in providing better quantitative estimates of the nonradiative decay rates and the experimentally observed temperature effects. Moreover, spin–orbit coupling, which is often considered only in the context of radiative decay rate, has a significant role in determining the nonradiative rate as well.     

C−H Activation and Olefin Insertion in d8 and d0 Complexes: Same Elementary Steps,Different Electronics

Metallocene alkyl complexes with d⁰ electron configuration and d⁸-configured square planar α-diimine late transition metal alkyl complexes show activity in both C−H activation through σ-bond metathesis and olefin insertion. Herein, we show by analysis of their M−CH₃ ¹³C chemical shift tensors that these reactions involve a π(M−C) interaction in the horizontal plane of the complex for both d⁰ and d⁸ systems. While in the case of d⁰ systems the interaction of an empty metal d-orbital and a filled carbon p-orbital causes partial alkylidene character of the M−C bond, the corresponding metal d-orbital is filled in d⁸ systems, thus generating a filled π*(M−C) orbital that increases the anionic character of the methyl group. This entails fundamentally different reaction mechanisms for d⁰ and d⁸ systems, which are reflected in the structures of the transition states: While d⁰ olefin insertion can be viewed as a [2+2] cycloaddition reaction, d⁸ olefin insertion rather resembles methyl group migration onto a positively polarized olefin, thus explaining the observed differences in regioselectivity. These findings are translated to σ-bond metathesis, a reaction which is isolobal to olefin insertion for both early and late transition metals.     

1,2-polybutadiene complexes with d8 pseudo-square-planar transition-metal salts based on nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II)

The effects of four d⁸ transition-metal complexes from Group 10 on the thermal, mechanical, optical, and spectroscopic properties of atactic 1,2-polybutadiene are compared, in addition to their ability to induce gelation. Olefin coordination and subsequent metal-catalyzed chemical crosslinking occur much more quickly, and to a greater extent, at ambient temperature with PdCl₂(CH₃CN)₂ than with PtCl₂(C₆H₅CN)₂. Alkene side groups in the polymer attack the pseudo-square-planar metal center (i.e., Pd²⁺ or Pt²⁺) from above or below the plane of the coordinatively unsaturated low-molecular-weight organometallic complex and displace neutral acetonitrile or benzonitrile ligands via an associative mechanism. Gelation occurs much more quickly with Pd²⁺ than with Pt²⁺, and the ambient-temperature elastic modulus of solid polybutadiene/palladium complexes increases significantly, without high-temperature annealing, so that a weak rubbery polymer is transformed into a glass via 3 mol % Pd²⁺. Alkene functional groups in the side chain of the polymer do not coordinate to bis(dimethyl)glyoximatonickel(II) at ambient temperature because (1) it is difficult to displace anionic dimethylgloxime ligands that are bidentate; (2) these planar nickel complexes with C_2h symmetry are stacked along the c axis via interlocking methyl groups on adjacent molecules; and (3) there is a lack of π back-bonding between d_xy on Ni(II) and empty π* antibonding orbitals of CC, which typically stabilizes olefin complexes with pseudo-square-planar d⁸ metal centers. Pseudo-octahedral nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate does not form a complex with the polymer, in agreement with some macroscopic properties of these materials. The observed trend in the transition-metal-modified properties of atactic 1,2-polybutadiene in the solid state and in the gel state is Pd(II) > Pt(II) ≫ Ni(II). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2270–2285, 2004     

Excited‐State Dynamics of the Metal String Complex Co3(dpa)4(NCS)2 from Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectra

Transient absorption spectroscopy is used to study the excited‐state dynamics of Co₃(dpa)₄(NCS)₂, where dpa is the ligand di(2‐pyridyl)amido. The ππ*, charge‐transfer, and d–d transition states are excited upon irradiation at wavelengths of 330, 400 and 600 nm, respectively. Similar transient spectra are observed under the experimental temporal resolution and the transient species show weak absorption. We thus propose that a low‐lying metal‐centered d–d state is accessed immediately after excitation. Analyses of the experimental kinetic traces reveal rapid conversion from the ligand‐centered ππ* and the charge‐transfer states to this metal‐centered d‐d state within 100 fs. The excited molecule then crosses to a second d–d state within the ligand‐field manifold, with a time coefficient of 0.6–1.4 ps. Because the ground‐state bleaching band recovers with a time coefficient of 10–23 ps, we propose that an excited molecule crosses from the low‐lying d–d state either directly within the same spin system or with spin crossing via the state ²B to the ground state ²A₂ (symmetry group C₄). In this trimetal string complex, relaxation to the ground electronic surface after excitation is thus rapid.