Electronic structure of high-valent transition metal corrolazine complexes. The young and innocent?

This is a first quantum chemical study of corrolazine complexes. DFT calculations suggest that despite their extremely contracted central cavities, compared with porphyrins, a variety of corrolazine complexes may be expected to exist as stable compounds. The calculations also indicate that corrolazine complexes may be regarded as strongly electron-deficient analogues of corrole complexes. Thus, the calculated valence ionization potentials of P(V) and Cu(III) corrolazine derivatives are dramatically higher than those of analogous corrole derivatives. In addition, DFT calculations on Fe(IV) and Mn(IV) corrole and corrolazine derivatives suggest that compared with the often noninnocent corrole ligands, corrolazines are electronically more innocent and stabilize "purer" high-valent states of transition metal ions.     

Theoretical evidence favoring true iron(V)-oxo corrole and corrolazine intermediates

Although many formally FeV intermediates are known in the form of peroxidase compound I intermediates and their synthetic models, "true" d3 FeVO intermediates have remained elusive and hence a Holy Grail of sorts for many bioinorganic chemists. Very recently, Newcomb and co-workers provided transient absorption spectroscopic evidence suggestive of FeVO corrole intermediates. Here, we report DFT calculations predicting nearly isoenergetic FeVO and FeIVO corrolato2-* states for Fe(corrolato)(O) intermediates. In the course of a theoretical search for systems in which a true FeVO state might be favored by a clear and substantial margin of energy, we have identified corrolazine as a promising supporting ligand; thus, we find that with corrolazine, the FeVO states are favored by at least 0.5 eV over FeIVO corrolazinato2-* states.     

High-valent iron and manganese complexes of corrole and porphyrin in atom transfer and dioxygen evolving catalysis

Manganese(V) imido complexes of 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (H(3)tpfc) can be prepared by the reaction of Mn(III)(tpfc) and organic nitrene generated from either photolytic or thermal activation of organic azides. The terminal imido complexes of manganese(V) were among the first structurally characterized examples of Mn(V) terminal imido complexes in the literature. They feature a short Mn≡N triple bond and a nearly linear M[triple bond, length as m-dash]N-C angle. The ground state of (tpfc)Mn(V)(NAr) is singlet. Contrary to expectations, arylimido complexes of manganese(V) were stable to moisture and did not undergo [NR] group transfer to olefins. Manganese(V) imido corrole with an activated tosyl imido ligand was prepared from iodoimine (ArINTs) and manganese(III) corrole. The resulting complex (tpfc)Mn(NTs) is paramagnetic (S = 1), hydrolyzes to (tpfc)Mn(O) in the presence of water, abstracts hydrogen atoms from benzylic C-H bonds, and catalyzes aziridination of alkenes. Mechanistic studies on the aziridination and hydrogen atom transfer reactions are reviewed. This perspective also describes the reaction chemistry of the heme enzyme chlorite dismutase, the mechanism by which dioxygen is formed on a single-metal site, and recent advances in functional modelling of this enzyme. We also compare the reactivity of water-soluble iron versus manganese porphyrins towards the chlorite anion.     

Copper(III) and vanadium(IV)-oxo corrolazines

As part of our efforts to develop the transition metal chemistry of corrolazines, which are ring-contracted porphyrinoid species most closely related to corroles, the vanadium and copper complexes (TBP)(8)Cz(H)V(IV)O (1) and (TBP)(8)CzCu(III) (2) of the ligand octakis(para-tert-butylphenyl)corrolazine [(TBP)(8)Cz] have been synthesized. The coordination behavior, preferred oxidation states, and general redox properties of metallocorrolazines are of particular interest. The corrolazine ligand in 1 was shown to contain a labile proton by acid/base titration and IR spectroscopy, serving as a -2 ligand rather than as the usual -3 donor. The oxidation state of the vanadium center in 1 was shown to be +4, in agreement with the overall neutral charge for this complex. The EPR spectrum of 1 reveals a rich signal consistent with a V(IV)(O) (d(1), S = 1/2) porphyrinoid species (g(xx) = 1.989, g(yy) = 1.972, g(zz) = 1.962). The electrochemical analysis of 1 shows behavior closer to that of a porphyrazine than a corrolazine, with a positively shifted, irreversible reduction at -0.65 V (vs Ag/AgCl). Resonance Raman and IR data for 1 confirm the presence of a triply bonded terminal oxo ligand with nu(V(16)O) = 975 cm(-1) and nu(V(18)O) = 939 cm(-1). The copper complex 2 exhibits a diamagnetic (1)H NMR spectrum, indicative of a bona fide square planar copper(III) (d(8), low-spin) complex. Previously reported copper corroles have been characterized as copper(III) complexes which exhibit a paramagnetic NMR spectrum at higher temperatures, indicative of a thermally accessible triplet excited state ([(corrole(*+))Cu(II)]). The NMR spectrum for 2 shows no paramagnetic behavior in the range 300-400 K, indicating that compound 2 does not have a thermally accessible triplet excited state. These data show that the corrolazine system is better able to stabilize the high oxidation state copper center than the corresponding corroles. Electrochemical studies of 2 reveal two reversible processes at +0.93 and -0.05 V, and bulk reduction of 2 with NaBH(4) generates the copper(II) species [(TBP)(8)CzCu(II)](-) (2a), which exhibits an EPR signal typical of a copper(II) porphyrinoid species.     

Laser flash photolysis generation and kinetic studies of corrole-manganese(V)-oxo intermediates

Corrole-manganese(V)-oxo intermediates were produced by laser flash photolysis of the corresponding corrole-manganese(IV) chlorate complexes, and the kinetics of their decay reactions in CH2Cl2 and their reactions with organic reductants were studied. The corrole ligands studied were 5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (H3TPFC), 5,10,15-triphenylcorrole (H3TPC), and 5,15-bis(pentafluorophenyl)-10-(p-methoxyphenyl)corrole (H3BPFMC). In self-decay reactions and in reactions with substrates, the order of reactivity of (Cor)Mn(V)(O) was TPC > BPFMC > TPFC, which is inverted from that expected based on the electron-demand of the ligands. The rates of reactions of (Cor)Mn(V)(O) were dependent on the concentration of the oxidant and other manganese species, with increasing concentrations of various manganese species resulting in decreasing rates of reactions, and the apparent rate constant for reaction of (TPFC)Mn(V)(O) with triphenylamine was found to display fractional order with respect to the manganese-oxo species. The kinetic results are consistent in part with a reaction model involving disproportionation of (Cor)Mn(V)(O) to give (Cor)Mn(IV) and (Cor)Mn(VI)(O) species, the latter of which is the active oxidant. Alternatively, the results are consistent with oxidation by (Cor)Mn(V)(O) which is reversibly sequestered in non-reactive complexes by various manganese species.     

Solvent effects on oxygen atom transfer reaction between manganese(V)-oxo corrole and alkene

Pseudo-first order reaction rate constants of 5,10,15-tris（pentafluorophenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo (F₁₅CMn（V）-oxo),5,15-bis（pentafluorophenyl）-10-（phenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo(F₁₀CMn（V）-oxo),5,15- bis（phenyl）-10-（pentafluorophenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo（F₅CMn（V）-oxo） and 5,10,15-tris（phenyl）corrole Mn（V）-oxo（F₀CMn（V）-oxo） with a series of alkene substrates in different solvents were determined by UV-vis spectroscopy.The results indicated that the oxygen atom transfer pathway between Mn（V）-oxo corrole and alkene is solvent-dependent.     

A manganese(V)-oxo π-cation radical complex: influence of one-electron oxidation on oxygen-atom transfer

One-electron oxidation of Mn(V)-oxo corrolazine 2 affords 2(+), the first example of a Mn(V)(O) π-cation radical porphyrinoid complex, which was characterized by UV-vis, EPR, LDI-MS, and DFT methods. Access to 2 and 2(+) allowed for a direct comparison of their reactivities in oxygen-atom transfer (OAT) reactions. Both complexes are capable of OAT to PPh(3) and RSR substrates, and 2(+) was found to be a more potent oxidant than 2. Analysis of rate constants and activation parameters, together with DFT calculations, points to a concerted OAT mechanism for 2(+) and 2 and indicates that the greater electrophilicity of 2(+) likely plays a dominant role in enhancing its reactivity. These results are relevant to comparisons between Compound I and Compound II in heme enzymes.     

An example of O2 binding in a cobalt(II) corrole system and high-valent cobalt-cyano and cobalt-alkynyl complexes

The novel cobalt corrolazine (Cz) complexes (TBP)(8)CzCoCN (1) and (TBP)(8)CzCo(CCSiPh(3)) (2) have been synthesized and examined in light of the recent intense interest regarding the role of corrole ligands in stabilizing high oxidation states. In the case of 2, the molecular structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography, revealing a short Co[bond]C distance of 1.831(4) A and an intermolecular pi-stacking interaction between Cz ring planes, and this structure has been analyzed in regards to the electronic configuration. By a combination of spectroscopic techniques it has been shown that 1 is best described as a cobalt(III)[bond]pi-cation-radical complex, whereas 2 is likely best represented as the resonance hybrid (Cz)Co(IV)(CCSiPh(3)) <--> (Cz+*)Co(III)(CCSiPh(3)). The reduced cobalt(II) complex, [(TBP)(8)CzCo(II)(py)](-), has been generated in situ and shown to bind dioxygen at low temperature to give [(TBP)(8)CzCo(III)(py)(O(2))](-). For the reduced complex [(TBP)(8)CzCo(II)(py)](-), the EPR spectrum in frozen solution is indicative of a low-spin cobalt(II) complex with a d(z)2 ground state. Exposure of [(TBP)(8)CzCo(II)(py)](-) to O(2) leads to the reversible formation of the cobalt(III)-superoxo complex [(TBP)(8)CzCo(III)(py)(O(2))](-), which has been characterized by EPR spectroscopy. VT-EPR measurements show that the dioxygen adduct is stable up to T approximately 240 K. This work is the first observation, to our knowledge, of O(2) binding to a cobalt(II) corrole.     

Structure,stability, and electronic and NMR properties of various oxo- and nitrido-derivatives of [L(Salen)Mn(III)]+, where L = none and imidazole. A density functional study

Structure, stability, and electronic and NMR properties of [(Salen)Mn(III)](+)-derived intermediates/reactants in the epoxidation/amination of unfunctionalized olefins, namely [(Salen)Mn(V)O](+) (1-oxo), [(Salen)Mn(IV)O] (2-oxo), and [(Salen)Mn(V)N] (3), have been studied with the B3LYP density functional method. It has been shown that the (1)A, (3)A, and (5)A states of cationic 1-oxo species are virtually degenerate, while for the neutral 2-oxo species the ground (4)A state lies 6.4 kcal/mol lower than (2)A. In the nitrido species 3, the (1)A state has been shown to be the ground state in agreement with experiment. We have investigated isomerization of 1-oxo and 2-oxo species into unusual [(OSalen)Mn(III)](+) (1-N-oxo and 1-peroxo) and [(OSalen)Mn(II)] (2-N-oxo and 2-peroxo) species, respectively. For cationic species 1, the 1-N-oxo isomers are more stable (by 10-12 kcal/mol) than the 1-oxo isomer and are separated from the latter by 21-22 kcal/mol barriers. On the other hand, 1-peroxo isomers are calculated to be 14-16 kcal/mol higher than the 1-oxo isomer. For neutral species 2, however, both 2-N-oxo and 2-peroxo isomers lie significantly higher in energy than the 2-oxo isomer. It has been shown that coordination of axial imidazole ligand alters relative energies of spin states for 1- and 2-oxo species, destabilizing low-spin states. For singlet states of H(2)Salen, 1-oxo, and 3, we have calculated (1)H, (13)C, (15)N, and (17)O NMR chemical shifts using the gauge-independent-atomic orbital (GIAO) approach.     

A family of manganese rods: syntheses, structures, and magnetic properties

The reaction of the mixed-valent metal triangles [Mn(3)O(O(2)CR)(6)(py)(3)] (R = CH(3), Ph, C(CH(3))(3)) with the tripodal ligands H(3)thme (1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane) and H(3)tmp (1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane) in MeCN, produces a family of manganese rodlike complexes whose structures are all derived from a series of edge-sharing triangles. Variable temperature direct current (dc) magnetic susceptibility data were collected for all complexes in the 1.8-300 K temperature range in fields up to 7.0 T. Complex 1, [Mn(12)O(4)(OH)(2)(PhCOO)(12)(thme)(4)(py)(2)], has an S = 7 ground state with the parameters g = 1.98 and D = -0.13 K. Complex 2, [Mn(8)O(4)((CH(3))(3)CCO(2))(10)(thme)(2)(py)(2)] has a ground state of S = 6, with g = 1.81 and D = -0.36 K. Complex 3, [Mn(7)O(2)(PhCO(2))(9)(thme)(2)(py)(3)], has a spin ground states of S = 7 with the parameters g = 1.78 and D = -0.20 K. The best fit for complex 4, [Mn(6)((CH(3))(3)CCO(2))(8)(tmp)(2)(py)(2)], gave a spin ground state of S = 3 with the parameters g = 1.73 and D = -0.75 K, but was of poorer quality than that normally obtained. The presence of multiple Mn(2+) ions in the structure of 4 leads to the presence of low-lying excited states with energy levels very close to the ground state, and in the case of complex 5, [Mn(6)(CH(3)CO(2))(6)(thme)(2)(H(2)tea)(2)], no satisfactory fit of the data was obtained. DFT calculations on 4 and 5 indicate complexes with spin ground states of S = 4 and S = 0 respectively, despite their topological similarities. Single-crystal hysteresis loop and relaxation measurements show complex 1 to be a SMM.     

咔咯锰(Ⅲ)与锰(V)-氧配合物与含氮配体的轴向配位性质

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)的BP86方法对含氮配体咪唑、甲基咪唑、异丙基咪唑和吡啶与5,10,15-三(五氟苯基)咔咯锰[(TPFC)Mn^Ⅲ]和5,10,15-三(五氟苯基)咔咯锰氧[(TPFC)Mn^VO]的轴向配位性质进行理论研究.计算结果表明配体能与五重态下的(TPFC)Mn^Ⅲ形成有效的轴向配位作用,结合能绝对值次序为：咪唑>4-甲基咪唑>吡啶,与实验结果一致. 另外,结合能和轴向配位键长数据显示,这些配体不能与基态(单重态)或三重态(TPFC)Mn^VO中的Mn^V原子形成有效的轴向配位作用,自然键轨道(NBO)分析表明其Mn^V没有空的3d 轨道来接受配体的孤对电子,但配体可与三重态下的(TPFC)Mn^VO形成弱的配位作用.     

Unusual oxidation state distributions observed for two mixed-valence heptanuclear manganese disc-like clusters

The synthesis, structures and magnetic properties of two new mixed-valence heptanuclear manganese clusters are described. Both complexes utilize triethanolamine (teaH(3)) as a bridging ligand, displaying near planar, disc-like metal topologies and are of formulae [Mn(II)(4)Mn(IV)(3)(tea)(teaH(2))(3)(peolH)(4)](BF(4))(2)·solv (1) and [Mn(II)(4)Mn(III)(3)F(3)(tea)(teaH)(teaH(2))(2)(piv)(4)(Hpiv)(chp)(3)]·0.5MeCN (2). Compound 1 is a rare mixed-valence compound containing Mn(II) and Mn(IV) ions only and is the first example of a heptanuclear disc with a {Mn(II)(4)Mn(IV)(3)} oxidation state distribution. Compound 2 is a {Mn(II)(4)Mn(III)(3)} complex and displays a unique arrangement of oxidation states within the disc, when compared to other known {Mn(II)(4)Mn(III)(3)} examples. Variable temperature DC and AC magnetic susceptibility studies were carried out for 1 and 2 in the 2-300 K temperature range. Compound 1 displayed an increase in the χ(M)T susceptibility values as the temperature is decreased indicating dominant ferromagnetic interactions are present within the cluster. Fits of the χ(M)T vs. T data reveals an S = 23/2 ground state, with several close lying excited states within 1 cm(-1). Compound 2 displays an overall decrease in the χ(M)T value as the temperature is decreased down to 2 K indicating dominant antiferromagnetic interactions present with a probable S = 4 ground state as determined from the DC and AC susceptibility data.     

Predictions of geometries and multiplicities of the manganese-oxo intermediates in the Jacobsen epoxidation

[formula: see text] The geometries and multiplicities of models of the manganese(III)-salen catalyst and the manganese(V)-oxo Intermediate in the Jacobsen epoxidation were explored with density functional theory (Becke3LYP). Mn(III) complexes are quintet ground states, while ligands influence whether quintet, triplet, or singlet states are lowest in energy for Mn(V)-oxo complexes. Geometries and multiplicities and their implications for stereoselectivity are described.     

金属锰Corrole的脱金属研究

合成了中位带有不同取代基的锰corrole配合物1-Mn, 2-Mn, 3-Mn, 4-Mn,并研究了其酸解和还原脱金属特性。结果表明取代基的性质对脱金属产率有很大的影响。缺电子金属锰corrole的酸解脱金属产率比富电子金属锰corrole高,而还原脱金属产率的顺序则正好相反。     

Synthesis,structures, and properties of a series of four-, five-, and six-coordinate cobalt(III) triazacorrole complexes: the first examples of transition metal corrolazines

The syntheses of the first transition metal corrolazine complexes, in which the meso carbon atoms of a corrole framework have been replaced by N atoms, are reported. Metalation of the corrolazine [(TBP)(8)CzH(3)] (TBP = 4-tert-butylphenyl) (1) with Co(acac)(2) gives [(TBP)(8)CzCo(III)] (2) in good yield. Addition of PPh(3) to 2 in pyridine results in the formation of [(TBP)(8)CzCo(III)(PPh(3))] (3), which was characterized by X-ray crystallography. Likewise, addition of an excess of pyridine to 2 in CH(2)Cl(2) followed by slow diffusion of MeOH gives [(TBP)(8)CzCo(III)(py)(2)] (4) as a crystalline solid, which was also characterized by X-ray crystallography. The crystal structures of 3 and 4 reveal that the corrolazine cavity is significantly smaller ( approximately 0.1 A) than their regular corrole analogues. Characterization of 2-4 by UV-vis spectroscopy reveals some interesting features in the absorption spectra of these compounds, including a dramatic red-shift of the Soret band. In addition, binding of pyridine to 2 was evaluated quantitatively by UV-vis titration, revealing a formation constant of beta(2) = 9.0 x 10(7) M(-)(2), which is larger than any of the regular Co(III) corrole analogues.     

Synthesis, characterization, and reactivities of manganese(V)-oxo porphyrin complexes

The reactions of manganese(III) porphyrin complexes with terminal oxidants, such as m-chloroperbenzoic acid, iodosylarenes, and H(2)O(2), produced high-valent manganese(V)-oxo porphyrins in the presence of base in organic solvents at room temperature. The manganese(V)-oxo porphyrins have been characterized with various spectroscopic techniques, including UV-vis, EPR, 1H and 19F NMR, resonance Raman, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The combined spectroscopic results indicate that the manganese(V)-oxo porphyrins are diamagnetic low-spin (S = 0) species with a longer, weaker Mn-O bond than in previously reported Mn(V)-oxo complexes of non-porphyrin ligands. This is indicative of double-bond character between the manganese(V) ion and the oxygen atom and may be attributed to the presence of a trans axial ligand. The [(Porp)Mn(V)=O](+) species are stable in the presence of base at room temperature. The stability of the intermediates is dependent on base concentration. In the absence of base, (Porp)Mn(IV)=O is generated instead of the [(Porp)Mn(V)=O](+) species. The stability of the [(Porp)Mn(V)=O](+) species also depends on the electronic nature of the porphyrin ligands: [(Porp)Mn(V)=O](+) complexes bearing electron-deficient porphyrin ligands are more stable than those bearing electron-rich porphyrins. Reactivity studies of manganese(V)-oxo porphyrins revealed that the intermediates are capable of oxygenating PPh(3) and thioanisoles, but not olefins and alkanes at room temperature. These results indicate that the oxidizing power of [(Porp)Mn(V)=O](+) is low in the presence of base. However, when the [(Porp)Mn(V)=O](+) complexes were associated with iodosylbenzene in the presence of olefins and alkanes, high yields of oxygenated products were obtained in the catalytic olefin epoxidation and alkane hydroxylation reactions. Mechanistic aspects, such as oxygen exchange between [(Porp)Mn(V)=16O](+) and H(2)(18)O, are also discussed.     

取代基对咔咯锰(V)-氧配合物Mn―O的成键影响

用密度泛函理论(DFT)方法对一系列A₃型咔咯锰(V)氧配合物进行了理论计算. 结果表明: 咔咯锰(V)-氧配合物中Mn―O键是由1 个σ键和2 个π键构成的叁键结构; 当咔咯中位取代基由推电子过渡到拉电子性质时, 咔咯骨架紧缩, Mn―O键缩短, 其拉曼光谱的伸缩振动峰往高波数移动; 取代基与氧原子的静电作用模式由正-负吸引转化为负-负排斥, 导致Mn―O键解离能ΔE减少, 即拉电子基团有利于增强咔咯锰(V)-氧配合物氧原子的活泼性.     

High-valent imido complexes of manganese and chromium corroles

The oxidation reaction of M(tpfc) [M = Mn or Cr and tpfc = tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole] with aryl azides under photolytic or thermal conditions gives the first examples of mononuclear imido complexes of manganese(V) and chromium(V). These complexes have been characterized by NMR, mass spectrometry, UV-vis, EPR, elemental analysis, and cyclic voltammetry. Two X-ray structures have been obtained for Mn(tpfc)(NMes) and Cr(tpfc)(NMes) [Mes = 2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)C(6)H(2)]. Short metal-imido bonds (1.610 and 1.635 Angstroms) as well as nearly linear M-N-C angles are consistent with triple M triple-bond NR bond formation. The kinetics of nitrene [NR] group transfer from manganese(V) corroles to various organic phosphines have been defined. Reduction of the manganese(V) corrolato complex affords phosphine imine and Mn(III) with reaction rates that are sensitive to steric and electronic elements of the phosphine substrate. An analogous manganese complex with a variant corrole ligand containing bromine atoms in the beta-pyrrole positions, Mn(Br(8)tpfc)(NAr), has been prepared and studied. Its reaction with PEt(3) is 250x faster than that of the parent tpfc complex, and its Mn(V/IV) couple is shifted by 370 mV to a more positive potential. The EPR spectra of chromium(V) imido corroles reveal a rich signal at ambient temperature consistent with Cr(V) triple-bond NR (d(1), S = 1/2) containing a localized spin density in the d(xy) orbital, and an anisotropic signal at liquid nitrogen temperature. Our results demonstrate the synthetic utility of organic aryl azides in the preparation of mononuclear metal imido complexes previously considered elusive, and suggest strong sigma-donation as the underlying factor in stabilizing high-valent metals by corrole ligands.     

Fe(II) in different macrocycles: electronic structures and properties

A theoretical comparative study of complexes of porphyrin (P), porphyrazine (Pz), phthalocyanine (Pc), porphycene (Pn), dibenzoporphycene (DBPn), and hemiporphyrazine (HPz) with iron (Fe) has been carried out using a density functional theory (DFT) method. The difference in the core size and shape of the macrocycle has a substantial effect on the electronic structure and properties of the overall system. The ground states of FeP and FePc were identified to be the 3A2g [(d(xy))2(d(z)2)2(d(pi))2] state, followed by 3E(g) [(d(xy))2(d(z)2)1(d(pi))3]. For FePz, however, the 3E(g)-3A2g energy gap of 0.02 eV may be too small to distinguish between the ground and excited states. When the symmetry of the macrocycle is reduced from D4h to D2h, the degeneracy of the d(pi) (d(xz), d(yz)) orbitals is removed, and the ground state becomes 3B2g [(d(xy))2(d(z)2)1(d(yz))2(d(xz))1] or 3B3g [...(d(yz))1(d(xz))2] for FePn, FeDBPn, and FeHPz. The calculations also show how the change of the macrocycle can influence the axial ligand coordination of pyridine (Py) and CO to the Fe(II) complexes. Finally, the electronic structures of the mono- and dipositive and -negative ions for all the unligated and ligated iron macrocycles were elucidated, which is important for understanding the redox properties of these compounds. The differences in the observed electrochemical (oxidation and reduction) properties between metal porphycenes (MPn) and metal porphyrins (MP) can be accounted for by the calculated results (orbital energy level diagrams, ionization potentials, and electron affinities).     

Tetranuclear polybipyridyl complexes of Ru(II) and Mn(II), their electro- and photo-induced transformation into di-mu-oxo Mn(III)Mn(IV) hexanuclear complexes

Three heterotetranuclear complexes, [{Ru(II)(bpy)(2)(L(n))}(3)Mn(II)](8+) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, n = 2, 4, 6), in which a Mn(II)-tris-bipyridine-like centre is covalently linked to three Ru(II)-tris-bipyridine-like moieties using bridging bis-bipyridine L(n) ligands, have been synthesised and characterised. The electrochemical, photophysical and photochemical properties of these complexes have been investigated in CH(3)CN. The cyclic voltammograms of the three complexes exhibit two successive very close one-electron metal-centred oxidation processes in the positive potential region. The first, which is irreversible, corresponds to the Mn(II)/Mn(III) redox system (E(pa) approximately 0.82 V vs Ag/Ag(+) 0.01 M in CH(3)CN-0.1 M Bu(4)NClO(4)), whereas the second which is, reversible, is associated with the Ru(II)/Ru(III) redox couple (E(1/2) approximately 0.91 V). In the negative potential region, three successive reversible four electron systems are observed, corresponding to ligand-based reduction processes. The three stable dimeric oxidized forms of the complexes, [Mn(2)(III,IV)O(2){Ru(II)(bpy)(2)(L(n))}(4)](11+), [Mn(2)(IV,IV)O(2){Ru(II)(bpy)(2)(L(n))}(4)](12+) and [Mn(2)(IV,IV)O(2){Ru(III)(bpy)(2)(L(n))}(4)](16+) are obtained in fairly good yields by sequential electrolyses after consumption of respectively 1.5, 0.5 and 3 electrons per molecule of initial tetranuclear complexes. The formation of the di-micro-oxo binuclear complexes are the result of the instability of the {[Ru(II)(bpy)(2)(L(n))](3)Mn(III)}(9+) species, which react with residual water, via a disproportionation reaction and the release of one ligand, [Ru(II)(bpy)(2)(L(n))](2+). A quantitative yield can be obtained for these reactions if the electrochemical oxidations are performed in the presence of an added external base like 2,6-dimethylpyridine. Photophysical properties of these compounds have been investigated showing that the luminescence of the Ru(II)-tris-bipyridine-like moieties is little affected by the presence of manganese within the tetranuclear complexes. A slight quenching of the excited states of the ruthenium moieties, which occurs by an intramolecular process, has been observed. Measurements made at low concentration (<1 x 10(-5) M) indicate that some decoordination of Mn(2+) arises in 1a-c. These measurements allow the calculation of the association constants for these complexes. Finally, photoinduced oxidation of the tetranuclear complexes has been performed by continuous photolysis experiments in the presence of a large excess of a diazonium salt, acting as a sacrificial oxidant. The three successive oxidation processes, Mn(II)--> Mn(III)Mn(IV), Mn(III)Mn(IV)--> Mn(IV)Mn(IV) and Ru(II)--> Ru(III) are thus obtained, the addition of 2,6-dimethylpyridine in the medium giving an essentially quantitative yield for the two first photo-induced oxidation steps as found for electrochemical oxidation.