Thiocyanate linkage isomerism in a ruthenium polypyridyl complex

Ruthenium polypyridyl complexes have seen extensive use in solar energy applications. One of the most efficient dye-sensitized solar cells produced to date employs the dye-sensitizer N719, a ruthenium polypyridyl thiocyanate complex. Thiocyanate complexes are typically present as an inseparable mixture of N-bound and S-bound linkage isomers. Here we report the synthesis of a new complex, [Ru(terpy)(tbbpy)SCN][SbF(6)] (terpy = 2,2';6',2'-terpyridine, tbbpy = 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine), as a mixture of N-bound and S-bound thiocyanate linkage isomers that can be separated based on their relative solubility in ethanol. Both isomers have been characterized spectroscopically and by X-ray crystallography. At elevated temperatures the isomers equilibrate, the product being significantly enriched in the more thermodynamically stable N-bound form. Density functional theory analysis supports our experimental observation that the N-bound isomer is thermodynamically preferred, and provides insight into the isomerization mechanism.     

Single- and double-linkage isomerism in a six-coordinate iron porphyrin containing nitrosyl and nitro ligands

Density Functional theoretical calculations confirm the experimental observation that the low-temperature photolysis of (TPP)Fe(NO)(NO2) (as a KBr pellet) results in the generation of linkage isomers involving the axial NO and NO2 groups and suggest the possible formation of the double linkage isomer (TPP)Fe(ON)(ONO). The energy difference between the ground state (porphine)Fe(NO)(NO2) and the double-linkage isomer (porphine)Fe(ON)(ONO) is 1.57 eV, which is comparable to the 1.59 eV calculated previously for the nitrosyl-to-isonitrosyl linkage isomerism in the five-coordinate (porphine)Fe(NO) analogue.     

On the bond-stretch isomerism in the benzo[1,2:4,5]dicyclobutadiene system--an ab initio MR-AQCC study.

Bond-stretch isomerism in benzo[1,2:4,5]dicyclobutadienle (BDCB) has been investigated using the MR-AQCC/6-31G(d) method, a high-level multireference ab initio approach including size-extensivity corrections. The applied theoretical approach includes both nondynamical and dynamical electron correlation effects. Full MR-AQCC geometry optimizations of localized (1) and delocalized (3) isomers as well as the transition structure (TS) have been determined using D2h, symmetry restriction. The calculations show that both isomers are approximately of equal stability separated by a barrier with a height of about 5 kcal mol(-1). Thus, the present results strongly indicate that benzof[1,3:4,5]dicyclobutadiene is a very good candidate for an organic compound exhibiting bond-stretch isomerism, since isomers 1 and 3 correspond to true minima on the double-well potential energy surface, which are separated by a sufficiently high barrier. It is particularly important to emphasize that isomer 3 represents a realization of the highly elusive quasi-[10]annulene.     

Macromolecular Isomerism in Giant Molecules

Macromolecular isomerism has been an important yet largely understudied subject. Giant molecules based on molecular nanoparticles exhibit properties highly dependent on the primary structures, providing a platform for such studies. Various isomers have been designed, synthesized and characterized, including sequence-, regio-, and topo-isomers. The self-assembly of these isomers is influenced by the distinct symmetry and collective interaction of each building block in a subtle and delicate way. The results suggest that isomerism may be exploited as a new way for fine-tuning the structures and properties of macromolecules, which should be of great interest in both fundamental research and technical innovation.     

Linkage isomerism in coordination polymers

The use of the recently prepared polynitrile ligand tcnopr3OH(-) ([(NC)(2)CC(OCH(2)CH(2)CH(2)OH)C(CN)(2)](-)) with different salts of Fe(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) has led to a very rare example of linkage isomerism in a coordination chain. These pairs of linkage isomers can be formulated as [M(tcnopr3OH-κN,κO)(2)(H(2)O)(2)]; M = Fe (1), Co (3), and Ni(5) and [M(tcnopr3OH-κN,κN')(2)(H(2)O)(2)]; M = Fe (2), Co (4), and Ni (6). Compounds 1-2, 3-4, and 5-6 are three pairs of linkage isomers since they present the same formula and chain structure and they only differ in the connectivity of the polynitrile ligand bridging the metal ions in the chain: through a N and an O atom (1κN:2κO-isomer) or through two N atoms (1κN:2κN'-isomer). The magnetic properties show, as expected, very similar behaviors for both isomers.     

Exploring the rotational isomerism in non-classical Wells-Dawson anions {W18X}: a combined theoretical and mass spectrometry study

We present a combined theoretical and mass spectrometry study of the rotational isomerism of the non-classical Wells-Dawson anions. The structure is larger than the Keggin anion and six geometric isomers are predicted (α, β, γ, α*, β*, γ*) on the basis of structural arguments. This work explores the geometrical differences between the isomers and evaluates the stability of these unusual clusters based upon the inclusion of the different heteroatoms. We connect the theoretical results with experimental studies by exploring the fragmentation of the parent clusters by electrospray-ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Both approaches show a general stability trend that can be postulated as follows: γ* > β* > α* > α ? β > γ where the isomers γ*, β* and α are the only anions of this type known to have been synthesised.     

Structural isomers and reactivity for Rh6 and Rh6+

The structure, energetics, and interconversion of isomers of Rh(6) and Rh(6)(+) are studied by using density functional theory with Gaussian basis sets, using guess structures derived from basin-hopping simulations, and obtained by using the Sutton-Chen potential. A large range of spin multiplicities is considered for each isomer. Our calculations suggest two low-lying structures as possible structural isomers: a square bipyramid and a trigonal prism. The reactivity of these two candidate structural isomers with respect to adsorption of nitric oxide is studied via location of reaction transition states and calculation of reaction barriers. Similarities and differences with surface reaction studies are highlighted. These data provide powerful evidence that structural isomerism, and not different spin states, is responsible for the observed biexponential reaction kinetics.     

Stereochemistry of cyclic compounds—I : Synthesis and configurational assignment of diastereomeric 2,4-dioxaspiro[5.5]undec-8-enes

Several 2,4 - dioxaspiro[5.5]undec - 8 - enes have been prepared from the Diels-Alder adducts of butadiene and 2,3-dimethylbutadiene with acrolein. Contrary to literature reports on some 3-substituted derivatives, which were assumed to be pure compounds, it is shown that these spiro compounds are generally obtained as 1:1 mixtures of two diastereomers. The isomers have been separated in the case of the 3-methyl and 3-ethyl derivatives by fractional distillation. On the basis of ¹H NMR spectroscopy, the nature of the isomerism is shown to be of cis, trans type and an unambiguous cofigurational assignment of the isomers has been achieved. Although the diastereomers are of similar topography, they have distinctly different olfactory properties.     

Structure, spectra, and rearrangement mechanism of PH2F3: revisiting a classic problem in structural inorganic chemistry

The structure, spectra, and rearrangement mechanisms of PH2F3, the first member of the PHnF5-n series and a prototype for molecules that undergo rotational isomerism, have been studied. Aided by the tools developed to compute coupled-cluster (CC) Raman intensities and NMR spin-spin couplings, a full spectroscopic characterization of PH2F3 is presented. Moreover, the structures and the energetics of the various stereoisomers are computed at the CC level (CCSD(T)) to assess the validity of proposed rearrangement mechanisms. While corroborating prior experimental IR and NMR assignments, the results are also able to remedy the "speculative" Raman and NMR assignments that lacked reliable computed values when the experiments were done. More importantly, the results identify "spectral fingerprints" that could distinguish various rotational isomers. These data, when used concurrently along with high resolution measurements, form a powerful basis for the characterization of various rotational isomers of PH2F3. A "new" stability diagram and a rearrangement path based on the computed energetic and structure data are obtained. That is far superior to what has been available in the literature.     

Measurement of relative conformational stabilities by variable temperature photoelectron spectroscopy. A study of rotational isomerism in thioanisole

The photoelectron spectra of thioanisole have been recorded over the range of temperature 20-500°C. The observed spectral changes are quantitatively explained in terms of recently proposed rotational isomerism in this molecule. Thereby estimates of the ratio of partition functions of the two dominant isomers as well as of their energy difference are obtained. This analysis constitutes the first quantitative application of photoelectron spectroscopy to internal rotation. It is further shown that semi-empirical quantum chemical results are in harmony with the rotational isomerism concept for thioanisole.     

Diagnostic features for the linkage isomerism of the oximato group: Characterization of some Cu(II), Co(II) and U(VI) complexes of a dioxime schiff-base ligand

The reactions of the dioxime ligand N,N'-ethylenebis(isonitrosoacetylacetoneimine) with Cu(II), Co(II) and U(VI) ions produced metal complexes with the oximato groups coordinated through both oxygens, both nitrogens or one oxygen and one nitrogen. Some interconversion of isomers was observed. The U(VI) complexes reacted with Ni(II) acetate to produce the Ni(II) analogue of the Cu(II) complex with the oxygen coordination isomer. The observed linkage isomerism of the oximato group and the suggested formulations of the metal complexes are based on analytical, electronic and vibrational spectra, and magnetic-moment evidence.     

PEG‐Induced Synthesis of Coordination‐Polymer Isomers with Tunable Architectures and Iodine Capture

Controllable synthesis of coordination polymer (CP) isomers and revealing their structure–property relationships remain enormous challenges. Three new supramolecular isomers have been synthesized by tuning the poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) content in the feed. These supramolecular isomers have the same framework formula of [Cu₂I₂(tppe)] and different architectures from the classical 2D stacking framework to a 3D entangled system with the coexistence of interpenetration and polycatenation, and a 3D topological framework. Interestingly, these CPs could be utilized for capturing iodine molecules. According to multiple complementary experiments and crystallographic analyses, iodine capture is mainly based on halogen‐bond interactions in the inorganic {Cu₂I₂} building blocks of the framework. The present study describes a structure–property relationship in supramolecular isomerism with distinct topological structures.     

Linkage isomerism, structure, and reactivity studies of sulfenamide complexes of cobalt(III)

The S-bonded sulfenamide isomers have been prepared by the known reaction of hydroxylamine-O-sulfonate with (en)(2)Co(III) thiolate complexes of aminoethanethiol, cysteine, and penicillamine and the cis dithiolate formed by N,N'-ethylene-di-penicillamine (EDP) and Co(III). It is shown that the sulfenamides undergo linkage isomerization in alkaline solution to produce their respective N-bonded linkage isomers. The addition of acid yields the protonated N-bonded isomers. The structures of [(en)(2)Co(NH(2)S(CH(2))(2)NH(2))](2)(S(2)O(6))(3) and [Co((NH(2)S)(2)EDP)]Br have been determined by X-ray crystallography, and the pK(a) of [(en)(2)Co(NH(2)S(CH(2))(2)NH(2))](3+) has been determined by spectrophotometry. The pH dependencies of the kinetics of the linkage isomerization reactions have been studied and yield pK(a) values of the S-bonded isomers. The (en)(2)Co systems give only the acid-stable N,N' isomer at equilibrium, whereas the EDP complex gives a mixture of N,N' and N,S isomers at pH 7-9.     

The first photocrystallographic evidence for light-induced metastable linkage isomers of ruthenium sulfur dioxide complexes

Light-induced metastable linkage isomers of trans-[Ru(NH(3))(4)Cl(SO(2))]Cl and trans-[Ru(NH(3))(4)(H(2)O)(SO(2))](C(6)H(5)SO(3))(2) have been identified for the first time using photocrystallographic methods. In both linkage isomers the SO(2) ligand is side bound, but the Ru-O and Ru-S distances are considerably longer and almost equal in the trans-H(2)O isomer. DFT calculations confirm that both isomers correspond to minima on the ground-state potential energy surface and also predict the existence of a second oxygen-bound isomer for both compounds. The decay of the light-induced species has been studied by both DSC and IR. Activation energies for the thermal back-reaction, as derived from the temperature-dependent disappearance of light-induced IR bands, are 50.0 and 58.4 kJ/mol for the two isomers, which is larger than the corresponding numbers for photoinduced side-bound nitrosyl linkage isomers.     

Topological polymer chemistry by dynamic selection from electrostatic polymer self-assembly

A collection of recent developments in topological polymer chemistry is presented. First, topological isomerism occurring on randomly coiled, flexible polymer molecules having cyclic and linear structures is discussed. Second, an electrostatic self-assembly and covalent fixation strategy has been developed for the synthesis of polymeric topological isomers. These isomers have double cyclic, manacle-, and theta-shaped constructions, and are prepared by using either linear or star telechelic polymer precursors having moderately strained cyclic ammonium salt groups, which carry multifunctional carboxylate counteranions. A technique of reversed-phase chromatography (RPC) is demonstrated as an effective means to separate polymers with different topologies, especially polymeric topological isomers. A further extension of topological polymer chemistry has been observed by dynamic selection from electrostatic polymer self-assembly to enable the effective formation of tadpole-shaped, cyclic-linear hybrid topologies.     

Experimental and density functional theoretical investigations of linkage isomerism in six-coordinate FeNO(6) iron porphyrins with axial nitrosyl and nitro ligands

A critical component of the biological activity of NO and nitrite involves their coordination to the iron center in heme proteins. Irradiation (330 < lambda < 500 nm) of the nitrosyl-nitro compound (TPP)Fe(NO)(NO(2)) (TPP = tetraphenylporphyrinato dianion) at 11 K results in changes in the IR spectrum associated with both nitro-to-nitrito and nitrosyl-to-isonitrosyl linkage isomerism. Only the nitro-to-nitrito linkage isomer is obtained at 200 K, indicating that the isonitrosyl linkage isomer is less stable than the nitrito linkage isomer. DFT calculations reveal two ground-state conformations of (porphine)Fe(NO)(NO(2)) that differ in the relative axial ligand orientations (i.e., GS parallel and GS perpendicular). In both conformations, the FeNO group is bent (156.4 degrees for GS parallel, 159.8 degrees for GS perpendicular) for this formally {FeNO}(6) compound. Three conformations of the nitrosyl-nitrito isomer (porphine)Fe(NO)(ONO) (MSa parallel, MSa perpendicular, and MSa(L)) and two conformations of the isonitrosyl-nitro isomer (porphine)Fe(ON)(NO(2)) (MSb parallel and MSb perpendicular) are identified, as are three conformations of the double-linkage isomer (porphine)Fe(ON)(ONO) (MSc parallel, MSc perpendicular, MSc(L)). Only 2 of the 10 optimized geometries contain near-linear FeNO (MSa(L)) and FeON (MSc(L)) bonds. The energies of the ground-state and isomeric structures increase in the order GS < MSa < MSb < MSc. Vibrational frequencies for all of the linkage isomers have been calculated, and the theoretical gas-phase absorption spectrum of (porphine)Fe(NO)(NO(2)) has been analyzed to obtain information on the electronic transitions responsible for the linkage isomerization. Comparison of the experimental and theoretical IR spectra does not provide evidence for the existence of a double linkage isomer of (TPP)Fe(NO)(NO(2)).     

Probing the photoinduced metal-nitrosyl linkage isomerism of sodium nitroprusside in solution using transient infrared spectroscopy

We study photoinduced metal-nitrosyl linkage isomerism in sodium nitroprusside (Na(2)[Fe(II)(CN)(5)NO]·2H(2)O, SNP) dissolved in methanol using picosecond transient infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The high sensitivity of this technique allows the simultaneous observation of two known metastable (MS) iron-nitrosyl linkage isomers of SNP, [Fe(II)(CN)(5)(η(1)-ON)](2-) (MS1) and [Fe(II)(CN)(5)(η(2)-NO)](2-) (MS2), at room temperature. The transient population of free nitrosyl radicals (NO·) is also measured in the sample solution. These three transient species are detected using their distinct nitrosyl stretching frequencies at 1794 cm(-1) (MS1), 1652 cm(-1) (MS2), and 1851 cm(-1) (NO·). The metastable isomers and NO· are formed on a subpicosecond time scale and have lifetimes greater than 100 ns. A UV (400 nm)-pump power dependence study reveals that MS1 can be formed with one photon, while MS2 requires two photons to be populated at room temperature in solution. Other photodissociation products including cyanide ion, Prussian blue, and [Fe(III)(CN)(5)(CH(3)OH)](2-) are observed. We develop a photochemical kinetic scheme to model our data, and the analysis reveals that photoisomerization and photodissociation of the metal-NO moiety are competing photochemical pathways in SNP dissolved in methanol at room temperature. Based on the analysis, the solvent-associated Fe(III) species and Prussian blue form on a 130 and 320 ps time scale, respectively. The simultaneous detection and characterization of photoinduced linkage isomerism (MS1 and MS2) and photodissociation of the metal-NO bond in SNP highlights the importance of understanding the role played by metastable metal-nitrosyl linkage isomers in the photochemistry of metal-nitrosyl compounds in chemistry and biology.     

Group-theoretical discussion on the E/Z-nomenclature for ethylene derivatives. Discrimination between RS-stereoisomeric groups and stereoisomeric groups

The hierarchy of point groups, RS-stereoisomeric groups, stereoisomeric groups, and isoskeletal groups is discussed to comprehend the chirality, RS-stereogenicity, stereogenicity, and isoskeletal isomerism for ethylene derivatives. The RS-stereoisomeric groups for ethylene derivatives have been clarified not to coincide with their stereoisomeric groups, so that diastereomers (E/Z-isomers) are not identical with RS-diastereomers. To discuss the relationship among RS-diastereomers, m-diastereomers, and isoskeletal isomers, we have proposed the concepts of extended stereoisograms and extended stereoisogram sets, where the term "m-diastereomers" is coined to show its difference from the traditional term "diastereomer". Thereby, ethylene derivatives are classified into Types II-II/II-II/II-II, IV-IV/IV-IV/IV-IV, etc. on the basis of relevant stereoisograms (Types I to V). The stereoisomerism of ethylenes has been concluded to be treated in terms of m-diastereomers characterized by the E/Z-nomenclature but not to be treated in terms of RS-diastereomers characterized by the RS-nomenclaure.     

Isomerism of metal complexes with the boron cluster anions B10H 102? and B12H 122?

A new type of inner-sphere isomerism in coordination chemistry observed in metal complexes with boron cluster anions B _n H _n ²⁻ (n = 10, 12) is discussed. Specific structure of the closo-borohydride anions gives rise to edge and facial isomers, among which mirror isomers have been found. Examples of edge and facial isomers of metal complexes with the B₁₀H₁₀²⁻ and B₁₂H₁₂²⁻, anions obtained experimentally and studied by X-ray diffraction are considered. Analysis of their structure revealed a new type of isomerism, which was called “positional.”     

Synthesis,characterization, DFT calculations and antimicrobial activity of pentagonal-bipyramidal Zn(II) and Cd(II) complexes with 2,6-diacetylpyridine-bis(trimethylammoniumacetohydrazone)

Isothiocyanate complexes of Zn(II) and Cd(II) with the condensation product of 2,6-diacetylpyridine and trimethylammoniumacetohydrazide (Girard’s T reagent) were synthesized, characterized, and their antimicrobial activities were evaluated. The structures of the complexes were determined by elemental analysis, IR, and NMR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of the Zn(II) complex was also determined. Quantum-chemical calculations of the geometry and total energy of isomers of 2,6-diacetylpyridine-bis(trimethylammoniumacetohydrazone) were performed in vacuum and methanol solution, with the aim to explain conformational behavior and E/Z isomerism of this compound. DFT calculations of the molecular structures and the relative stabilities of linkage isomers of the Cd(II) complex showed that the isomer with N–Cd–N coordination of SCN^? is the most stable. Complexes of Zn(II) and Cd(II) exhibited low to moderate activity against the tested microbial strains.