Electrochemistry of vitamin B12: Part VII. Role of the base-off/base-on reaction in the oxido-reduction in the B12r-B12s couple in non-aqueous solvents

The cyclic voltammetric study of vitamin B_12r in DMSO shows the importance of the base-on/base-off reaction in the electrochemical reduction mechanism. Depending upon the flux of electrons flowing through the system. part of the base-on complex is reduced through prior opening of the nucleotide side-chain which gives rise to the more easily reduced DMSO-Co(II) complex. The quantitative analysis of the variations of the peak heights with the sweep rate allows the thermodynamic and kinetic characterization of the base-on/base-off reactions to be determined. DMSO thus appears as a stronger ligand toward Co(II) than water, leading to an increased participation of the base-off complex in the reduction process. The greater stability of the DMSO complex is also related to the observation that electron transfer is significantly slower than in the case of the water complex. The importance of the ligand exchange reactions in the reduction of B_12r is confirmed by the effect of pyridine additions. Three complexes then participate in the reduction process, their reduction potentials lying in the order DMSO >Py >Bzm. The reduction mechanism involving the interconversion of the three complexes is described as a function of the electrode potential, the flux of electrons and the pyridine concentration. An estimation of the equilibrium and rate constants of the three ligand exchange reactions is made, based on the variations of the cyclic voltammograms with the sweep rate and the pyridine concentration.     

Ligand-Based Reduction of CO(2) and Release of CO on Iron(II)

A synthetic cycle for the CO(2)-to-CO conversion (with subsequent release of CO) based on iron(II), a redox-active pydridinediimine ligand (PDI), and an O-atom acceptor is reported. This conversion is a passive-type ligand-based reduction, where the electrons for the CO(2) conversion are supplied by the reduced PDI ligand and the ferrous state of the iron is conserved.     

Contribution of the ligand to the electroreduction of CO2 catalyzed by a cobalt(II) macrocyclic complex

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide using hexa-aza-macrocycles derived from the condensation of 1,10-phenanthroline and its Co(II) complex as an electrocatalyst dissolved in dimethylformamide has been studied by cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible spectroscopy. The ligand does not show catalytic activity and only generates hydrogen when it is reduced under carbon dioxide. The cobalt complex shows electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of carbon dioxide, generating carbon monoxide and formic acid. Cyclic voltammetry and UV-visible spectroscopy show that the active site for the reduction is the metal center in oxidation state (I), although the reduced cobalt center alone is not enough to promote reduction of the carbon dioxide. Electrolysis at controlled potential shows that only at potentials corresponding to reduction of the ligand (second reduction) does carbon dioxide reduction occur. Cobalt(I) probably reacts with CO₂ forming a non-isolated intermediate which, when reduced, gives CO and formic acid. The second reduction that takes place on the ligand regenerates the catalyst and gives products, thus becoming the rate-determining step of the reaction.     

Mechanism of Redox‐Active Ligand‐Assisted Nitrene‐Group Transfer in a ZrIV Complex: Direct Ligand‐to‐Ligand Charge Transfer Preferred

The mechanism of the nitrene‐group transfer reaction from an organic azide to isonitrile catalyzed by a Zr^IV d⁰ complex carrying a redox‐active ligand was studied by using quantum chemical molecular‐modeling methods. The key step of the reaction involves the two‐electron reduction of the azide moiety to release dinitrogen and provide the nitrene fragment, which is subsequently transferred to the isonitrile substrate. The reducing equivalents are supplied by the redox‐active bis(2‐iso‐propylamido‐4‐methoxyphenyl)‐amide ligand. The main focus of this work is on the mechanism of this redox reaction, in particular, two plausible mechanistic scenarios are considered: 1) the metal center may actively participate in the electron‐transfer process by first recruiting the electrons from the redox‐active ligand and becoming formally reduced in the process, followed by a classical metal‐based reduction of the azide reactant. 2) Alternatively, a non‐classical, direct ligand‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer process can be envisioned, in which no appreciable amount of electron density is accumulated at the metal center during the course of the reaction. Our calculations indicate that the non‐classical ligand‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer mechanism is much more favorable energetically. Utilizing a series of carefully constructed putative intermediates, both mechanistic scenarios were compared and contrasted to rationalize the preference for ligand‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer mechanism.     

Binuclear Robson type Ni(ii) complex as a reactant supplementing our knowledge of the orientation effects in electrochemical kinetics

The multistep reduction of a binuclear Ni(ii) Robson-type complex with a multidentate template-like organic ligand (formed from 4-tert-butyl-2,6-diformylphenol and 1,3-diaminopropane), Ni(2)L, is studied using the electron photoemission technique. The number of transferred electrons corresponding to a single reduction wave is found to be 8 per complex species. This value is attributed to both complete Ni(ii) reduction (with Ni metal formation) and ligand reduction. Contributions of Ni(ii) and ligand to acceptor orbital were estimated. Three initial subsequent steps correspond to electron transfer to mixed metal-ligand orbital with comparable contributions. For more deep reduction, ligand contribution predominates. The first single-electron step is evidenced to be rate-determining, with the rate constant of 0.03 cm(2) s(-1). The latter value is discussed in the framework of a semiquantitative analysis of the rate constants estimated in the framework of quantum-mechanical electron transfer theory for different orientations of Ni(2)L in the reaction layer. The analysis includes estimations of key kinetic parameters (electronic transmission coefficient, solvent- and intramolecular contributions to the total reorganization energy) which strongly rest on the results of quantum chemical modeling. The transmission coefficients at realistic electrode-reactant distances of the closest approach are below 0.001. This means that despite of the noticeable delocalization of Ni(2)L acceptor orbital, the electron transfer is diabatic. Predominating contribution to reorganization energy results from solvent and does not exceed 0.5 eV for any reactant orientation. The highest reactivity is predicted for a planar orientation located mostly outside the compact part of electric double layer. The Ni(2)L adsorption in planar and vertical orientations on mercury is addressed as well. The results give a clear explanation of the previously observed self-inhibition of "dark" reduction of Ni(2)L on mercury and independent data on the adsorption of these species. The discovered combination of various orientation effects is compared with effects observed for other reactants.     

Quaternary ammonium oxidative demethylation: X-ray crystallographic, resonance Raman, and UV-visible spectroscopic analysis of a Rieske-type demethylase

Herein, the structure resulting from in situ turnover in a chemically challenging quaternary ammonium oxidative demethylation reaction was captured via crystallographic analysis and analyzed via single-crystal spectroscopy. Crystal structures were determined for the Rieske-type monooxygenase, stachydrine demethylase, in the unliganded state (at 1.6 ? resolution) and in the product complex (at 2.2 ? resolution). The ligand complex was obtained from enzyme aerobically cocrystallized with the substrate stachydrine (N,N-dimethylproline). The ligand electron density in the complex was interpreted as proline, generated within the active site at 100 K by the absorption of X-ray photon energy and two consecutive demethylation cycles. The oxidation state of the Rieske iron-sulfur cluster was characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy throughout X-ray data collection in conjunction with resonance Raman spectra collected before and after diffraction data. Shifts in the absorption band wavelength and intensity as a function of absorbed X-ray dose demonstrated that the Rieske center was reduced by solvated electrons generated by X-ray photons; the kinetics of the reduction process differed dramatically for the liganded complex compared to unliganded demethylase, which may correspond to the observed turnover in the crystal.     

Structure and bonding in monomeric iron(III) complexes with terminal oxo and hydroxo ligands

We report on the structure and bonding in the title iron(III) complexes, containing the tris[(N'-tert-butylureayl)-N-ethyl]amine ligand, with density functional theory techniques. In agreement with the experimental data, a high-spin electronic state is favored for all of the systems we considered. H bonds between the terminal oxo and hydroxo ligands and NH groups present in the organic ligand coordinated to the metal have a remarkable effect on the overall coordination geometry. In fact, the structure of model complexes without H bonds shows shorter Fe-O bond lengths. This is a consequence of the ability of the H bonds to stabilize a remarkable amount of electron density localized on the terminal oxo and hydroxo ligands. Energy analysis indicates that each H bond stabilizes the nonheme complexes by roughly 35 kJ/mol. Molecular orbital analysis indicates a reduction of two Fe-O bonding electrons on going from a complex with a terminal oxo ligand to a complex with a terminal hydroxo ligand. This reduction in the number of bonding electrons is also supported by frequency analysis.     

Design and synthesis of a 4-(2'-pyridyl)-1,2,3,5-dithiadiazolyl cobalt complex

The 4-(2'-pyridyl)-1,2,3,5-dithiadiazolyl neutral radical 1 has been prepared for use as a spin-bearing bidentate ligand. The coordination of this ligand to bis(hexafluoroacetylacetonato)cobalt affords a thermally stable complex 2. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of the crystalline complex indicate ferromagnetic coupling between the ligand-centered spin and the unpaired electrons of the high-spin Co(II).     

Multielectron photoreduction of a bridged ruthenium dimer, [(phen)2Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)2][PF6]4: aqueous reactivity and chemical and spectroelectrochemical identification of the photoproducts

The dinuclear ruthenium(II) complex [(phen)(2)Ru(tatpp)Ru(phen)(2)][PF(6)](4) (P) (where phen is 1,10-phenanthroline and tatpp is 9,11,20,22-tetraazatetrapyrido[3,2-a:2'3'-c:3' ',2' '-l:2' ",3' "]pentacene) is shown to accept up to four electrons and two protons on the central tatpp bridging ligand via a combination of stoichiometric chemical reductions and protonations and spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) in acetonitrile. The absorption spectra of seven distinct species related by reduction and/or protonation of the central tatpp ligand were obtained and the two sequential photoproducts obtained from visible irradiation of P in acetonitrile (with 0.25 M triethylamine (TEA)) thus identified as P(-) (singly reduced, nonprotonated P) and HP(-) (doubly reduced, monoprotonated P), respectively. Importantly, the photochemical activity is maintained in mixed water-acetonitrile (1:4) solutions under basic conditions, and the protonation state of the photoproducts is readily controlled by varying the solution pH between 8 and 12. Absorption spectra obtained by SEC under similar solvent conditions were virtually identical to those obtained photochemically, and thus the doubly reduced photoproducts were identified as P(2)(-) (pH 12), HP(-) (pH 10), and H(2)()P (pH 8). This last photoproduct, H(2)()P, is particularly promising with respect to solar hydrogen production in that it can be produced in the presence of water and its dehydrogenation under appropriate conditions could yield H(2) and regenerate P. A qualitative MO diagram is presented as a framework for understanding the observed optical transitions as a function of oxidation and protonation state.     

Redox-Switchable Complexes Based on Nanographene-NHCs

A series of rhodium and iridium complexes with a N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand decorated with a perylene-diimide-pyrene moiety are described. Electrochemical studies reveal that the complexes can undergo two successive one-electron reduction events, associated to the reduction of the PDI moiety attached to the NHC ligand. The reduction of the ligand produces a significant increase on its electron-donating character, as observed from the infrared spectroelectrochemical studies. The rhodium complex was tested in the [3+2] cycloaddition of diphenylcyclopropenone and methylphenylacetylene, where it displayed a redox-switchable behavior. The neutral complex showed moderate activity, which was suppressed when the catalyst was reduced.     

Kinetic and mechanistic investigations of multielectron transfer reactions induced by stored electrons in TiO2 nanoparticles: a stopped flow study

The kinetics and the mechanism of various multielectron transfer reactions initiated by stored electrons in TiO(2) nanoparticles have been investigated employing the stopped flow technique. Moreover, the optical properties of the stored electrons in the TiO(2) nanoparticles have been studied in detail following the UV (A) photolysis of deaerated aqueous suspensions of TiO(2) nanoparticles in the presence of methanol. The reduction of common electron acceptors that are often present in photocatalytic systems such as O(2), H(2)O(2), and NO(3)(-) has been investigated. The experimental results clearly show that the stored electrons reduce O(2) and H(2)O(2) to water by multielectron transfer processes. Moreover, NO(3)(-) is reduced via the transfer of eight electrons evincing the formation of ammonia. On the other hand, the reduction of toxic metal ions, such as Cu(II), has been studied mixing their respective anoxic aqueous solutions with those containing the electrons stored in the TiO(2) particles. A two-electron transfer is found to occur, indicating the reduction of the copper metal ion into its non toxic metallic form. Other metal ions, such as Zn(II) and Mn(II), could not be reduced by TiO(2) electrons, which is readily explained on the bases of their respective redox potentials. The underlying reaction mechanisms are discussed in detail.     

Tuning the Electron Storage Potential of a Charge-Photoaccumulating RuII Complex by a DFT-Guided Approach

Molecular photosensitizers that are able to store multiple reducing equivalents are of great interest in the field of solar fuel production, where most reactions involve multielectronic reduction processes. In order to increase the reducing power of a ruthenium tris-diimine charge-photoaccumulating complex, two structural modifications on its fused dipyridophenazine-pyridoquinolinone ligand were computationally investigated. Addition of an electron-donating oxime group was calculated to substantially decrease the reduction potentials of the complex, thus guiding the synthesis of a pyridoquinolinone-oxime derivative. Its spectroscopic and (spectro)electrochemical characterization experimentally confirmed the DFT predictions, with the first and second reduction processes cathodically shifted by −0.24 and −0.14 V, respectively, compared to the parent complex. Moreover, the ability of this novel artificial photosynthetic system to store two photogenerated electrons at a more reducing potential, via a proton-coupled electron-transfer mechanism, was demonstrated.     

Directed Design of a AuI Complex with a Reduced Mesoionic Carbene Radical Ligand: Insights from 1,2,3-Triazolylidene Selenium Adducts and Extensive Electrochemical Investigations

Carbene-based radicals are important for both fundamental and applied chemical research. Herein, extensive electrochemical investigations of nine different 1,2,3-triazolylidene selenium adducts are reported. It is found that the half-wave potentials of the first reduction of the selones correlate with their calculated LUMO levels and the LUMO levels of the corresponding triazolylidene-based mesoionic carbenes (MICs). Furthermore, unexpected quasi-reversibility of the reduction of two triazoline selones, exhibiting comparable reduction potentials, was discovered. Through UV/Vis/NIR and EPR spectroelectrochemical investigations supported by DFT calculations, the radical anion was unambiguously assigned to be triazoline centered. This electrochemical behavior was transferred to a triazolylidene-type MIC-gold phenyl complex resulting in a MIC-radical coordinated Au^I species. Apart from UV-Vis-NIR and EPR spectroelectrochemical investigations of the reduction, the reduced gold-coordinated MIC radical complex was also formed in situ in the bulk through chemical reduction. This is the first report of a monodentate triazolylidene-based MIC ligand that can be reduced to its anion radical in a metal complex. The results presented here provide design principles for stabilizing radicals based on MICs.     

Photochemical two-electron reduction of a dinuclear ruthenium complex containing a bent tetraazatetrapyridopentacene bridging ligand: pushing up the LUMO for storing more energy

The synthesis and characterization of a ditopic bridging ligand, 9,12,21,22-tetraazatetrapyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c:3″2″-m:2',3'-o]pentaphene (tatppα) and its dinuclear ruthenium complex, [(phen)(2)Ru(tatppα)Ru(phen)(2)][PF(6)](4) (1(4+)), are described. The tatppα ligand is structurally very similar to 9,10,20,33-tetraazatetrapyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c:3″,2″-l:2',3'-n]pentacene (tatppβ), except that, instead of a linear tetraazapentacene backbone, tatppα has an ortho (or α) substitution pattern about the central benzene ring, leading to a 120° bend. Complex 1(4+) shows tatppα-based reductions at -0.73 and -1.14 V vs Ag/AgCl/saturated KCl and has an absorption spectrum showing the typical Ru(II) dπ → phen-like π* metal-to-ligand charge-transfer transition centered at ～450 nm. In acetonitrile, visible-light irradiation of 1(4+) in the presence of triethylamine leads to two sequential changes in the absorption spectra, which are assigned to the formation of the one- and two-electron-reduced species, with the electrons stored on the tatppα ligand. These assignments were made by comparison of the spectral changes observed in 1(4+) upon stoichiometric chemical reduction with cobaltocene and by spectroelectrochemical analysis. Significantly, DFT calculations are very predictive of the optical and reductive behavior of the tatppα complex relative to the tatppβ complexes and show that modeling is a useful tool for ligand design. The chemical reactivity and differential reflectance spectroelectrochemical data reveal that the reductions are accompanied by radical dimerization of the tatppα ligand to species such as σ-{1}(2)(6+), which is only slowly reversible upon exposure to air and may limit the complexe's 1(4+) utility for driving photochemical H(2) production.     

Electrochemical reduction of S-oxides of diphenyl disulfide: Part II. Polarography in aqueous ethanol

In 50% ethanol the polarographic reduction of the S-oxides of diphenyl disulfide results in a fission of the sulfur-sulfur bond. Diphenyl disulfone is reduced by 2 electrons per molecle with benzenesulfinate ion as reduction product and gives rise to one polarographic wave. In the polarograms of phenyl benzenethiolsulfonate as well as phenyl benzenethiolsul-finate several waves appear due to the intermediate formation of a mercury compound, which is strongly adsorbed at the mercury electrode. Under polarographic and coulometric conditions the thiolsulfonate is reduced by 2 electrons in all with benzenesulfinate ion and thiophenol as reduction products. The total limiting current of the thiolsulfinate corresponds to a reduction by 4 electrons whereas 3 electrons per molecule are exchanged in coulometric experiments at a Hg-pool with thiophenol as the main reduction product.     

A theoretical study of a drastic structural change of bis(phthalocyaninato)lanthanide by ligand oxidation: Towards control of ligand field strength and magnetism of single-lanthanide-ionic single molecule magnet

A quantum chemical study based on the density functional theory (DFT) on anionic and cationic bis(phthalocyaninato)lanthanides revealed that removal of two electrons from the anionic complex shortens considerably the separation between phthalocyaninato (Pc) ligands. This suggests that [Pc₂Tb]⁺, which is generated by two-electron oxidation from the [Pc₂Tb]⁻ SMM previously reported, can have significantly larger ligand field splitting than the original anionic form.     

Boosting Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on Metal–Organic Frameworks via Ligand Doping

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction relies on the availability of highly efficient and selective catalysts. Herein, we report a general strategy to boost the activity of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) towards CO₂ reduction via ligand doping. A strong electron‐donating molecule of 1,10‐phenanthroline was doped into Zn‐based MOFs of zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (ZIF‐8) as CO₂ reduction electrocatalyst. Experimental and theoretical evidences reveal that the electron‐donating nature of phenanthroline enables a charge transfer, which induces adjacent active sites at the sp² C atoms in the imidazole ligand possessing more electrons, and facilitates the generation of *COOH, hence leading to improved activity and Faradaic efficiency towards CO production.     

Mechanism of N2O reduction by the mu4-S tetranuclear CuZ cluster of nitrous oxide reductase

Reaction thermodynamics and potential energy surfaces are calculated using density functional theory to investigate the mechanism of the reductive cleavage of the N-O bond by the mu(4)-sulfide-bridged tetranuclear Cu(Z) site of nitrous oxide reductase. The Cu(Z) cluster provides an exogenous ligand-binding site, and, in its fully reduced 4Cu(I) state, the cluster turns off binding of stronger donor ligands while enabling the formation of the Cu(Z)-N(2)O complex through enhanced Cu(Z) --> N(2)O back-donation. The two copper atoms (Cu(I) and Cu(IV)) at the ligand-binding site of the cluster play a crucial role in the enzymatic function, as these atoms are directly involved in bridged N(2)O binding, bending the ligand to a configuration that resembles the transition state (TS) and contributing the two electrons for N(2)O reduction. The other atoms of the Cu(Z) cluster are required for extensive back-bonding with minimal sigma ligand-to-metal donation for the N(2)O activation. The low reaction barrier (18 kcal mol(-)(1)) of the direct cleavage of the N-O bond in the Cu(Z)-N(2)O complex is due to the stabilization of the TS by a strong Cu(IV)(2+)-O(-) bond. Due to the charge transfer from the Cu(Z) cluster to the N(2)O ligand, noncovalent interactions with the protein environment stabilize the polar TS and reduce the activation energy to an extent dependent on the strength of proton donor. After the N-O bond cleavage, the catalytic cycle consists of a sequence of alternating protonation/one-electron reduction steps which return the Cu(Z) cluster to the fully reduced (4Cu(I)) state for future turnover.     

Redox‐Active Ligand‐Induced Homolytic Bond Activation

Coordination of the novel redox‐active phosphine‐appended aminophenol pincer ligand (PNO^H2) to Pd^II generates a paramagnetic complex with a persistent ligand‐centered radical. The complex undergoes fully reversible single‐electron oxidation and reduction. Homolytic bond activation of diphenyldisulfide by the single‐electron reduced species leads to a ligand‐based mixed‐valent dinuclear palladium complex with a single bridging thiolate ligand. Mechanistic investigations support an unprecedented intramolecular ligand‐to‐disulfide single‐electron transfer process to induce homolytic S? S cleavage, thereby releasing a thiyl (sulfanyl) radical. This could be a new strategy for small‐molecule bond activation.     

Synthesis and Coordination Ability of a Donor-Stabilised Bis-Phosphinidene

Chelating phosphines have long been a mainstay as efficient directing ligands in transition-metal catalysis. Low-valent derivatives, namely chelating phosphinidenes, are to date unknown, and could lead to chelating complexes containing more than one metal centre due to the intrisic capacity of phosphinidenes to bind two metal fragments at one P-centre. Here we describe the synthesis of the first such chelating bis-phosphinidene ligand, XantP₂ ( 2 ), generated by the reduction of a diphosphino xanthene derivative, Xant(PH₂)₂ ( 1 ) with ^iPrNHC (^iPrNHC=[:C{N(iPr)C(H)}₂]). Initial studies have shown that this novel chelating ligand can act as a bidentate ligand towards element dihalides (i.e. FeCl₂, ZnI₂, GeCl₂, SnBr₂), forming cationic complexes with the tetryl elements. In contrast, XantP₂ demonstrates an ability to bind multiple metal centres in the reaction with CuCl, leading to a cationic Cu₃P₃ ring complex, with Cu centres bridged by phosphinidene arms. Density Functional Theory calculations show that 2 indeed holds 4 lone pairs of electrons, shedding further light on the coordination capacity for this novel ligand class through observation of directionality and hybridisation of these electron pairs.