Non-linear correlations between formal potential and Hammett parameters of substituted iron phthalocyanines and catalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of hydrazine

The activity of the different iron phthalocyanines was examined using the complexes adsorbed on graphite electrodes. The effect of the Fe(II)/(I) formal potential of iron phthalocyanines on the their catalytic activity for the electro-oxidation of hydrazine was investigated. A plot of log k (rate constant at constant potential) versus the Fe(II)/(I) formal potential gives a volcano curve. The rate of the reaction increases with the driving force of the catalyst (measured as its formal potential) and then decreases for higher driving forces. A similar graph is obtained with a plot of log k versus the sum of the Hammett parameters of the substituents on the periphery of the phthalocyanine ligand. A maximum activity is obtained for a complexes having an M(II)/(I) redox potential close to –0.6 V which agrees with previous studies conducted with phthalocyanines of different metals and with cobalt phthalocyanines bearing different substituents.Dedicated to Prof. Wolf Vielstich on the occasion of his 80th birthday in recognition of his numerous contributions to interfacial electrochemistry.     

Volcano correlations for the reactivity of surface-confined cobalt N<Subscript>4</Subscript>-macrocyclics for the electrocatalytic oxidation of 2-mercaptoacetate

We have investigated the electrocatalytic activity of several substituted and unsubstituted cobalt–phthalocyanines of substituted tetraphenyl porphyrins and of vitamin B₁₂, for the electro-oxidation of 2-mercaptoacetate, with the complexes pre-adsorbed on a pyrolytic graphite electrode. Several N4-macrocyclic were used to have a wide variety of Co(II)/(I) formal potentials. The electrocatalytic activity, measured as current at constant potential, increases with the Co(II)/(I) redox potential for porphyrins as Co–pentafluorotetraphenylporphyrin < Co–tetrasulfonatotetraphenylporphyrin < Co-2,2′,2″,2‴tetra-aminotetraphenylporphyrin and decreases for cobalt phthalocyanines as Co-3,4-octaethylhexyloxyphthalocyanine > Co–octamethoxyphthalocyanine > Co–tetranitrophthalocyanine Co–tetraaminophthalocyanine > Co–unsubstituted phthalocyanine > Co–tetrasulfonatophthalocyanine > Co–perfluorinated phthalocyanine. Vitamin B₁₂ exhibits the maximum activity. A correlation of log I (at constant potential) versus the Co(II)/(I) formal potential of the catalysts gives a volcano curve. This clearly shows that the search for better catalysts for this reaction point to those N₄-macrocyclic complexes with Co(II)/(I) formal potentials close to −0.84 V versus SCE, which correspond to an optimum situation for the interaction of the thiol with the active site. Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Teresa Iwasita on the occasion of her 65th birthday in recognition of her numerous contributions to interfacial electrochemistry.     

Metallophthalocyanine-based molecular materials as catalysts for electrochemical reactions

Metallophthalocyanines confined on the surface of electrodes are active catalysts for a large variety of electrochemical reactions and electrode surfaces modified by these complexes can be obtained by simple adsorption on graphite and carbon. However, more stable electrodes can be achieved by coating their surfaces with electropolymerized layers of the complexes, that show similar activity than their monomer counterparts. In all cases, fundamental studies carried out with adsorbed layers of these complexes have shown that the redox potential is a very good reactivity index for predicting the catalytic activity of the complexes. Volcano-shaped correlations have been found between the electrocatalytic activity (as log I at constant E) versus the Co(II)/(I) formal potential (E°′) of Co-macrocyclics for the oxidation of several thiols, hydrazine and glucose. For the electroreduction of O₂ only linear correlations between the electrocatalytic activity versus the M(III)/M(II) formal potential have been found using Cr, Mn, Fe and Co phthalocyanines but it is likely that these correlations are “incomplete volcano” correlations. The volcano correlations strongly suggest that E°′, the formal potential of the complex needs to be in a rather narrow potential window for achieving maximum activity, probably corresponding to surface coverages of an M-molecule adduct equal to 0.5 and to standard free energies of adsorption of the reacting molecule on the complex active site equal to zero. These results indicate that the catalytic activity of metallophthalocyanines for the oxidation of several molecules can be “tuned” by manipulating the E°′ formal potential, using proper groups on the macrocyclic ligand. This review emphasizes once more that metallophthalocyanines are extremely versatile materials with many applications in electrocatalysis, electroanalysis, just to mention a few, and they provide very good models for testing their catalytic activity for several reactions. Even though the earlier applications of these complexes were focused on providing active materials for electroreduction of O₂, for making active cathodes for fuel cells, the main trend in the literature nowadays is to use these complexes for making active electrodes for electrochemical sensors.     

Paradoxical effect of the redox potential of adsorbed metallophthalocyanines on their activity for the oxidation of 2-mercaptoethanol. Inner versus outer sphere electrocatalysis

We have studied the effect of the redox potential of metallophthalocyanines (M-Pcs) adsorbed on graphite on their electrocatalytic activity for the oxidation of 2-mercaptoethanol (ME). This was achieved by: (i) changing the metal in the phthalocyanine (M-Pc where M=Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu) and (ii) using cobalt phthalocyanines with electron-donor and electron-withdrawing substituents on the macrocyclic ligand. For phthalocyanines of different metals a plot of log k versus the redox potential of the catalyst gives a straight line of slope 0.10 V decade⁻¹ which is close to the value obtained (0.12 V decade⁻¹) from Tafel plots for all M-Pcs investigated. In contrast, when different substituted cobalt phthalocyanines are compared, a plot of log k versus redox potential gives a straight line of negative slope (−0.240 V decade⁻¹) and the rate decreases with driving force. Since ME electrooxidation in aqueous media most likely proceeds via an inner-sphere mechanism and the rate-determining step is the same for all cobalt phthalocyanines investigated, the decrease in rate constant with driving force may be due to a decrease in the electronic coupling between the cobalt center and the sulfur in ME. Preliminary PM3 semi-empirical theoretical calculations of the electronic coupling associated with the interaction of the metal in the phthalocyanine and the ME molecule support this explanation.     

Optimizing the Electrocatalytic Activity of Surface Confined Co Macrocyclics for the Electrooxidation of Thiocyanate at pH 4

We have studied the trends in catalytic activity of several Co macrocyclics confined on the surface graphite electrodes for the oxidation of thiocyanate. A plot of log i (at constant E) versus the formal potential of the catalyst gives a volcano correlation, indicating that the Co(II/I) redox potential needs to be tuned, in order to achieve maximum reactivity. Graphite electrodes modified with Co phthalocyanine at pH 4 exhibit linear amperometric response for thiocyanate concentration in the range 10^?7 and 10^?3 M. Theoretical calculations show that electrocatalytic activity (as log i at constant E) plotted versus the energy of the LUMO of the Co complex also gives a volcano correlation.     

Electrochemical characterization of Co(II) and Pd(II) phthalocyanines carrying diethoxymalonyl and carboxymethyl substituents

In this study, electrochemical behaviors of Co(II) and Pd(II) phthalocyanines carrying tetrakisdiethoxymalonyl and Pd(II) phthalocyanine carrying tetrakiscarboxymethyl substituents at the peripheral positions are investigated by cyclic voltammetry and applied potential chronocoulometry techniques. Cyclic voltammetric studies show that, while Pd(II) phthalocyanines carrying diethoxymalonyl and carboxymethyl substituents give up to three common phthalocyanine ring reductions, Co(II) phthalocyanine carrying diethoxymalonyl substituents gives a metal-centered oxidation and a metal-centered reduction and three ligand-centered reduction and a ligand-centered oxidation processes. First reduction processes of both the PdPc complexes have shoulders. This different voltammetric behaviors of Pd(II) phthalocyanines carrying carboxymethyl and diethoxymalonyl substituents results from interaction of this distinctive substituents with the phthalocyanine ring π electron system and interaction with the different solvent systems. Observation of the splitting of the first reduction process of Pd(II) phthalocyanines carrying diethoxymalonyl and carboxymethyl substituents suggests the aggregation of the complex. Very small diffusion coefficient of the complexes with respect to Co(II) phthalocyanine also confirms the existence of the aggregation of the complex during the electrochemical studies. Effects of the substituents and the solvent media are clearly observed from the differences of the voltammograms of Pd(II) phthalocyanines carrying diethoxymalonyl and carboxymethyl substituents in DMSO and THF solvent media, respectively. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 36–43. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Synthesis and electrochemical characterization of biphenyl-malonic ester substituted cobalt,copper, and palladium phthalocyanines

Phthalocyanines with four biphenyl-malonic ester groups on the periphery were synthesized by cyclotetramerization of 4-(1,1-dicarbethoxy-2-(4-biphenyl)-ethyl)-phthalonitrile. The new compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, UV–Vis, and MASS spectral data. Electrochemical behaviors of novel Co(II), Cu(II), and Pd(II) phthalocyanines were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, potential differential pulse voltammetry, and applied potential chronocoulometry techniques. While Cu(II) and Pd(II) phthalocyanines give up to four common phthalocyanine ring reductions, Co(II) phthalocyanine gave two ligand-centered and two metal-centered redox processes. HOMO–LUMO gap of the complexes are comparable with the reported MPc papers.     

New tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene chelators for small molecule activation

In an effort to develop new tripodal N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands for small molecule activation, two new classes of tripodal NHC ligands TIME^R and TIMEN^R have been synthesized. The carbon-anchored tris(carbene) ligand system TIME^R (R = Me, t-Bu) forms bi- or polynuclear metal complexes. While the methyl derivative exclusively forms trinuclear 3:2 complexes [(TIME^Me)₂M₃]³⁺ with group 11 metal ions, the tert-butyl derivative yields a dinuclear 2:2 complex [(TIME^t-Bu)₂Cu₂]²⁺ with copper(I). The latter complex shows both “normal” and “abnormal” carbene binding modes and accordingly, is best formulated as a bis(carbene)alkenyl complex. The nitrogen-anchored tris(carbene) ligands TIMEN^R (R = alkyl, aryl) bind to a variety of first-row transition metal ions in 1:1 stoichiometry, affording monomeric complexes with a protected reactivity cavity at the coordinated metal center. Complexes of TIMEN^R with Cu(I)/(II), Ni(0)/(I), and Co(I)/(II)/(III) have been synthesized. The cobalt(I) complexes with the aryl-substituted TIMEN^R (R = mesityl, xylyl) ligands show great potential for small molecule activation. These complexes activate for instance dioxygen to form cobalt(III) peroxo complexes that, upon reaction with electrophilic organic substrates, transfer an oxygen atom. The cobalt(I) complexes are also precursors for terminal cobalt(III) imido complexes. These imido complexes were found to undergo unprecedented intra-molecular imido insertion reactions to form cobalt(II) imine species. The molecular and electronic structures of some representative metal NHC complexes as well as the nature of the metal–carbene bond of these metal NHC complexes was elucidated by X-ray and DFT computational methods and are discussed briefly. In contrast to the common assumption that NHCs are pure σ-donors, our studies revealed non-negligible and even significant π-backbonding in electron-rich metal NHC complexes.     

Synthesis and electrochemistry of tetrakis(7-coumarinthio-4-methyl)-phthalocyanines,and preparation of their cinnamic acid and sodium cinnamate derivatives

Novel water soluble free-base, Zn(II) and Co(II) metallo phthalocyanines with four cinnamic acid moieties were prepared from the corresponding tetrakis(7-coumarinthio-4-methyl)-phthalocyanine by the lactone ring opening reaction. The new compounds were purified and characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, Maldi-TOF, FT-IR and UV–Vis spectral data. Cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry and in situ spectroelectrochemistry of the 2,9,16,23-tetrakis(7-coumarinthio-4-methyl) substituted free-base 1a, Zn(II) 1b and Co(II) 1c phthalocyanines, employed as the starting compounds have been studied. This allowed us not only to identify metal- and phthalocyanine ring-based redox processes of the complexes, but also the effect of aggregation on these processes.     

Separation of uranium(VI) from Fe(II), Ni(II), Co(II) and Cu(II) by electrophoresis using diethyldithiophosphoric acid

Paper electrophoresis has been used for uranium(VI) separation from Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II). The background electrolyte (0.1M HNO₃-NaNO₃) at different pH values contains diethyldithiophosphoric acid as complexing agent. A plot of mobility versus pH is used to obtain information on the formation of dithiophosphate complexes and to compute the stability constant of an uranyldiethyldithiophosphate complex.     

Tuning the redox properties of metalloporphyrin- and metallophthalocyanine-based molecular electrodes for the highest electrocatalytic activity in the oxidation of thiols

In this work we discuss different approaches for achieving electrodes modified with N(4) macrocyclic complexes for the catalysis of the electrochemical oxidation of thiols. These approaches involve adsorption, electropolymerization and molecular anchoring using self assembled monolayers. We also discuss the parameters that determine the reactivity of these complexes. Catalytic activity is associated with the nature of the central metal, redox potentials and Hammett parameters of substituents on the ligand. Correlations between catalytic activity (log i at constant E) and the redox potential of catalysts for complexes of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni and Cu are linear with an increase of activity for more positive redox potentials. For a great variety complexes bearing the same metal center (Co) correlations between log i and E(o') of the Co(II)/Co(I) couple have the shape of an unsymmetric volcano. This indicates that the potential of the Co(II)/Co(I) couple can be tuned using the appropriate ligand to achieve maximum catalytic activity. Maximum activity probably corresponds to a DeltaG of adsorption of the thiol on the Co center equal to zero, and to a coverage of active sites by the thiol equal to 0.5.     

Synthesis,characterization and electrochemical properties of new phthalocyanines

The chemical synthesis and characterization with spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of [bis(4-fluorophenyl)-methoxy]-substituted metallo-phthalocyanines were reported for the first time. The new phthalocyanines have been characterized by elemental analysis, UV-Vis, FT-IR, and mass spectroscopies. The aggregation behavior of the phthalocyanine compounds was investigated in different solvents and concentrations. It is found that the fluoro substituents of peripherally Co and Cu complexes are examined and induce a shift to the redox processes toward the negative potentials and formed more reversible processes. Metal-based reduction and oxidation reactions were obtained for the Co(II) complex, whereas Cu(II) complexes exhibited Pc-ring-based electron-transfer reactions. The voltammetric measurements supported the proposed structure of the complexes.     

Redox-active antifungal cobalt(II) and copper(II) complexes with sterically hindered o-aminophenol derivatives

Co(II) complexes with 4,6-di(tert-butyl)-2-aminophenol (HL^I) and 2-anilino-4,6-di(tert-butyl)phenol (HL^II) have been synthesized and characterized by means of physico-chemical methods. The compounds HL^I and HL^II coordinate in their singly deprotonated forms and behave as bidentate O,N-coordinated ligands; their low-spin Co(II) complexes are characterized by CoN₂O₂ coordination modes and square planar geometry. Both the free ligands and their Co(II) and Cu(II) complexes (we have produced and characterized the latter before) exhibit a pronounced antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger, Fusarium spp., Mucor spp., Penicillium lividum, Botrytis cinerea, Alternaria alternata, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, Monilia spp., which in a number of cases is comparable with that of Nystatin and Terbinafine or even higher. The reducing properties of the ligands and their metal(II) complexes, as well as their antifungal activities, were found to decrease in the order: Cu(L^I)₂ > Cu(L^II)₂ ? Co(L^I)₂ > Co(L^II)₂ > HL^I > HL^II.     

Adsorption of some metal complexes derived from acetyl acetone on activated carbon and purolite S-930

A new Schiff base (HL) derived from condensation of p-anisidine and acetyl acetone has been prepared and used as a chelating ligand to prepare Cr(III), Mn(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes. The study of the nature of these complexes formed in ethanol solution following the mole ratio method (2:1, L:M) gave results which were compared successfully with these obtained from isolated solid state studies. These studies revealed that the complexes having square planner geometry of the type (ML₂), M = Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II), and octahedral geometry of the type [Cr^IIIL₂(H₂O)₂]Cl and [MN^IIL₂(H₂O)₂]. The adsorption studies of three complexes Cr(III), Mn(II), and Co(II) on activated carbon, H and Na-forms of purolite S-930 resin show high adsorption percentage for Cr(III) on purolite S-930 due to ion exchange interaction compared with high adsorption of neutral Mn(II), Co(II) complexes on activated charcoal. Linear plot of log Q_e versus log C_e showed that the adsorption isotherm of these three complexes on activated carbon, H and Na-forms of purolite S-930 surface obeys Freundlich isotherm and was similar to S-curve type according to Giles classification which investigates heterogeneous adsorption. The regression values indicate that the adsorption data for these complexes fitted well within the Freundlich isothermal plots for the concentration studied. The accuracy and precision of the concentration measurements of these complexes were determined by preparing standard laboratory samples, the results show relative error ranging from ±1.08 to 5.31, ±1.04 to 4.82 and ±0.28 to 3.09 and the relative standard deviation did not exceed ±6.23, ±2.77 and ±4.38% for A1, A2 and A3 complexes, respectively.     

Polytopic cation receptor functional phthalocyanines: Synthesis,characterization, electrochemistry and metal ion binding

Our efforts toward the development of the synthesis of a novel type of receptor ligand and its tetrasubstituted phthalocyanines, 2,9,16,23-tetrakis(6-hydroxyhexylsulfanyl) phthalocyanine, M[Pc(S–C₆H₁₃OH)₄] (M = Zn(II), Cu(II), Co(II)), bearing sulfur and oxygen donor atoms on the periphery together with hexyl moieties, have been carried out together with spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization. The newly synthesized functional phthalocyanines were soluble in MeOH, EtOH, THF, DMF, CNP (α-chloronapthalene), DMSO and quinoline, and less soluble in i-PrOH and CH₃CN. Cation binding abilities of the functional phthalocyanines with Ag⁺, Pd²⁺, Hg²⁺ and Cd²⁺, resulting in the formation of polynuclear phthalocyanine complexes, were evaluated by UV–Vis spectroscopic techniques. The spectroscopic properties of the complexes were affected strongly by the electron-donating sulfanyl units on the periphery. The cyclic voltammetry of the complexes were examined on a platinum electrode in DMSO. The new synthesized compounds have been characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, MS (ESI and MALDI-TOF) and UV–Vis spectral data.     

Spectral characterization,electrochemical, antimicrobial and cytotoxic studies on new metal(II) complexes containing N2O4 donor hexadentate Schiff base ligand

We report the biological activity of the new Schiff base ligand H₂L (H₂L = 6,6′-((1E,11E)-5,8-dioxa-2,11-diazadodeca-1,11-diene-1,12-diyl)bis(2,4-dichlorophenol)), its derived metal(II) complexes [Cu(L)] (1), [Co(L)] (2), [Ni(L)] (3) and [Zn(L)] (4), along with their structural characterizations by using various analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Electrochemical investigations showed that all of these Cu(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes were reversibly reducible. Although the change of the number of unpaired electrons are different of the metal cations, they have an effect on the redox potentials of the Co(II)/(I), Ni(II)/(I) and Cu(II)/(I) couples. The ¹H NMR and FTIR data concluded that the Schiff base ligand H₂L acts as a hexadentate ligand coordinating with metal(II) ions through the oxygen atoms of the (COC), phenolic (COH) groups and nitrogen atom of the azomethine (CHN) group. UV-Visible absorption spectra studies clearly revealed the octahedral geometry of the prepared metal(II) complexes. Complexes 1 and 4 were found to be efficient in bringing about antimicrobial activities. The proposed mechanism of their antimicrobial activities has been discussed. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay showed the remarkable cytotoxicity of complex 1 (IC50 = 17 ± 1.3 μg/mL) on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells than Schiff base ligand H₂L and complexes 2–4. Moreover, AO/EB staining assay revealed cell death due to apoptosis in MCF-7 cells and the generation of ROS by the Schiff base ligand H₂L and its derived metal(II) complexes 1–4 may be a possible cause for their cytotoxic activity.     

Optically Transparent Gold Nanoparticles for DSSC Counter-Electrode: An Electrochemical Characterization

A gold nanoparticles transparent electrode was realized by chemical reduction. This work aims to compare the transparent gold nanoparticles electrode with a more commonly utilized gold-film-coated electrode in order to investigate its potential use as counter-electrode (CE) in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). A series of DSSC devices, utilizing I⁻/I³⁻ and Co(III)/(II) polypyridine redox mediators [Co(dtb)3]³⁺/²⁺; dtb = 4,4′ditert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine)], were evaluated. The investigation focused firstly on the structural characterization of the deposited gold layers and then on the electrochemical study. The novelty of the work is the realization of a gold nanoparticles CE that reached 80% of average visible transmittance. We finally examined the performance of the transparent gold nanoparticles CE in DSSC devices. A maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.56% was obtained with a commercial I⁻/I³⁻-based electrolyte, while a maximum 3.1% of PCE was obtained with the homemade Co-based electrolyte.     

Tetracoordinate cobalt(II) complexes with neocuproine: single-molecule magnets with potential biological activity

Interaction of two mononuclear tetracoordinate complexes [Co(dmphen)Br₂] and [Co(dmphen)I₂] (dmphen = 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline), which have been recently reported to behave as single-molecule magnets (SMMs) in an applied external field, with calf thymus (CT) DNA in solution was studied by spectral methods (UV–Vis, fluorescence, and circular dichroism). Results indicate that both complexes along with their chlorido analogue [Co(dmphen)Cl₂] are able to bind with the CT DNA via intercalation, with the values of Stern–Volmer constants obtained from the linear quenching plot in range of 1.86 × 10⁴–2.11 × 10⁴ M^?1. Furthermore, Topoisomerase I inhibition studies suggest that all three complexes exhibit inhibition activity at concentrations of 45 μM.     

From mononuclear to polynuclear: copper and zinc complexes obtained from polypyridylamine ligands related to tris(2-pyridylmethyl)-amine (tmpa)

Abstract

Copper(I)/(II) complexes and a zinc compound with polypyridylamine ligands (related to the tripodal ligand tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine, tmpa) were synthesized. Crystallographic characterization was possible for most of the complexes obtained. The different structures of the complexes allowed some insight into the basic understanding of the design of coordination polymers. Depending on ligand, solvent or anion, either mononuclear, dinuclear or polynuclear complexes were obtained.     

Preparation,spectroscopic, and electrochemical characterization of metal(II) complexes with Schiff base ligands derived from chitosan: correlations of redox potentials with Hammett parameters

The chitosan–(Fe(II), Co(II), and Cu(II)) complexes were prepared by mixing chitosan (Chi) powder with a salicylaldehyde (Sal, 5-hydrogen (–H)) and their 5-bromo (–Br), 5-chloro (–Cl), 5-methoxy (–OCH₃), 5-fluoro (–F), 5-methyl (–CH₃), and 5-nitro (–NO₂) derivatives (groups R) and mixing these with FeCl₂ and CuCl₂ in ethanol and with Co(CH₃COO)₂ solutions in butanol at 80 °C over 8 h in heterogeneous phase, followed by extraction with ethanol and butanol, respectively. The complexes were characterized by FTIR and UV–vis spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and cyclic voltammetry. A linear correlation between the metal formal potential versus the Hammett parameters of the substituents was observed. The electron-withdrawing groups shift the redox potential to positive values, as a result of lowering the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital. The formal potential was used as a measurement for the driving force of chitosan complexes for redox reactions.