Pulsed electron spin nutation spectroscopy of weakly exchange-coupled biradicals: a general theoretical approach and determination of the spin dipolar interaction

Weakly exchange-coupled biradicals have attracted much attention in terms of their DNP application in NMR spectroscopy for biological systems or the use of synthetic electron-spin qubits. Pulse-ESR based electron spin nutation (ESN) spectroscopy applied to biradicals is generally treated as transition moment spectroscopy from the theoretical side, illustrating that it is a powerful and facile tool to determine relatively short distances between weakly exchange-coupled electron spins. The nutation frequency as a function of the microwave irradiation strength ω(1) (angular frequency) for any cases of weakly exchange-coupled systems can be classified into three categories; D(12) (spin dipolar interaction)-driven, Δg-driven and ω(1)-driven nutation behaviour with the increasing strength of ω(1). For hetero-spin biradicals, Δg effects can be a dominating characteristic in the biradical nutation spectroscopy. Two-dimensional pulse-based electron spin nutation (2D-ESN) spectroscopy operating at the X-band can afford to determine small values of D(12) in weakly exchange-coupled biradicals in rigid glasses. The analytical expressions derived here for ω(1)-dependent nutation frequencies are based on only four electronic spin states relevant to the biradicals, while real biradical systems often have sizable hyperfine interactions. Thus, we have evaluated nuclear hyperfine effects on the nutation frequencies to check the validity of the present theoretical treatment. The experimental spin dipolar coupling of a typical TEMPO-based biradical 1, (2,2,6,6-tetra[((2)H(3))methyl]-[3,3-(2)H(2),4-(2)H(1),5,5-(2)H(2)]piperidin-N-oxyl-4-yl)(2,2,6,6-tetra[((2)H(3))methyl]-[3,3-(2)H(2),4-(2)H(1),5,5-(2)H(2),(15)N]piperidin-(15)N-oxyl-4-yl) terephthalate in a toluene glass, with a distance of 1.69 nm between the two spin sites is D(12) = -32 MHz (the effect of the exchange coupling J(12) is vanishing due to the homo-spin sites of 1, i.e.Δg = 0), while 0 < |J(12)|≦ 1.0 MHz as determined by simulating the random-orientation CW ESR spectra of 1. In addition, we have carried out Q-band pulsed ELDOR (ELectron-electron DOuble Resonance) experiments to confirm whether the obtained values for D(12) and J(12) are accurate. The distance is in a fuzzy region for the distance-measurements capability of the conventional, powerful ELDOR spectroscopy. The strong and weak points of the ESN spectroscopy with a single microwave frequency applicable to weakly exchange-coupled multi-electron systems are discussed in comparison with conventional ELDOR spectroscopy. The theoretical spin dipolar tensor and exchange interaction of the TEMPO biradical, as obtained by sophisticated quantum chemical calculations, agree with the experimental ones.     

Thiacalix[3]pyridine produces a stable mononuclear rhodium(II) complex with mutual Jahn-Teller effect

Thiacalix[3]pyridine (Py3S3) consists of pyridines and bridging sulfur atoms producing a stable octahedral mononuclear Rh(II) complex [Rh(II)(Py3S3)2]2+ showing mutual Jahn-Teller effect, a metal based reversible redox couple of Rh(III/II) at 0.02 V vs. SCE and a g(perpendicular) > g(||) relationship in EPR measurements.     

New Synthesis of Mono-Halogenated Adamantanes

A variety of direct halogenations on the adamantane skeleton have been reported. For example, bromination of adamantane with bromine, which is considered to proceed through an ionic mechanism, gives high yield of 1-broinoadamsntane. In contrast to the ionic bromination of adamantane, chlorinations are much less selective^2,3,4,5. Photochloroadamantane of adamantane gives l-chloroadamntane and 2-chloroadamantane. Chlorination with t-butyl chloride in the presence of A1C1₃ gives rise to a mixture of 1-chloroadamantane and 1,3-dichloroadamantane.     

Diesel Soot Combustion over Mn2O3 Catalysts with Different Morphologies: Elucidating the Role of Active Oxygen Species in Soot Combustion

Catalytic diesel soot combustion was examined using a series of Mn₂O₃ catalysts with different morphologies, including plate, prism, hollow spheres and powders. The plate‐shaped Mn₂O₃ (Mn₂O₃‐plate) exhibited superior carbon soot combustion activity compared to the prism‐shaped, hollow‐structured and powdery Mn₂O₃ under both tight and loose contact modes at soot combustion temperatures (T₅₀) of 327 °C and 457 °C, respectively. Comprehensive characterization studies using scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature‐programmed reduction and oxygen release measurements, revealed that the improved activity of Mn₂O₃‐plate was mainly attributed to the high oxygen release rate of surface‐adsorbed active oxygen species, which originated from oxygen vacancy sites introduced during the catalyst preparation, rather than specific surface‐exposed planes. The study provides new insights for the design and synthesis of efficient oxidation catalysts for carbon soot combustion as well as for other oxidation reactions of harmful hydrocarbon compounds.     

Amine-based organic high-spin systems; a room-temperature-stable one-dimensional oligoaryl triamine-based trication

A triamine, 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromo-3″,4″-dimethyl-5,5′-bis(di(4-methylphenyl)amino)triphenylamine, was designed and synthesized as a model precursor for purely organic cationic high-spin systems. Cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed that the triamine gives stable mono-, di-, and tricationic states at ambient temperature. Novel electron transfer stopped-flow (ETSF) methods were invoked for characterizing the absorption spectra of the corresponding mono- and oligo-cationic states. The triamine-based trication was generated by chemical oxidation at room temperature, and the triamine was quantitatively recovered upon reduction. The electronic ground state of the trication is discussed.     

Organic polyanionic high-spin molecular clusters: topological-symmetry controlled models for organic ferromagnetic metals

Trianionic spin-quartet and tetraanionic spin-quintet molecular clusters derived from m-dibenzoylbenzene in solution were identified by CW-ESR/pulse-ESR based two-dimensional electron spin transient nutation spectroscopy, and their spin and clustering structures in the ground state were determined in terms of a D-tensor based phenomenological approach and DFT calculations. The molecular structures obtained semiempirically are supported by DFT-based quantum chemical calculations. The DFT calculations have been tested for a sodium ion bridged fluorenone-based cluster, [fluorenone(-)˙ {Na(+)(dme)(2)}](2), whose crystal structure was reported in the literature [H. Bock, H.-F. Herrmann, D. Fenske and H. Goesmann, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl., 1988, 27, 1067], reproducing the experimentally determined moelcular structure of the dimer cluster. It is suggested that both the quartet and quintet clusters in the 2-MTHF glass and solution form the cross-typed structures with the two m-dibenzoylbenzene moieties in cis-configuration. A dianionic spin-triplet m-dibenzoylbenzene derivative was detected for the first time and its charge and spin densities were studied by the quantum chemical calculations. The high-spin states of the open-shell entities under study were confirmed by X-band pulse-ESR based electron spin nutation spectroscopy in organic frozen glasses. The D values and other spin Hamiltonian parameters of all the polyanionic high-spin species were determined by the hybrid eigenfield spectral simulation for fine-structure ESR spectra. m-Dibenzoylbenzene provides pseudo-degenerate π-LUMOs arising from its topological symmetry of the π-electron network and its dianion in the triplet ground state is a prototypical model for topologically-controlled genuinely organic ferromagnetic metals.     

Electronic Stabilization Effect of a Spin‐Delocalized Neutral Radical: Synthesis of an 8‐Cyano‐6‐oxophenalenoxyl Derivative and Quantitative Evaluation of the Electronic Spin Structure in terms of Resonance Structures

A new 2,5‐di‐tert‐butyl‐6‐oxophenalenoxyl (6OPO) derivative with a cyano group at the 8‐position, where a large spin density resides, has been synthesized. This neutral radical exhibits high stability in the solid state in air despite the low steric protection on the 8‐position; the stability is comparable to that of a corresponding 8‐tert‐butylated 6OPO derivative. EPR/¹H‐ENDOR/TRIPLE (electron paramagnetic resonance/¹H‐electron‐nuclear double resonance/TRIPLE) spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry showed an extended spin delocalization on the cyano group and a significant increase in electron‐accepting ability relative to that of the 8‐tert‐butylated 6OPO derivative. DFT calculations indicated the extension of a singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) onto the cyano group and the lower‐lying SOMO and LUMO in comparison with those of the 8‐tert‐butylated 6OPO derivative, which was consistent with experimental results. Furthermore, the extended nature of π conjugation onto the cyano group was quantitatively evaluated by calculating the contributing weights of resonance structures in terms of a molecular orbital (MO)‐based valence‐bond (VB) method. Herein, the synthesis and physical properties of the 8‐cyano‐6OPO derivative are described, emphasizing that the high stability arises from the electronic effect of the cyano group. Also, the usefulness of the quantitative resonance structure analysis is shown.     

Synthesis and properties of a redox active starburst ligand with three bispicorylamino groups and its trinuclear complexes

A starburst-shaped ligand, 4,4′4″-tris[N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl) aminomethyl] triphenylamine, and its palladium and copper trinuclear complexes were designed and prepared. NMR techniques, COSY and ROESY, were applied to the palladium complex to examine its conformation in solution. The palladium complex was found to prefer a folded conformation even at 75 °C, indicating the occurrence of strong intramolecular stacking interaction. CV measurements of the palladium complex showed reversible TTA/TTA⁺ redox couples. ETSF measurements showed that the corresponding radical pendant complex is very unstable. Molecular design rules for triarylamine-based spin bearing ligands are discussed.