Chemistry of Ruthenium Polypyridine Complexes: VIII. Electronic Structure and Reactivity of cis-[Ru(2,2'-Bpy)2(L)Cl]+ Complexes in Excited States

Ab initio and semiempirical CINDO/CI calculations of free ligands L and complexes cis-Ru(bpy)₂(L)Cl]⁺ bpy = 2,2'-bipyridyl, L = pyridine, 3-cyanopyridine, 4-picoline, nicotinamide, isonicotinamide, 4-picoline, 4-aminopyridine, 4,4'-bipyridyl (bipy), trans-1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethene, 4,4'-azopyridine, pyrazine (pyz), and imidazole] were used to study the interrelation between the electronic structures of the ligands and the complexes in the ground and electronically excited states and to interpret the electronic absorption spectra of the complexes. The quantum yields for photosubstitution of a solvent molecule for a ligand L were measured; for L = pyz and bipy, photolysis quantum yields as a function of irradiation wave-length were studied. The possibility of population of ligand-field photoactive states from overlying charge-transfer states and the associative mechanism of ligand photosubstitution were discussed.