Electron Transfer Spectra of Some Adducts of Niobium (V), Tantalum (V), Titanium (IV) and Zirconium (IV) Halides with Lewis Bases

The electron transfer spectra of adducts of the title metal halides with a series of ligands (nitriles, dialkylchalcogenides, phosphoryl and thiophosphoryl ligands and phosphines) have been studied. The effect of halogen substitution on the halogen metal transitions is discussed by comparing the spectra of the adducts with those of the hexahalometalates. The origin of the two ligand-metal transitions observed in most adducts is discussed, and the splitting of the metal d levels in these almost octahedral adducts is estimated. For each metal halide, the series of adducts with dialkyl chalcogenides show a linear relationship of slope one between the ligand ionisation potential and the ligand-metal charge transfer energy. The ligand optical electronegativities have been estimated.