Substituent effects on exchange coupling: 5-Aryl-substituted semiquinones and their complexes with MnII and CuII

A series of functionalized radical anion semiquinone (SQ-Ar) ligands and their MnII- and CuIIhydro-tris(3-cumenyl-5-methylpyrazolyl)borate (TpCum,MeMII) complexes were prepared and characterized. The semiquinone ligands have substituted phenyl rings (Ar = -C6H5NO2, -C6H5OMe, -C6H5-tert-Bu, etc.) attached to the SQ 5-position. Despite the "remoteness" of the phenyl ring substituents, the MII-SQ exchange parameters, J, were found to vary nearly 3-fold. Attempts to quantify the substituent effects on J are complicated by the fact that not all complexes could be structurally characterized. As such, substituent effects and phenyl-ring torsion angles could conspire to produce the observed variation in J values. Although there is no clear trend in the J values as a function of SQ substituent for the MnII complexes, for the CuII complexes, electron-withdrawing substituents on the phenyl ring have greater ferromagnetic J values than the CuII complexes of SQ ligands with electron-donating substituents. This trend suggests a FM contribution from MLCT excited states in the copper complexes.