Density functional study of the O2 binding to [CuI(TPAR)]+ (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) in THF and EtCN

Density functional theory using the B3LYP hybrid functional has been employed to study the formation of Cu(II)(TPA(H))(O2-)]+ and Cu(II)(TPA(MeO))(O2-)]+ (TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) in two different solvents, THF and EtCN. The thermodynamics of solvent coordination as well as that of the overall reactions with O2 has been computed. The formations of Cu(II)(TPA(H))(O2-)]+ in THF and of Cu(II)(TPA(MeO))(O2-)]+ in both THF and EtCN are found to be initiated from the Cu(I)(TPA(R))]+ species, that is, the Cu complex possessing an empty coordination site. In contrast, the formation of Cu(II)(TPA(H))(O2-)]+ in EtCN is found to be initiated from the Cu(I)(TPA(H))(EtCN)]+ species, that is, one solvent molecule being coordinated to Cu(I). In general, good agreement is found between theoretical and experimental results. The high accuracy of the B3LYP functional in reproducing experimental thermodynamic data for the present type of transition metal complexes is demonstrated by the fact that the differences between measured and computed thermodynamic parameters (DeltaG degree, DeltaH degrees , and -TDeltaS degree, in most cases are less than 2.0 kcal mol(-1). An attempt was made to investigate the kinetics of the formation of Cu(II)(TPA(H))(O2-)]+ in THF and EtCN. Computed free energies of activation, DeltaG, are in good agreement with experimental results. However, an analysis of the partitioning of the free energy barriers in enthalpic and entropic contributions indicates that the computationally studied reaction pathway might differ from the one observed experimentally.