Reactivity of tetracyanoquinodimethane with cobalt(II) chloride and bis(diphylphospino)methane in air

The reactions of CoCl₂·6H₂O, dppm (bis(diphenylphosphino)methane) and TCNQ (7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane), with different ratios of the components, provided three new compounds, Co(dppmdo)₃]TCNQ]₂1 (dppmdo = P,P′-dioxo-bis(diphenylphosphinyl)methane), Co(dppmdo)₃](μ-TCNQ)-CoCl₃] 2, and Co(dppmdo)₃](μ-DCBE)-CoCl₃] 3 (DCBE = p-dicyanomethyl-benzoic ethyl ester). These products were characterized by IR, UV–Vis and UV–Vis-NIR spectra, X-ray crystallography, magnetic susceptibility measurements and cyclic voltammograms. 1 and 2 reveal low-energy transitions in the near-infrared region, which can be attributed to intra-ligand transitions involving radical anions (TCNQ/TCNQ⁻). It is interesting to note that, except for the redox potentials which are anodically shifted, indicating that it is easier to reduce TCNQ in 1 and 2 than the free TCNQ molecule, the electrochemistry of compounds 1 and 2 resemble that of the independent organic acceptor TCNQ. The magnetic properties suggest that an amount of electron transfer has occurred from the Co^II complex, Co(dppmdo)₃]²⁺, to the TCNQ⁻ anions in 1; an amount of electron transfer also has occurred from the Co^II cation to the TCNQ⁻ anion via a cyanide-bridge in 2; there is a mixture of spin transition of Co^II ions and antiferromagnetic coupling between Co^II ions in 3.