Preparation and photochemistry of cobalt(III) amino and amino acidato complexes containing tripodal polypyridine ligands

The photochemical reactivities of cobalt(III)-diamine and cobalt(III)-amino acid compounds have been compared using complexes that also contain polypyridyl ligands. Metallacyclic complexes result from UV-induced photodecarboxylation reactions of the amino acid complexes. UV-irradiation of closely related complexes with amine donors replacing the carboxylate donors does not lead to the production of the same metallacyclic products. The reported UV-induced fragmentation of amine donors and subsequent metallacycle formation appears not to be a general reaction. Nine cobalt(III) complexes of polypyridyl ligands have been structurally characterised, including four that also contain amino acid ligands and one that contains a three-membered metallacyclic ring.