Magnetic Properties of a Dinuclear Nickel(II) Complex with 2,6-Bis[(2-hydroxyethyl)methylaminomethyl]-4-methylphenolate

Magnetic properties of dinuclear nickel(II) complex [Ni₂(sym-hmp)₂](BPh₄)₂·3.5DMF·0.5(2-PrOH) (1), where (sym-hmp)^- is 2,6-bis[(2-hydroxyethyl)methylaminomethyl]-4-methylphenolate anion and DMF indicates dimethylformamide, were investigated using high-frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR). To magnetically characterize the mononuclear nickel(II) species forming the dimer, its two dinuclear zinc(II) analogues, [Zn₂(sym-hmp)₂](BPh₄)₂·3.5DMF·0.5(2-PrOH) (2) and [Zn₂(sym-hmp)₂](BPh₄)₂·2acetone·2H₂O (2'), were prepared. One of them (2') was structurally characterized by X-ray diffractometry and doped with 5% mol nickel(II) ions to prepare a mixed crystal 3. From the HFEPR results on complex 1 obtained at 40 K, the spin Hamiltonian parameters of the first excited spin state (S = 1) of the dimer were accurately determined as |D₁| = 9.99(2) cm^-1, |E₁| = 1.62(1) cm^-1, and g₁ = [2.25(1), 2.19(2), 2.27(2)], and for the second excited spin state (S = 2) at 150 K estimated as |D₂| ≈ 3.5 cm^-1. From these numbers, the single-ion zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameter of the Ni(II) ions forming the dimer was estimated as |D_Ni| ≈ 10-10.5 cm^-1. The HFEPR spectra of 3 yielded directly the single-ion parameters for D_Ni = +10.1 cm^-1, |E_Ni| = 3.1 cm^-1, and g_iso = 2.2. On the basis of the HFEPR results, the previously obtained magnetic data (Sakiyama, H.; Tone, K.; Yamasaki, M.; Mikuriya, M. Inorg. Chim. Acta 2011, 365, 183) were reanalyzed, and the isotropic interaction parameter between the Ni(II) ions was determined as J = -70 cm^-1 (H_ex = -J S_A·S_B). Finally, density functional theory calculations yielded the J value of -90 cm^-1 in a qualitative agreement with the experiment.

Dynamic structural flexibility of Fe-MOF-5 evidenced by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy

⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy reveals unexpected dynamics at the Fe sites in Fe-substituted MOF-5, especially in the presence of nitrogen.

Coordination of the Mn4+-Center in Layered Li[Co0.98Mn0.02]O2 Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The local coordination of the manganese in Li[Co0.98Mn0.02]O2 cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries has been investigated by means of a joint XRD and multi-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) characterization approach. EPR showed the manganese being in a tetravalent high-spin Mn4+-oxidation state with S = 3 2 . $S = {3 \over 2}.$ The set of spin-Hamiltonian parameters obtained from the multi-frequency EPR analysis with Larmor frequencies ranging between 9.4 and 406 GHz is transformed into structural information by means of the recently introduced Monte-Carlo Newman-superposition modeling. Based on this analysis, the Mn4+ are shown being incorporated for the Co3+-sites, i.e. acting as donor-type functional centers Mn Co • ${\rm{Mn}}_{{\rm{Co}}}^ \bullet $ . In that respect, for Mn4+ the negative sign of the axial second-order fine-structure interaction parameter B 2 0 $B_2^0$ is indicative of an elongated oxygen octahedron in its first coordination sphere, whereas B 2 0 > 0 $B_2^0 > 0$ rather points to a compressed octahedron coordinated about the Mn4+-centers. Furthermore, the results obtained here suggest that the oxygen octahedron about the Mn4+-ion is slightly distorted as compared to the CoO6 octahedron. Concerning the coordination to next-nearest neighbor ions, part of the manganese resides in manganese-rich domains, whereas the for the remaining centers the Co3+-site is randomly occupied with Co/Mn according to the effective stoichiometry of the compound. Finally, a structural stability range emerges from the Newman-modeling that supports the discussed ability of manganese to act as an structure-stabilizing element in layered oxides.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Stable High-Valent Cobalt Carbene Complex

The formally Co(IV) carbene Co(OR)2(═CPh2) is formed upon the reaction of diphenyldiazomethane with the cobalt bis(alkoxide) precursor Co(OR)2(THF)2. Structural, spectroscopic, and theoretical studies demonstrate that Co(OR)2(═CPh2) has significant high-valent Co(IV)═CPh2 character with non-negligible spin density on the carbene moiety.

HFEPR and Computational Studies on the Electronic Structure of a High-Spin Oxidoiron(IV) Complex in Solution

Nonheme iron enzymes perform diverse and important functions in biochemistry. The active form of these enzymes comprises the ferryl, oxidoiron(IV), [FeO](2+) unit. In enzymes, this unit is in the high-spin, quintet, S = 2, ground state, while many synthetic model compounds exist in the spin triplet, S = 1, ground state. Recently, however, Que and co-workers reported an oxidoiron(IV) complex with a quintet ground state, [FeO(TMG3tren)](OTf)2, where TMG3tren = 1,1,1-tris{2-[N2-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylguanidino)]ethyl}amine and OTf = CF3SO3(-). The trigonal geometry imposed by this ligand, as opposed to the tetragonal geometry of earlier model complexes, favors the high-spin ground state. Although [FeO(TMG3tren)](2+) has been earlier probed by magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) and Mössbauer spectroscopies, the technique of high-frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance (HFEPR) is superior for describing the electronic structure of the iron(IV) center because of its ability to establish directly the spin-Hamiltonian parameters of high-spin metal centers with high precision. Herein we describe HFEPR studies on [FeO(TMG3tren)](OTf)2 generated in situ and confirm the S = 2 ground state with the following parameters: D = +4.940(5) cm(-1), E = 0.000(5), B4(0) = -14(1) × 10(-4) cm(-1), g⊥ = 2.006(2), and g∥ = 2.03(2). Extraction of a fourth-order spin-Hamiltonian parameter is unusual for HFEPR and impossible by other techniques. These experimental results are combined with state-of-the-art computational studies along with previous structural and spectroscopic results to provide a complete picture of the electronic structure of this biomimetic complex. Specifically, the calculations reproduce well the spin-Hamiltonian parameters of the complex, provide a satisfying geometrical picture of the S = 2 oxidoiron(IV) moiety, and demonstrate that the TMG3tren is an "innocent" ligand.

Synthesis and characterization of a family of M(2+) complexes supported by a trianionic ONO(3-) pincer-type ligand: towards the stabilization of high-spin square-planar complexes

High-spin square-planar molecular compounds are rare. In an effort to access this unique combination of geometry and spin state, we report the synthesis of a series of M(II) compounds stabilized by a trianionic pincer-type ligand, highlighting the formation of a high-spin square-planar Co(II) complex. Low-temperature, variable-frequency EPR measurements reveal that the ground electronic state of the Co(II) analogue is a highly anisotropic Kramers doublet (effective g values 7.35, 2.51, 1.48). This doublet can be identified with the lowest doublet of a quartet, S = 3/2 spin state that exhibits a very large ZFS, D ≥ 50 cm(-1). The observation of an effective g value considerably greater than the largest spin-only value 6, demonstrates that the orbital angular moment is essentially unquenched along one spatial direction. Density Functional Theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations reveal the electronic configurations of the ground and excited orbital states. A qualitative crystal field description of the geff tensor shows that it originates from the spin-orbit coupling acting on states obtained through the transfer of a β electron from the doubly occupied xy to the singly-occupied {xz/yz} orbitals.

An Iron Reservoir to the Catalytic Metal: THE RUBREDOXIN IRON IN AN EXTRADIOL DIOXYGENASE

The rubredoxin motif is present in over 74,000 protein sequences and 2,000 structures, but few have known functions. A secondary, non-catalytic, rubredoxin-like iron site is conserved in 3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4-dioxygenase (HAO), from single cellular sources but not multicellular sources. Through the population of the two metal binding sites with various metals in bacterial HAO, the structural and functional relationship of the rubredoxin-like site was investigated using kinetic, spectroscopic, crystallographic, and computational approaches. It is shown that the first metal presented preferentially binds to the catalytic site rather than the rubredoxin-like site, which selectively binds iron when the catalytic site is occupied. Furthermore, an iron ion bound to the rubredoxin-like site is readily delivered to an empty catalytic site of metal-free HAO via an intermolecular transfer mechanism. Through the use of metal analysis and catalytic activity measurements, we show that a downstream metabolic intermediate can selectively remove the catalytic iron. As the prokaryotic HAO is often crucial for cell survival, there is a need for ensuring its activity. These results suggest that the rubredoxin-like site is a possible auxiliary iron source to the catalytic center when it is lost during catalysis in a pathway with metabolic intermediates of metal-chelating properties. A spare tire concept is proposed based on this biochemical study, and this concept opens up a potentially new functional paradigm for iron-sulfur centers in iron-dependent enzymes as transient iron binding and shuttling sites to ensure full metal loading of the catalytic site.

Structural, spectroscopic, magnetic behavior and DFT investigations ofl-tyrosinato nickel(ii) coordination polymer

The 4,4′-bpy molecules are weakly bonded with nickel(ii) ions in 1Dl-tyrosinato coordination polymer.

Effects of terminal dimethylation and metal coordination of proline-2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone hybrids on lipophilicity, antiproliferative activity, and hR2 RNR inhibition

The nickel(II), copper(II), and zinc(II) complexes of the proline-thiosemicarbazone hybrids 3-methyl-(S)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate-2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (L-Pro-FTSC or (S)-H2L(1)) and 3-methyl-(R)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate-2-formylpyridine thiosemicarbazone (D-Pro-FTSC or (R)-H2L(1)), as well as 3-methyl-(S)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate-2-formylpyridine 4,4-dimethyl-thiosemicarbazone (dm-L-Pro-FTSC or (S)-H2L(2)), namely, [Ni(L-Pro-FTSC-2H)]2 (1), [Ni(D-Pro-FTSC-2H)]2 (2), [Ni(dm-L-Pro-FTSC-2H)]2 (3), [Cu(dm-L-Pro-FTSC-2H)] (6), [Zn(L-Pro-FTSC-2H)] (7), and [Zn(D-Pro-FTSC-2H)] (8), in addition to two previously reported, [Cu(L-Pro-FTSC-2H)] (4), [Cu(D-Pro-FTSC-2H)] (5), were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, one- and two-dimensional (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy, circular dichroism, UV-vis, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Compounds 1-3, 6, and 7 were also studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Magnetic properties and solid-state high-field electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of 2 over the range of 50-420 GHz were investigated. The complex formation processes of L-Pro-FTSC with nickel(II) and zinc(II) were studied in aqueous solution due to the excellent water solubility of the complexes via pH potentiometry, UV-vis, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The results of the antiproliferative activity in vitro showed that dimethylation improves the cytotoxicity and hR2 RNR inhibition. Therefore, introduction of more lipophilic groups into thiosemicarbazone-proline backbone becomes an option for the synthesis of more efficient cytotoxic agents of this family of compounds.

A high-spin square-planar Fe(ii) complex stabilized by a trianionic pincer-type ligand and conclusive evidence for retention of geometry and spin state in solution

Extensive spectroscopic evaluation of a novel ONO^3– trianionic pincer Fe(ii) complex indicates the rare square-planar geometry and S = 2 spin state are retained in solution.

Square-planar high-spin Fe(ii) molecular compounds are rare and the only three non-macrocyclic or sterically-driven examples reported share a common FeO₄ core. Using an easily modifiable pincer-type ligand, the successful synthesis of the first compound of this type that breaks the FeO₄ motif was achieved. In addition, we present the first evidence that geometry and spin state persist in solution. Extensive characterization includes the first high-field EPR and variable field/temperature Mössbauer spectra for this class of compounds. Analysis of the spectroscopic data indicates this complex exhibits a large and positive zero-field splitting tensor. Furthermore, the unusually small ΔE_Q value determined for this compound is rationalized on the basis of DFT calculations.

Hydroxide-bridged cubane complexes of nickel(II) and cadmium(II): magnetic, EPR, and unusual dynamic properties

The reactions of M(ClO4)2·xH2O (M = Ni(II) or Cd(II)) and m-bis[bis(1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene (Lm) in the presence of triethylamine lead to the formation of hydroxide-bridged cubane compounds of the formula [M4(μ3-OH)4(μ-Lm)2(solvent)4](ClO4)4, where solvent = dimethylformamide, water, acetone. In the solid state the metal centers are in an octahedral coordination environment, two sites are occupied by pyrazolyl nitrogens from Lm, three sites are occupied by bridging hydroxides, and one site contains a weakly coordinated solvent molecule. A series of multinuclear, two-dimensional and variable-temperature NMR experiments showed that the cadmium(II) compound in acetonitrile-d3 has C2 symmetry and undergoes an unusual dynamic process at higher temperatures (ΔGLm‡ = 15.8 ± 0.8 kcal/mol at 25 °C) that equilibrates the pyrazolyl rings, the hydroxide hydrogens, and cadmium(II) centers. The proposed mechanism for this process combines two motions in the semirigid Lm ligand termed the “Columbia Twist and Flip:” twisting of the pyrazolyl rings along the Cpz–Cmethine bond and 180° ring flip of the phenylene spacer along the CPh–Cmethine bond. This dynamic process was also followed using the spin saturation method, as was the exchange of the hydroxide hydrogens with the trace water present in acetonitrile-d3. The nickel(II) analogue, as shown by magnetic susceptibility and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, has an S = 4 ground state, and the nickel(II) centers are ferromagnetically coupled with strongly nonaxial zero-field splitting parameters. Depending on the Ni–O–Ni angles two types of interactions are observed: J1 = 9.1 cm(–1) (97.9 to 99.5°) and J2 = 2.1 cm(–1) (from 100.3 to 101.5°). “Broken symmetry” density functional theory calculations performed on a model of the nickel(II) compound support these observations.

Local coordination of Fe3+ in ZnO nanoparticles: multi-frequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Newman superposition model analysis

Iron-doped ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized through high-energy ball milling of powders produced by the co-precipitation method. Fine particles with an average size down to 40 nm have been obtained after 15 min of milling. Fe(3+) cations have been incorporated into the ZnO lattice within the limits of the solubility. By using multi-frequency and high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) we have resolved all electronic transitions for the S = 5/2 high-spin system and have accurately determined the EPR spin-Hamiltonian parameters. By combining data from crystallographic x-ray diffraction and EPR with the semi-empirical Newman superposition model we have found the local configurational position of Fe(3+) and have confirmed the symmetry of the lattice. Results presented in this paper indicate that Fe cations most probably substitute at Zn-sites in ZnO. At nanosizes the effect of Fe(3+) cations on the surface becomes remarkable: additional size effects can be observed in the EPR spectrum, which are different from the spectrum of bulk.

Assigning the EPR fine structure parameters of the Mn(II) centers in Bacillus subtilis oxalate decarboxylase by site-directed mutagenesis and DFT/MM calculations

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC) catalyzes the Mn-dependent conversion of the oxalate monoanion into CO2 and formate. EPR-based strategies for investigating the catalytic mechanism of decarboxylation are complicated by the difficulty of assigning the signals associated with the two Mn(II) centers located in the N- and C-terminal cupin domains of the enzyme. We now report a mutational strategy that has established the assignment of EPR fine structure parameters to each of these Mn(II) centers at pH 8.5. These experimental findings are also used to assess the performance of a multistep strategy for calculating the zero-field splitting parameters of protein-bound Mn(II) ions. Despite the known sensitivity of calculated D and E values to the computational approach, we demonstrate that good estimates of these parameters can be obtained using cluster models taken from carefully optimized DFT/MM structures. Overall, our results provide new insights into the strengths and limitations of theoretical methods for understanding electronic properties of protein-bound Mn(II) ions, thereby setting the stage for future EPR studies on the electronic properties of the Mn(II) centers in OxDC and site-specific variants.