Electronic Coupling and Electron Transfer between Two Mo2 Units through meta- and para-Phenylene Bridges

Monomer and Excimer Emission in Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence of Pyrene and 2,7-Di-tert-butylpyrene Associated with Electron Transfer Distance

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) is a light emission phenomenon caused by electrochemically generated radical anions (R•-) and cations (R•+), in which the ion annihilation results in the formation of a pair of excited (R*) and ground state (R) of a luminescent molecule. Here, the ECL properties of pyrene (Py) and 2,7-di-tert-butylpyrene (di-t-BuPy) are reported. It was found that at a commonly employed concentration (1 mM), the ECL spectra were time-dependent because of increasing the oligomer emission and increasing the concentration of R near R*, leading to an enhancement of the excimer emission. At a low concentration range (20-30 μM), the shape of the ECL spectra containing the monomer and excimer emission was determined by isolated pairs of R* and R, which were generated through ion annihilation of R•- and R•+. It was found that in the ECL of Py and di-t-BuPy originated from the isolated pairs of R•- and R•+, 58 and 48% of the excited states were the excimer states, respectively. Diffusion equation analysis indicates that the lower excimer formation in the case of di-t-BuPy is because of a farther initial separation distance between R* and R, i.e., a longer electron transfer distance between the radical ions. The Marcus model for the electron transfer kinetics suggests that the farther electron transfer distance is mainly caused by the larger molecular size, which resulted in a smaller reorganization energy of the solvent acetonitrile molecule. Taking advantage of the photophysical and electrochemical properties of Py and di-t-Bu Py, the monomer and excimer emission in ECL is discussed.

Synergistic performance of a new bimetallic complex supported on magnetic nanoparticles for Sonogashira and C-N coupling reactions

This paper describes the synthesis of a novel Cu-Ni bimetallic system comprising of magnetic nanoparticles, as the core, and 4-amino-3,5-bis(pyridin-2-yl)-1,2,4-triazole (4-ABPT), as a conjugated bridge, between nickel and copper species. With low Cu and Ni loading (0.06 mol% Ni, 0.08 mol% Cu), the resulting Fe3O4@SiO2@4-ABPT/Cu-Ni showed to be a highly efficient catalyst for the Sonogashira and C-N cross-coupling reactions. The developed catalyst was well characterized by FT-IR, XRD, EDX-mapping, FE-SEM, TEM, ICP, VSM, TGA/DTG/DTA, LSV, and XPS techniques. Fe3O4@SiO2@4-ABPT/Cu-Ni nanocatalyst was compatible with a wide range of amines and aryl halides in the Sonogashira and C-N cross-coupling reactions and offered desired coupling products in high to excellent yields under palladium- and solvent-free conditions. Based on the XPS results, the 4-ABPT ligand can adjust electron transfer between Ni and Cu in Fe3O4@SiO2@4-ABPT/Cu-Ni, promoting the formation and stabilization of Cu+ and Ni3+ species. Electronic interactions and the synergistic effect between these metals increased the selectivity and activity of Fe3O4@SiO2@4-ABPT/Cu-Ni catalyst in the Sonogashira and C-N cross-coupling reactions compared with its monometallic counterparts. Additionally, the magnetic properties of Fe3O4@SiO2@4-ABPT/Cu-Ni facilitated its separation from the reaction mixture, promoting its reuse for several times with no significant loss in its catalytic activity or performance.

Controlling Intramolecular and Intermolecular Electronic Coupling of Radical Ligands in a Series of Cobaltoviologen Complexes

Controlling electronic coupling between multiple redox sites is of interest for tuning the electronic properties of molecules and materials. While classic mixed-valence (MV) systems are highly tunable, e.g., via the organic bridges connecting the redox sites, metal-bridged MV systems are difficult to control because the electronics of the metal cannot usually be altered independently of redox-active moieties embedded in its ligands. Herein, this limitation was overcome by varying the donor strengths of ancillary ligands in a series of cobalt complexes without directly perturbing the electronics of viologen-like redox sites bridged by the cobalt ions. The cobaltoviologens [1_X-Co]ⁿ⁺ feature four 4-X-pyridyl donor groups (X = CO₂Me, Cl, H, Me, OMe, NMe₂) that provide gradual electronic tuning of the bridging Co^II centers, while a related complex [2-Co]ⁿ⁺ with NHC donors supports exclusively Co^III states even upon reduction of the viologen units. Electrochemistry and IVCT band analysis indicate that the MV states of these complexes have electronic structures ranging from fully localized ([2-Co]⁴⁺; Robin-Day Class I) to fully delocalized ([1_CO2Me-Co]³⁺; Class III) descriptions, demonstrating unprecedented control over electronic coupling without changing the identity of the redox sites or bridging metal. Additionally, single-crystal XRD characterization of the homovalent complexes [1_H-Co]²⁺ and [1_H-Zn]²⁺ revealed radical-pairing interactions between the viologen ligands of adjacent complexes, representing a type of through-space electronic coupling commonly observed for organic viologen radicals but never before seen in metalloviologens. The extended solid-state packing of these complexes produces 3D networks of radical π-stacking interactions that impart unexpected mechanical flexibility to these crystals.

Quantum Interference in Mixed-Valence Complexes: Tuning Electronic Coupling Through Substituent Effects

Whilst 2- or 5-OMe groups on the bridging phenylene ring in [{Cp*(dppe)RuC≡C}2 (μ-1,3-C6 H4 )]+ have little influence on the electronic structure of this weakly coupled mixed-valence complex, a 4-OMe substituent enhances ground state electron delocalization, and increases the intensity of the IVCT transition. Vibrational frequency and TDDFT calculations (LH20t-D3(BJ), def2-SVP, COSMO (CH2 Cl2 )) on ([{Cp*(dppe)RuC≡C}2 (μ-1,3-C6 H3 -n-OMe)]+ (n=2, 4, 5) models are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. The stronger ground state coupling is attributed to the change in composition of the β-HOSO brought about by the 4-OMe group, which is ortho or para to each of the metal fragments. The intensity of the IVCT transition increases with the greater overlap of the β-HOSO and β-LUSO, whilst the relative phases of the β-HOSO and β-LUSO in the 4-OMe substituted complex are consistent with predictions of constructive quantum interference from molecular circuit rules.

Introducing Benzene-1,3,5-tri(dithiocarboxylate) as a Multidentate Linker in Coordination Chemistry

Benzene-1,3,5-tri(dithiocarboxylate) (BTDTC^3-), the sulfur-donor analogue of trimesate (BTC^3-, benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate), is introduced, and its potential as a multidentate, electronically bridging ligand in coordination chemistry is evaluated. For this, the sodium salt Na₃BTDTC has been synthesized, characterized, and compared with the sodium salt of the related ditopic benzene-1,4-di(dithiocarboxylate) (Na₂BDDTC). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of the respective tetrahydrofuran (THF) solvates reveals that such multitopic aromatic dithiocarboxylate linkers can form both discrete metal complexes (Na₃BTDTC·9THF) and (two-dimensional) coordination polymers (Na₂BDDTC·4THF). Additionally, the versatile coordination behavior of the novel BTDTC^3- ligand is demonstrated by successful synthesis and characterization of trinuclear Cu(I) and hexanuclear Mo(II)₂ paddlewheel complexes. The electronic structure and molecular orbitals of both dithiocarboxylate ligands as well as their carboxylate counterparts are investigated by density functional theory computational methods. Electrochemical investigations suggest that BTDTC^3- enables electronic communication between the coordinated metal ions, rendering it a promising tritopic linker for functional coordination polymers.

Synthesis and electronic coupling studies of cyclometalated diruthenium complexes bridged by 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(benzimidazol-2-yl)-biphenyl

Three cyclometalated diruthenium complexes bridged by 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(benzimidazol-2-yl)biphenyl (H-tbibp) and capped with different terminal ligands have been synthesized and examined. In addition, two monoruthenium complexes with H-tbibp have been prepared for the purpose of comparison studies. The degree of Ru-Ru electronic coupling of these diruthenium complexes has been investigated by electrochemical and intervalence charge-transfer (IVCT) analyses. These results suggest that when the same or similar terminal ligands are used, the strength of H-tbibp in mediating the Ru-Ru coupling is enhanced with respect to that of the previously reported bridging ligand 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(N-methylbenzimidazol-2-yl)biphenyl, but it is slightly inferior to that of the classical bridging ligand 3,3',5,5'-tetrakis(pyrid-2-yl)biphenyl. This trend is also supported by CNS analyses based on the hole-superexchange mechanism. In addition, DFT calculations have been performed to probe the spin density distributions of the singly-oxidized diruthenium complexes with H-tbibp and TDDFT calculations are used to reproduce the IVCT transitions.

Rutheniumethynyl-Triarylamine Organic-Inorganic Mixed-Valence Systems: Regulating Ru-N Electronic Coupling by Different Aryl Bridge Cores

Four rutheniumethynyl-triarylamine complexes 1-4 with different aryl bridge cores were prepared. The solid structures of complexes 2-4 were fully confirmed by X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. Two consecutive one-electron oxidation processes of complexes 1-4 were attributed to the ruthenium and nitrogen centers, as revealed by cyclic voltammetry and square-wave voltammogram. Results also showed decreasing potential difference ΔE of complexes 1, 3, and 4, with the largest value for 2. Upon chemical oxidation of complexes 1-4 by 1.0 eq oxidation reagents FcPF₆ or AgSbF₆ , the mixed-valence complexes, except for 2⁺ , show characteristic broad NIR absorptions in the UV-vis-NIR spectroscopic experiments. NIR multiple absorptions were assigned to NAr₂ →RuCp*(dppe) intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) and metal-to-ligand charge transfer transitions by TDDFT calculations. Coupling parameter (H_ab ) from Hush theory revealed that increasing electronic communication in 1⁺ , 3⁺ , and 4⁺ . Electron density distribution of the HOMO for neutral molecules (1, 3, and 4) and spin density distribution of the corresponding single-oxidized states (1⁺ , 3⁺ , and 4⁺ ) increases progressively on the bridge as the size of the aromatic system increases, proving incremental contributions from bridge cores during oxidation.

Mediation of Electron Transfer by Quadrupolar Interactions: The Constitutional, Electronic, and Energetic Complementarities in Supramolecular Chemistry

Studies of intermolecular interactions enhance our knowledge of chemistry across molecular and supramolecular levels. Here, we show that host-guest quadrupolar interaction has a profound influence on the molecular system. With covalently bonded dimolybdenum complex units as the electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) and a thienylene group (C₄H₂S) as the bridge (B), the mixed-valence D-B-A complexes are shaped with clefts in the middle of the molecule. Interestingly, in aromatic solvents, the D-A electronic coupling constants (H_ab) and electron transfer rates (k_et) are dramatically reduced. Theoretical computations indicate that an aromatic molecule is encapsulated in the cleft of the D-B-A array; quadrupole-quadrupole interaction between the guest molecule and the C₄H₂S bridge evokes a charge redistribution, which increases the HOMO-LUMO energy gap, intervening in the through-bond electron transfer. These results demonstrate that a supramolecular system is unified underlying the characteristics of the assembled molecules through constitutional, electronic, and energetic complementarities.

Bridge-Mediated Charge Separation in Isomeric N-Annulated Perylene Diimide Dimers

The possibility and rate of charge separation (CS) in donor-bridge-acceptor molecules mainly depend on two factors: electronic coupling and solvent effects. The question of how CS occurred in two identical chromophores is fundamental, as it is particularly interesting for potential molecular electronics applications and the photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs). Conjugated bridge definitely plays a crucial role in electronic coupling. To determine the bridge-mediated charge separation dynamics between the two identical chromophores, the isomeric N-annulated perylene diimide dimers (para-BDNP and meta-BDNP) with different conjugated bridge structures have been comparatively investigated in different solvents using femtosecond transient absorption spectra (fs-TA). It is found that the charge separation is disfavored in weak polar solvent, whereas direct spectroscopic signatures of radicals are observed in polar solvents, and the rate of charge separation increases as the solvent polarity increasing. To our surprise, the rate of charge separation in m-BDNP is more than an order of magnitude slower than that in p-BDNP, although there is a larger negative ΔG_CS in m-BDNP. The slow CS rate that occurred in m-BDNP mainly results from the intrinsic destructive interference of the wave function through the meta-substituted bridge. The roles of solvent effects in free energy and electronic coupling for charge separation are further identified with quantum calculations.

Efficient electron transfer across hydrogen bond interfaces by proton-coupled and -uncoupled pathways

Thermal electron transfer through hydrogen bonds remains largely unexplored. Here we report the study of electron transfer through amide-amide hydrogen bonded interfaces in mixed-valence complexes with covalently bonded Mo₂ units as the electron donor and acceptor. The rate constants for electron transfer through the dual hydrogen bonds across a distance of 12.5 Å are on the order of ∼ 10¹⁰ s^-1, as determined by optical analysis based on Marcus-Hush theory and simulation of ν(NH) vibrational band broadening, with the electron transfer efficiencies comparable to that of π conjugated bridges. This work demonstrates that electron transfer across a hydrogen bond may proceed via the known proton-coupled pathway, as well as an overlooked proton-uncoupled pathway that does not involve proton transfer. A mechanistic switch between the two pathways can be achieved by manipulation of the strengths of electronic coupling and hydrogen bonding. The knowledge of the non-proton coupled pathway has shed light on charge and energy transport in biological systems.