Metal-to-Metal Distance Modulated Au(I)/Ru(II) Cyclophanyl Complexes: Cooperative Effects in Photoredox Catalysis

Understanding Cooperativity in Homo- and Heterometallic Complexes: From Basic Concepts to Design

Cooperative effects have attracted considerable attention in recent years. These effects are ubiquitous in chemistry and biology and can govern interactions of proteins with other biomolecules, mechanisms of supramolecular recognition and polymerization, catalysis, assembly of compounds on surfaces, and physical properties such as magnetic, electronic or optical properties, e. g. Consequently, the understanding of cooperative effects can lead to a structure-property relation that can pave the way to future applications in various research areas; however, with regard to cooperative effects in homo- and heterometallic complexes, we still are at the beginning of understanding. Nevertheless, concepts to describe cooperativity of metal centers as well as methodologies to investigate and model these effects have emerged over the last years. This concept article gives an overview of these existing concepts, approaches, and strategies to understand cooperative effects in homo- and heterometallic complexes. Special emphasis is put on concepts to define cooperative effects, their quantification, as well as methods to investigate cooperative effects.

Welcoming Neighbour or Inhospitable Host? Selective Second Metal Binding in 5- and 6-Phospha-Substituted Bpy Ligands

The controlled formation of mixed-metal bimetallics was realised through use of a fac-[Re(CO)3(N,N'-bpy-P)Cl] complex bearing an exogenous 2,4,6-trioxa-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-8-phosphaadamantane donor at the 5-position of the bpy. The introduction of gold, silver, and rhodium with appropriate secondary ligands was readily achieved from established starting materials. Restricted rotation about the C(bpy)-P bond was observed in several of the bimetallic complexes and correlated with the relative steric bulk of the second metal moiety. Related chemistry with the 6-substituted derivative proved more limited in scope with only the bimetallic Re/Au complex being isolated.

Ultrafast spectroscopy of RuII polypyridine complexes in the gas phase and the liquid phase: [Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)2(nicotinamide)2]2

[Ru(bipyridine)₂(nicotinamide)₂]²⁺ (1) and its monoaqua-complex [Ru(bipyridine)₂(nicotinamide)(H₂O)]²⁺ (2) were spectroscopically studied for the first time in the gas phase by static and time resolved UV photodissociation spectroscopy, observing nicotinamide and H₂O ligand dissociation for 1 and 2, respectively. Both processes and their ultrafast dynamics were investigated in parallel by transient absorption spectroscopy in aqueous solution. The latter data were newly acquired for the long-wavelength MLCT band excitation of 1 and provide novel ultrafast ligand dissociation results for 2, confirming the gas phase results, i.e., exclusive H₂O cleavage over nicotinamide loss. Similar apparent time constants in the sub-ps and few ps ranges were obtained for 1 in both phases, whereas a larger time constant of ca. two hundreds of ps for the ground state recovery was observed exclusively in the solution phase. Our reaction scheme accounts for faster dissociation dynamics in the gas phase by energetical lowering of the ³MC vs. the ³MLCT states by lack of solvent stabilization of the latter. Based on the apparent time constants, we favour, for the solution dynamics, a fast bimodal vibrational deactivation in the ³MLCT/³MC manifolds and a slow dissociation obfuscated by the ground state recovery. This is substantiated by a similar reaction scheme proposed for the ultrafast dynamics of 2, resulting in a new assignment for transient absorption features with λ > 550 nm to the ³MC manifold, and a common kinetic description for 1 and 2. Computations at the TD-DFT/cc-PVTZ/MDF28 level support our spectroscopic findings and the suggested deactivation pathways.

Heterobimetallic Gold/Ruthenium Complexes Synthesized via Post-functionalization and Applied in Dual Photoredox Gold Catalysis

The synthesis of heterobimetallic Au^I /Ru^II complexes of the general formula syn- and anti-[{AuCl}(L1∩L2){Ru(bpy)₂ }][PF₆ ]₂ is reported. The ditopic bridging ligand L1∩L2 refers to a P,N hybrid ligand composed of phosphine and bipyridine substructures, which was obtained via a post-functionalization strategy based on Diels-Alder reaction between a phosphole and a maleimide moiety. It was found that the stereochemistry at the phosphorus atom of the resulting 7-phosphanorbornene backbone can be controlled by executing the metal coordination and the cycloaddition reaction in a different order. All precursors, as well as the mono- and multimetallic complexes, were isolated and fully characterized by various spectroscopic methods such as NMR, IR, and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as cyclic voltammetry. Photophysical measurements show efficient phosphorescence for the investigated monometallic complex anti-[(L1∩L2){Ru(bpy)₂ }][PF₆ ]₂ and the bimetallic analogue syn-[{AuCl}(L1∩L2){Ru(bpy)₂ }][PF₆ ]₂ , thus indicating a small influence of the {AuCl} fragment on the photoluminescence properties. The heterobimetallic Au^I /Ru^II complexes syn- and anti-[{AuCl}(L1∩L2){Ru(bpy)₂ }][PF₆ ]₂ are both active catalysts in the P-arylation of aryldiazonium salts promoted by visible light with H-phosphonate affording arylphosphonates in yields of up to 91 %. Both dinuclear complexes outperform their monometallic counterparts.

Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of [2.2]Paracyclophane-derived Fused Imidazo[1,2-a]heterocycles by Groebke-Blackburn-Bienaymé Reaction: Accessing Cyclophanyl Imidazole Ligands Library

This report describes the synthesis of a [2.2]paracyclophane-derived annulated 3-amino-imidazole ligand library through a Groebke-Blackburn-Bienaymé three-component reaction (GBB-3CR) approach employing formyl-cyclophanes in combination with diverse aliphatic and aromatic isocyanides and heteroaromatic amidines. The GBB-3CR process gives access to skeletally-diverse cyclophanyl imidazole ligands, namely 3-amino-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines and imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazines. Additionally, a one-pot protocol for the GBB-3CR by an in situ generation of cyclophanyl isocyanide is demonstrated. The products were analyzed by detailed spectroscopic techniques, and the cyclophanyl imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine was confirmed unambiguously by single-crystal X-Ray crystallography. The cyclophanyl imidazole ligands can be readily transformed to showcase their useful utility in preparing N,C-palladacycles through regioselective ortho-palladation.

Metal-to-Metal Distance Modulated Au(I)/Ru(II) Cyclophanyl Complexes: Cooperative Effects in Photoredox Catalysis

The modular synthesis of Au(I)/Ru(II) decorated mono- and heterobimetallic complexes with π-conjugated [2.2]paracyclophane is described. [2.2]Paracyclophane serves as a rigid spacer which holds the metal centers in precise spatial orientations and allows metal-to-metal distance modulation. A broad set of architectural arrangements of pseudo -geminal, -ortho, -meta, and -para substitution patterns were employed. Metal-to-metal distance modulation of Au(I)/Ru(II) heterobimetallic complexes and the innate transannular π-communication of the cyclophanyl scaffold provides a promising platform for the investigations of structure-activity relationship and cooperative effects. The Au(I)/Ru(II) heterobimetallic cyclophanyl complexes are stable, easily accessible, and exhibit promising catalytic activity in the visible-light promoted arylative Meyer-Schuster rearrangement.

Metal-to-Metal Distance Modulation by Ligand Design: A Case Study of Structure-Property Correlation in Planar Chiral Cyclophanyl Metal Complexes

Multinuclear metal complexes have seen tremendous progress in synthetic advances, their versatile structural features, and emerging applications. Here, we conceptualize Metal-to-Metal distance modulation in cyclophanyl metal complexes by bridging ligand design employing the co-facially stacked cyclophanyl-derived pseudo-geminal, -ortho, -meta, and -para constitutional isomers grafted with N-, O-, and P- containing chelates that allow the installation of diverse (hetero)metallic moieties in a distance-defined and spatially-oriented relation to one another. Metal-to-Metal distance modulation and innate transannular "through-space" π-π electronic interactions via the co-facially stacked benzene rings in cyclophanyl-derived complexes as well as their specific stereochemical structural features (element of planar chirality) are crucial factors that contribute to the tuning of structure-property relationships, which stand at the very center from the perspective of cooperative effects in catalysis as well as emerging material applications.