Carboxylato‐Modified New Oxo‐Centred Triruthenium Cluster Compounds with CO and Solvent Ligands: The X‐ray Structure of [Ru 3 O(C 2 H 5 CO 2 ) 6 (CO)(THF) 2 ]

Electrochemical atomic force microscopy of two-dimensional trinuclear ruthenium clusters molecular assembly and dynamics under redox state control

Mixed-valence ruthenium trinuclear clusters containing dichloroacetates were synthesized, and the self-assembly of a single molecular adlayer composed of these clusters on a graphite surface was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM clearly revealed the dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) structure formation as well as the molecular characteristics of the adlayers at different electrochemical interfaces. The results verified that the design of metal complexes is important not only for redox chemistry but also for molecular assembly and nanoarchitecture construction.

Revisiting oxo-centered carbonyl-triruthenium clusters: investigating CO photorelease and some spectroscopic and electrochemical correlations

This work presents the correlations of the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of triruthenium carbonyl μ-oxo complexes with the σ-donor or π-acceptor ability of ancillary ligands.

Hydroxo-bridged dimers of oxo-centered ruthenium(III) triangle: synthesis and spectroscopic and theoretical investigations

The homometallic hexameric ruthenium cluster of the formula [Ru(III)6(μ3-O)2(μ-OH)2((CH3)3CCO2)12(py)2] (1) (py = pyridine) is solved by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Magnetic susceptibility measurements performed on 1 suggest that the antiferromagnetic interaction between the Ru(III) centers is dominant, and this is supported by theoretical studies. Theoretical calculations based on density functional methods yield eight different exchange interaction values for 1: J1 = -737.6, J2 = +63.4, J3 = -187.6, J4 = +124.4, J5 = -376.4, J6 = -601.2, J7 = -657.0, and J8 = -800.6 cm(-1). Among all the computed J values, six are found to be antiferromagnetic. Four exchange values (J1, J6, J7 and J8) are computed to be extremely strong, with J8, mediated through one μ-hydroxo and a carboxylate bridge, being by far the largest exchange obtained for any transition-metal cluster. The origin of these strong interactions is the orientation of the magnetic orbitals in the Ru(III) centers, and the computed J values are rationalized by using molecular orbital and natural bond order analysis. Detailed NMR studies ((1)H, (13)C, HSQC, NOESY, and TOCSY) of 1 (in CDCl3) confirm the existence of the solid-state structure in solution. The observation of sharp NMR peaks and spin-lattice time relaxation (T1 relaxation) experiments support the existence of strong intramolecular antiferromagnetic exchange interactions between the metal centers. A broad absorption peak around 600-1000 nm in the visible to near-IR region is a characteristic signature of an intracluster charge-transfer transition. Cyclic voltammetry experiments show that there are three reversible one-electron redox couples at -0.865, +0.186, and +1.159 V with respect to the Ag/AgCl reference electrode, which corresponds to two metal-based one-electron oxidations and one reduction process.

Synthesis and properties of the cyano complex of oxo-centered triruthenium core [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(pyridine)2(CN)]

The preparation and properties of a new cyano complex containing the Ru3(μ3-O) core, [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CN)] (1; py = pyridine), are reported. Complex 1 in CH2Cl2 showed intense absorption bands at 244, 334, and 662 nm, corresponding to a π-π* transition of the ligand, cluster-to-ligand charge transfer, and intracluster transitions, respectively. The cyclic voltammogram of 1 in 0.1 M (n-Bu)4NPF6-CH2Cl2 showed redox waves for the processes Ru3(II,II,III)/Ru3(II,III,III), Ru3(II,III,III)/Ru3(III,III,III), and Ru3(III,III,III)/Ru3(III,III,IV) at E1/2 = -1.49, -0.26, and +1.03 V vs Ag/AgCl, respectively. The first two redox potentials are more negative by ca. 0.2 V in comparison with the corresponding potentials of [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(py)3](+). This is in sharp contrast to the positive shifts of the corresponding waves of [Ru3(II,III,III)(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CO)]. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of [Ru3(II,III,III)(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(py)3], [Ru3(II,III,III)(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CN)](-), and [Ru3(II,III,III)(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(py)2(CO)] showed that the positive charge of the ruthenium is delocalized over the triruthenium cores of the first two and is localized as Ru(II)(CO){Ru(III)(py)}2 in the CO complex. The calculations explain the difference in the π interactions of the two ligands with the triruthenium cores.

A synthetic strategy for a new series of oxo-centered tricobalt complexes with mixed bridging ligands of acetate and pyrazolate anions

A new series of oxo-centered tricobalt(III, III, III) complexes, containing mixed bridges of acetate and pyrazolate anions, has been synthesized based on a strategy consisting of two stages. In the first stage, the reaction of cobalt(II) acetate tetrahydrate with pyrazole in the presence of oxidants, followed by purification with silica-gel column chromatography, afforded six tricobalt complexes: [Co(3)O(μ-OAc)(5)(μ-pz)(Hpz)(3)](PF(6)) (mono), two isomers of [Co(3)O(μ-OAc)(4)(μ-pz)(2)(Hpz)(3)](PF(6)) (bis-1 and bis-2), two isomers of [Co(3)O(μ-OAc)(3)(μ-pz)(3)(Hpz)(3)](PF(6)) (tris-2 and tris-3), and one isomer of [Co(3)O(μ-OAc)(2)(μ-pz)(4)(Hpz)(3)](PF(6)) (tetra-1). In the second stage, substitution reactions have been examined for the complexes obtained in the first stage. As a result, one acetate bridge in bis-1, bis-2, and tris-3 could be substituted with one pyrazolate site-selectively. Bis-1, bis-2, and tris-3 were converted to another isomer of [Co(3)O(μ-OAc)(3)(μ-pz)(3)(Hpz)(3)](PF(6)) (tris-1), tris-2, and tetra-1, respectively. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies found that in every complex acetato and pyrazolato work as bridging ligands, while pyrazole (Hpz) acts as a terminal ligand. Moreover, the electrochemical properties of the seven new tricobalt complexes (mono, bis-1, bis-2, tris-1, tris-2, tris-3, and tetra-1) were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and it was found that (1) each complex shows reversible redox behaviour corresponding to the Co(III)Co(III)Co(III)/Co(III)Co(III)Co(IV) couple and (2) the redox potential decreases from 1.21 V vs. Fc/Fc(+) in mono to 1.09 V vs. Fc/Fc(+) in tetra-1, as the number of pyrazolate bridges increases.

Oxo-Centred Trimetallic Clusters Supported by Electron-Withdrawing Carboxylates: Highly Inert Character in Ligand Exchange Kinetics of the Dichloroacetate-Bridged Complex [Ru3(µ3-O)(µ-CHCl2COO)6(pyridine)3]

Two new oxo-centred trinuclear ruthenium clusters supported by six dichloroacetate ligands, [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CHCl2COO)6(CH3OH)3]CHCl2COO (1) and [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CHCl2COO)6(pyridine)3] (2), have been synthesised and characterised by spectroscopic methods, electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. Due to the strong inductive effect of the dichloroacetate ligands, the redox potential of 2 was shifted to the positive side (~1.0 V or more) relative to the acetate analogue [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(pyridine)3], and also the rate of pyridine/pyridine-d5 exchange reaction of 2 in CD3CN was retarded with the rate constant of kex298 K = 1.9 × 10–8 s–1 which is 105-fold smaller than the value for [Ru3(μ3-O)(μ-CH3COO)6(pyridine)3]. Highly positive activation parameters obtained for 2, ΔH‡ = 138 ± 7 kJ mol–1 and ΔS‡ = 71 ± 20 J K–1 mol–1, illustrate a dissociative activation pathway in which rupture of the Ru–N(pyridine) bond is involved in the rate-determining step.