Cage Metal Complexes: Synthesis, X‐ray Structure, and Spectral and Redox Behavior of the First Hybrid Iron(II) Clathrochelatoscorpionate and Its Pyrazoloxime‐Armed Macrocyclic Intermediate

Effects of solvatomorphism, the nature of a chelating ligand synthon and a counterion on the single crystal XRD structure and SMM properties of paramagnetic monocapped cobalt(II) tris-pyrazoloximates

A series of monocapped cobalt(II) tris-pyrazoloximates was obtained through the template condensation of the corresponding pyrazoloxime, phenylboronic acid and a suitable cobalt(II) halogenide. Comparing 3-acetylpyrazoloxime versus its methine-containing homolog, the former produced cobalt(II) clathrochelates in substantially higher yields due to the electron donating effect of the methyl substituent, increasing the N-donor ability of its oxime group. Their less N-donor analog with the electron acceptor trifluoromethyl group did not form cobalt(II) complexes of this type. In all their solvent-free and solvent-containing crystals, the encapsulated cobalt(II) ion adopted a high-spin state, as gauged by the Co-N bond lengths of 2.112(4)-2.188(9) Å, and was located almost in the center of its CoN6-coordination polyhedron. Their CoN6-polyhedra had an almost ideal trigonal-prismatic (TP) geometry with distortion angles φ below 4°. This TP-like geometry was assisted by hydrogen bonding between their NH groups and the apical counterion. The absence of methyl groups makes them close to an ideal TP. In contrast, stronger N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds occurred in the methyl-containing complex, while the Co-N bond lengths stayed the same at 2.144(2) Å on average. In its solvates with benzene, chloroform and acetone, there is a clear tendency for φ to decrease from 2.7(3)° to 0.47(13)°. The comparable effects of the ribbed methyl substituents, the cross-linking counterion and the lattice solvent on their molecular geometry were observed; the larger the distortions from an ideal TP geometry, the stronger the hydrogen bonds to the corresponding apical halogenide anion. The analysis of the experimental AC- and DC-magnetometry data for their fine-crystalline samples suggests that the passing from the derivative of the methyl-substituted synthon to that of its methine-containing homolog caused a substantial decrease in the magnetic susceptibility value χT and an increase in the QTM contribution to the magnetic relaxation. The effect of a cross-linking halogenide counteranion on the Orbach remagnetization barrier is greater than that of the solvatomorphism of their crystals.

Solvent-Induced Encapsulation of Cobalt(II) Ion by a Boron-Capped tris-Pyrazoloximate

Boron-cross-linked cobalt(II) pseudoclathrochelate was obtained by the template reaction of 2-acetylpyrazoloxime, phenylboronic acid, and a new DMF cobalt(II) solvato complex with a decachloro-closo-decaborate dianion. As confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, this complex crystallizes with two symmetry-independent cobalt(II) pseudoclathrochelate cations, one decachloro-closo-decaborate dianion, one benzene, one dichloromethane solvent molecule, and two molecules of DMF. The latter act as pseudocapping fragments to the monocapped tris-pyrazoloximate ligands by forming N-H···O hydrogen bonds with their pyrazole groups. The Co^IIN₆-coordination polyhedra adopt a nearly ideal TP geometry with distortion angles φ equal to 1.22(16) and 2.58(17)° for two symmetry-independent pseudoclathrochelate cations, both containing the encapsulated cobalt(II) ion in its high-spin state (Co-N 2.115(4)-2.198(3) Å). Magnetic properties of this complex were studied both by dc-magnetometry and by solution-state NMR spectroscopy to reveal a high magnetic anisotropy, thus suggesting a large magnetic susceptibility tensor anisotropy (25.8 × 10^-32 m³ at 298 K) and a large negative zero-field splitting energy (-85 cm^-1). The results of magnetometry studies in the ac magnetic field suggest a single molecule magnet behavior of this TP complex with an effective magnetization reversal barrier of approximately 130 cm^-1. Its pseudocapping DMF molecules that form H-bonds with tris-pyrazoloximate fragments are easy to substitute by strong H-bond acceptors, such as chloride ions and di- and tetramethylureas, thus affecting the magnetic properties of a whole pseudomacrobicyclic paramagnetic system.

Synthesis, X-ray structure and electrochemical properties of hybrid binuclear metallophthalocyaninate-capped tris-pyridineoximates

New antimony-capped iron and nickel(ii) tris-pyridineoximates easily underwent transmetallation with zirconium and hafnium(iv) phthalocyaninates giving metallophthalocyaninato-cross-linked complexes.

Preparation, X-ray Structures, Spectroscopic, and Redox Properties of Di- and Trinuclear Iron-Zirconium and Iron-Hafnium Porphyrinoclathrochelates

The first hybrid di- and trinuclear iron(II)-zirconium(IV) and iron(II)-hafnium(IV) macrobicyclic complexes with one or two apical 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin fragments were obtained using transmetalation reaction between n-butylboron-triethylantimony-capped or bis(triethylantimony)-capped iron(II) clathrochelate precursors and dichlorozirconium(IV)- or dichlorohafnium(IV)-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrins under mild conditions. New di- and trinuclear porphyrinoclathrochelates of general formula FeNx₃((Bn-Bu)(MTPP)) and FeNx₃(MTPP)₂ [M = Zr, Hf; TPP = 5,10,15,20-tetraporphyrinato(2-); Nx = nioximo(2-)] were characterized by one-dimensional (¹H and ¹³C{¹H}) and two-dimensional (COSY and HSQC) NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, UV-visible, and magnetic circular dichroism spectra, single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments, as well as elemental analyses. Redox properties of all complexes were probed using electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical approaches. Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical data suggestive of a very weak, if any, long-range electronic coupling between two porphyrin π-systems in FeNx₃(MTPP)₂ complexes. Density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory calculations were used to correlate spectroscopic signatures and redox properties of new compounds with their electronic structures.

Combined analysis of chemical bonding in a CuIIdimer using QTAIM, Voronoi tessellation and Hirshfeld surface approaches

Interaction of 1-(1H-pyrazol-5-yl)ethanone oxime (H2PzOx) with copper(II) chloride in the presence of pyridine afforded a binuclear discrete [Cu2(HPzOx)2Cl2py2] complex, which was characterized by Fourier transform–IR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra, magnetochemistry and high-resolution X-ray diffraction experiments. Multipole refinement of X-ray diffraction data and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of an isolated molecule allowed charge and spin distributions to be obtained for this compound. Magnetochemistry data, EPR spectra and DFT calculations of an isolated molecule show antiferromagnetic coupling between copper(II) ions. The spin distribution suggests an exchange pathwayviathe bridging pyrazole ring in the equatorial plane of the CuN4Cl coordination polyhedron, thus providing support for the classical superexchange mechanism; the calculated value of the magnetic coupling constant −2Jis equal to 220 cm−1, which compares well with the experimental value of 203 ± 2 cm−1. Chemical connectivity was derived by Bader's `quantum theory of atoms in molecules' and compared with Voronoi tessellation and Hirshfeld surface representations of crystal space. All methodologies gave a similar qualitative and semi-quantitative description of intra- and intermolecular connectivity.

Chloride ion-aided self-assembly of pseudoclathrochelate metal tris-pyrazoloximates

Chloride ion-aided one-pot template self-assembly of a mixed pyrazoloxime ligand with phenylboronic acid on a corresponding metal(II) ion as a matrix afforded the first boron-capped zinc, cobalt, iron, and manganese pseudoclathrochelate tris-pyrazoloximates. The presence of a pseudocross-linking hydrogen-bonded chloride ion is critical for their formation, as the same chloride-capped complexes were isolated even in the presence of large excesses of bromide and iodide ions. As revealed by X-ray diffraction, all complexes are capped with a chloride ion via three N-H···Cl hydrogen bonds that stabilize their pseudomacrobicyclic frameworks. The MN6 coordination polyhedra possess a distorted trigonal prismatic geometry, with the distortion angles φ between their nonequivalent N3 bases of approximately 0°. Temperature dependences of the effective magnetic moment for the paramagnetic complexes showed the encapsulated metal(II) ions to be in a high-spin state in the temperature range of 2-300 K. In the case of the iron(II) pseudoclathrochelate, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations were used to assess its spin state as well as the (57)Fe Mössbauer and UV-vis-NIR parameters. Cyclic voltammetry studies performed for these pseudomacrobicyclic complexes showed them to undergo irreversible or quasi-reversible metal-localized oxidations and reductions. As no changes are observed in the presence of a substantial excess of bromide ion, no anion-exchange reaction occurs, and thus the pseudoclathrochelates have a high affinity toward chloride anions in solution.

A Mononuclear Mn(II) Pseudoclathrochelate Complex Studied by Multi-Frequency Electron-Paramagnetic-Resonance Spectroscopy

Knowledge of the correlation between structural and spectroscopic properties of transition-metal complexes is essential to deepen the understanding of their role in catalysis, molecular magnetism, and biological inorganic chemistry. It provides topological and, sometimes, functional insight with respect to the active site properties of metalloproteins. The electronic structure of a high-spin mononuclear Mn(II) pseudoclathrochelate complex has been investigated by electron-paramagnetic-resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at 9.5 and 275.7 GHz. A substantial, virtually axial zero-field splitting with D = -9.7 GHz (-0.32 cm(-1)) is found, which is the largest one reported to date for a Mn(II) complex with six nitrogen atoms in the first coordination sphere.

Apically linked iron(II) α-dioximate and α-oximehydrazonate bis-clathrochelates: synthesis, structure and electrocatalytic properties

Iron(II) α-oximehydrazonate and α-dioximate bis-clathrochelates with apical hydrocarbon linkers were obtained by template condensation on an iron(II) ion followed by H(+)-catalyzed macrobicyclization of the bis-semiclathrochelate precursor with formaldehyde and triethyl orthoformate, and by transmetallation of the triethylantimony-containing clathrochelate precursor with diboron-containing bifunctional Lewis acids, respectively. The geometry of the para-phenylenediboron-capped iron(II) bis-clathrochelate studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction is intermediate between a trigonal prism and a trigonal antiprism with a distortion angle of 20.4°; the rigidity of its C6H4 linker results in the presence of the expected three-fold pseudo-rotational B···Fe···B···B···Fe···B axis and a staggered conformation of the cyclohexane-containing chelate moieties. The cyclic voltammograms (CVs) for the oximehydrazonate bis-clathrochelates contain single one-electron (for each metallocentre, and therefore, two electrons per molecule) quasi-reversible reduction waves assigned to the redox-processes of Fe(2+/+), and no interaction is observed between the two encapsulated iron(I)-containing metallocenters; six strong electron-withdrawing ethoxy substituents in the 1,3,5-triazacyclohexane capping fragments substantially affect the potential of this reduction. The corresponding waves for the dioximate complexes are irreversible: due to the structural rigidity of the caging tris-dioximate ligands, their reduced dianionic forms are unstable on the CV time scale. The CV for the hexaethoxy bis-clathrochelate complex contains one two-electron reversible oxidation wave assigned to the metal-centered oxidation of Fe(2+/3+), whereas those for its dioximate analogs are quasi-reversible. The relative lability of the ligand cavity in binuclear oximehydrazonates causes a stabilization of both the oxidized and the reduced forms; the reduced iron(I)-containing species are highly electrocatalytically active in the hydrogen-producing 2H(+)/H2 reaction. Their higher activity as compared with that for dioximate bis-clathrochelates was explained by the higher availability of the catalytically active metallocentres for H(+) ions.