High-frequency/high-field EPR spectroscopy of the high-spin ferrous ion in hexaaqua complexes

Structures and relative stability of hydrated ferrous ion clusters and temperature effects

Structures of solvated ferrous ion clusters have been investigated in the singlet and quintet spin states of the ferrous ion. Relative stabilities of isomers are also discussed at different temperatures.

Isolated Mixed-Valence Iron Vanadium Malate and Its Metal Hydrates (M = Fe2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) with Reversible and Irreversible Adsorptions for Oxygen

Isolated octanuclear iron-vanadium malate (NH₄)₃(CH₃NH₃)₃[Fe^III₂V^IV₂V^V₄O₁₁(mal)₆]·7.5H₂O (1; H₃mal = malic acid) and its family of metal hydrates M'_3n[M^II(H₂O)₂]_1.5n[Fe^III₂V^IV₂V^V₄O₁₁(mal)₆]_n·xnH₂O (2 or 2-Fe, M' = NH₄⁺, M = Fe, x = 7.5; 3 or 3-Cu, M' = K⁺, M = Cu, x = 10; 4 or 4-Zn, M' = K⁺, M = Zn, x = 6.5) have been obtained by self-assembly in water. The cluster anion [Fe₂V₆O₁₁(mal)₆]^6- (1a) shows an interesting iron bicapped-triangular-prismatic structure, which is bridged by M²⁺ hydrates (M = Fe, Cu, Zn) to construct isostructural metal organic frameworks (MOFs) 2-4. The mixed-valence vanadium systems in 1-4 were determined by theoretical bond valence calculations (BVS) and charge balance. The magnetic susceptibilities are further elucidated as high spin for Fe³⁺ in 1a and bridging Fe²⁺ in 2-Fe, respectively. A strong ferromagnetic interaction was also observed for 2-Fe at 3 K. 2-Fe, 3-Cu, and 4-Zn have similar hydrophilic channels with diameters of 6.8, 6.5, and 6.6 Å, respectively, which show obvious affinity for O₂ in comparison with no adsorption of N₂, H₂, CO₂, and CH₄ at room temperature under different pressures. Moreover, 2-Fe and 4-Zn exhibit irreversible O₂ absorptions, which may be attributed to charge transfer between O₂ and open metal sites (OMSs) formed during vacuum heating pretreatment. UV-vis and EPR spectra show a change in electronic structure of 2-Fe after O₂ adsorption. The reversible adsorption observed in 3-Cu suggests a weak interaction between O₂ and Cu²⁺ due to the Jahn-Teller effect. The properties of gas adsorption provide an insight into the performances of small molecules in the channels constructed by synthetic octanuclear model compounds, which are related to the interactions between the gas substrate and the heterometal cluster in biology.

Importance of the fourth-rank zero field splitting parameters for Fe2+ (S = 2) adatoms on the CuN/Cu(100) surface evidenced by their determination based on DFT and experimental data

Equations allow to determine 2nd- and 4th-rank ZFSPs (B_k^q) based on spin energy levels (λi) at B = 0. This method is applied to Fe²⁺ (S = 2) adatoms on CuN/Cu(100) surface using DFT and experimental data. Relative importance of ZFSPs is analyzed.

Direct Observation of Very Large Zero-Field Splitting in a Tetrahedral Ni(II)Se4 Coordination Complex

The high-spin (S = 1) tetrahedral Ni(II) complex [Ni{(i)Pr2P(Se)NP(Se)(i)Pr2}2] was investigated by magnetometry, spectroscopic, and quantum chemical methods. Angle-resolved magnetometry studies revealed the orientation of the magnetization principal axes. The very large zero-field splitting (zfs), D = 45.40(2) cm(-1), E = 1.91(2) cm(-1), of the complex was accurately determined by far-infrared magnetic spectroscopy, directly observing transitions between the spin sublevels of the triplet ground state. These are the largest zfs values ever determined--directly--for a high-spin Ni(II) complex. Ab initio calculations further probed the electronic structure of the system, elucidating the factors controlling the sign and magnitude of D. The latter is dominated by spin-orbit coupling contributions of the Ni ions, whereas the corresponding effects of the Se atoms are remarkably smaller.

Biochemical and biophysical methods for studying mitochondrial iron metabolism

Iron is a heavily utilized element in organisms and numerous mechanisms accordingly regulate the trafficking, metabolism, and storage of iron. Despite the high regulation of iron homeostasis, several diseases and mutations can lead to the misregulation and often accumulation of iron in the cytosol or mitochondria of tissues. To understand the genesis of iron overload, it is necessary to employ various techniques to quantify iron in organisms and mitochondria. This chapter discusses techniques for determining the total iron content of tissue samples, ranging from colorimetric determination of iron concentrations, atomic absorption spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. In addition, we discuss in situ techniques for analyzing iron including electron microscopic nonheme iron histochemistry, electron energy loss spectroscopy, synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging, and confocal Raman microscopy. Finally, we discuss biophysical methods for studying iron in isolated mitochondria, including ultraviolet-visible, electron paramagnetic resonance, X-ray absorbance, and Mössbauer spectroscopies. This chapter should aid researchers to select and interpret mitochondrial iron quantifications.

High-frequency EPR study of the high-spin FeII complex Fe[(SPPh2)2N]2

We report continuous-wave electron-paramagnetic-resonance (EPR) spectra of the high-spin Fe(II) complex Fe[(SPPh(2))(2)N](2) at 275.7 GHz, 94.1 GHz and 9.5 GHz. Combined analysis of these EPR spectra shows that the complex occurs in multiple conformations. For two main conformations the spin-Hamiltonian parameters, which reflect the electronic structure of the complex, are accurately determined: (1) D=9.17 cm(-1) (275 GHz), E/D=0.021 and (2) D=8.87 cm(-1) (266 GHz), E/D=0.052. The EPR spectra obtained at 275.7 GHz on single crystals of the complex are essential for the analysis and in addition they reveal that the two main conformations occur at two magnetically distinguishable sites.

The world as viewed by and with unpaired electrons

Recent advances in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) include capabilities for applications to areas as diverse as archeology, beer shelf life, biological structure, dosimetry, in vivo imaging, molecular magnets, and quantum computing. Enabling technologies include multifrequency continuous wave, pulsed, and rapid scan EPR. Interpretation is enhanced by increasingly powerful computational models.

High-frequency and -field EPR and FDMRS study of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ ion in ferrous fluorosilicate

The complex [Fe(H2O)6]SiF6 is one of the most stable and best characterized high-spin Fe(II) salts and as such, is a paradigm for the study of this important transition metal ion. We describe high-frequency and -field electron paramagnetic resonance studies of both pure [Fe(H2O)6]SiF6 and [Zn(H2O)6]SiF6 doped with 8% of Fe(II). In addition, frequency domain magnetic resonance spectroscopy was applied to these samples. High signal-to-noise, high resolution spectra were recorded which allowed an accurate determination of spin Hamiltonian parameters for Fe(II) in each of these two, related, environments. For pure [Fe(H2O)6]SiF6, the following parameters were obtained: D=+11.95(1) cm(-1), E=0.658(4) cm(-1), g=[2.099(4),2.151(5),1.997(3)], along with fourth-order zero-field splitting parameters: B4(0)=17(1)×10(-4) cm(-1) and B4(4)=18(4)×10(-4) cm(-1), which are rarely obtainable by any technique. For the doped complex, D=+13.42(1) cm(-1), E=0.05(1) cm(-1), g=[2.25(1),2.22(1),2.23(1)]. These parameters are in good agreement with those obtained using other techniques. Ligand-field theory was used to analyze the electronic absorption data for [Fe(H2O)6]SiF6 and suggests that the ground state is 5A1, which allows successful use of a spin Hamiltonian model. Density functional theory and unrestricted Hartree-Fock calculations were performed which, in the case of latter, reproduced the spin Hamiltonian parameters very well for the doped complex.

cis-2,2'-Bipyrimidine-bridged polynuclear complex: a stairway-like mixed-valent {Fe(4)} cluster

We report the first example of a polynuclear discrete coordination compound exhibiting only bpym bridges and containing a first-row d transition metal. A smooth self-assembly one-pot synthetic route, starting from simply FeCl(2) and FeCl(3) hydrates, allowed us to prepare a tetranuclear Fe(4) cluster with a stairway-like structure and the formula cis-{[(H(2)O)Cl(3)Fe(III)-μ(bpym)Fe(II)Cl(2)]}(2)-μ(bpym) (1) . All spectroscopic data suggest that complex 1 is a valence-localized mixed-valent Fe(II)-Fe(III) cluster with typical Mössbauer lines for both sites, which do not change with temperature. Reflectance spectroscopy did not allow one to distinguish an intervalence charge-transfer band. However, time-dependent density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict a weak high-energy Fe(II) → Fe(III) transition. Regarding the magnetic properties, the high-spin Fe(II) and Fe(III) ions interact in a weakly antiferromagnetic way with isotropic J constants of only a few wavenumbers as derived from direct-current susceptibility and magnetization data. Broken-symmetry DFT calculations support these observations.

A multifrequency EPR study of Fe2+ and Mn2+ ions in a ZnSiF(6).6H2O single crystal at liquid-helium temperatures

A liquid-helium temperature study of Fe2+ and Mn2+ ions has been carried out on a single crystal of Fe2+-doped ZnSiF(6).6H2O at 5-35K at 170, 222.4 and 333.2G Hz. The spectra are found to be an overlap of two magnetically inequivalent Fe2+ ions, as well as that of an Mn2+ ion. From the simulation of the EPR line positions for the Fe2+ (d6, S=2) ion the spin-Hamiltonian parameters were estimated for the two inequivalent Fe2+ ions at the various temperatures. From the relative intensities of lines the absolute sign of the fine-structure parameters have been estimated. In addition, the fine-structure and hyperfine-structure spin-Hamiltonian parameters for the Mn2+ ion, present as impurity at interstitial sites, were estimated from the hyperfine allowed and forbidden line positions. The particular virtues of such a single-crystal study vs. that on powders are noted.

Spectroscopic, Magnetochemical, and Crystallographic Study of Cesium Iron Phosphate Hexahydrate: Characterization of the Electronic Structure of the Iron(II) Hexa-aqua Cation in a Quasicubic Environment

Spectroscopic, magnetochemical, and crystallographic data are presented for CsFe(H2O)6PO4, a member of a little-known isomorphous series of salts that facilitates the study of hexa-aqua ions in a quasicubic environment. Above 120 K, the deviations from cubic symmetry are minimal, as shown by the first example of an iron(II) Mössbauer spectrum that exhibits no measurable quadrupole splitting. Two crystallographically distinct [Fe(OH2)6]2+ complexes are identified from inelastic neutron-scattering (INS) experiments conducted between 2 and 15 K. The data are modeled with the ligand-field Hamiltonian, H = lambdaLŝ + betaB(kL + 2ŝ) + Delta(tet){Lz2 - (1/3)L(L + 1)} + Delta(rhom){Lx2 - Ly2}, operating in the ground-term (5)T(2g) (Oh) basis. An excellent reproduction of INS, Mössbauer, HF-EPR, and magnetochemical data are obtained in the 2 and 15 K temperature regimes with the following parameters: lambda = -80 cm(-1); k = 0.8; site A Delta(tet) = 183 cm(-1), Delta(rhom)= 19 cm(-1); site B Delta(tet) = 181 cm(-1), Delta(rhom)= 12 cm(-1). The corresponding zero-field-splitting (ZFS) parameters of the conventional S = 2 spin Hamiltonian are as follows: site A D = 12.02 cm(-)(1), E = 2.123 cm(-1); site B D = 12.15 cm(-1), E = 1.37 cm(-1). A theoretical analysis of the variation of the energies of the low-lying states with respect to displacements along selected normal coordinates of the [Fe(OH2)6]2+, shows the zero-field splitting to be extremely sensitive to small structural perturbations of the complex. The expressions derived are discussed in the context of spin-Hamiltonian parameters reported for the [Fe(OH2)6]2+ cation in different crystalline environments.