Synthesis and fluxional behaviour of (cyclopentadienyl) and (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)ruthenium(II) complexes with hemilabile ether-phosphines. 31P DNMR spectroscopic studies and line shape analysis

Hemilabile Ligands as Mechanosensitive Electrode Contacts for Molecular Electronics

Single-molecule junctions that are sensitive to compression or elongation are an emerging class of nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Although the molecule-electrode interface can be engineered to impart such functionality, most studies to date rely on poorly defined interactions. We focused on this issue by synthesizing molecular wires designed to have chemically defined hemilabile contacts based on (methylthio)thiophene moieties. We measured their conductance as a function of junction size and observed conductance changes of up to two orders of magnitude as junctions were compressed and stretched. Localised interactions between weakly coordinating thienyl sulfurs and the electrodes are responsible for the observed effect and allow reversible monodentate⇄bidentate contact transitions as the junction is modulated in size. We observed an up to ≈100-fold sensitivity boost of the (methylthio)thiophene-terminated molecular wire compared with its non-hemilabile (methylthio)benzene counterpart and demonstrate a previously unexplored application of hemilabile ligands to molecular electronics.

Binuclear Ruthenium Macrocycles Formed via the Weak-Link Approach

The "weak-link approach" for the synthesis of metallomacrocycles has been used to synthesize a series of novel Ru(II) macrocycles in high yield. RuCl2(PPh3)3 has been reacted with two different phosphino-alkyl-ether hemilabile ligands, 1,4-(PPh2(CH2)2O)2C6H4 and 1,4-(PPh2(CH2)2OCH2)2C6H4. The hemilabile bidentate ligand coordinates to Ru(II) centers through both the P and O atoms to form bimetallic "condensed intermediates". The weak Ru-O bonds have been selectively cleaved with CO, 1,2-diaminopropane, and pyridine to yield large open macrocycles. This is the first example of the weak-link approach employed to synthesize macrocycles with Ru, and metal centers in general that have more than four coordination sites.