Synthesis, structure and physical properties of transition metal bis 4-cyanobenzene-1,2-dithiolate complexes [M(cbdt)2]z− (M=Zn, Co, Cu, Au, Ni, Pd, z=0, 1, 2)

Mixed-Valence Conductors from Ni Bis(diselenolene) Complexes with a Thiazoline Backbone

Highly conducting, mixed-valence, multi-component nickel bis(diselenolene) salts were obtained by electrocrystallization of the monoanionic species [Ni(Me-thiazds)₂]^-1 (Me-thiazds: N-methyl-1,3-thiazoline-2-thione-4,5-diselenolate), with 1:2 and 1:3 stoichiometries depending of the counter ion used (Et₄N⁺ and nBu₄N⁺ vs Ph₄P⁺, respectively). This behavior strongly differs from that of the corresponding monoanionic dithiolene complexes whose oxidation afforded the single component neutral species. This provides additional rare examples of mixed-valence conducting salts of nickel diselenolene complexes, only known in two examples with the dsit (1,3-dithiole-2-thione-4,5-diselenolate) and dsise (1,3-dithiole-2-selone-4,5-diselenolate) ligands. The mixed-valence salts form highly dimerized or trimerized bi- and trimetallic units, rarely seen with such nickel complexes. Transport measurements under a high pressure (up to 10 GPa) and band structure calculations confirm the semiconducting character of [Ph₄P][Ni(Me-thiazds)₂]₃ and the quasi metallic character of [Et₄N][Ni(Me-thiazds)₂]₂ and [NBu₄]_x[Ni(Me-thiazds)₂]₂ salts (0 < x < 1).

Enabling single qubit addressability in a molecular semiconductor comprising gold-supported organic radicals

A bis(dithiolene)gold complex is presented as a model for an organic molecular electron spin qubit attached to a metallic surface that acts as a conduit to electrically address the qubit. A two-membered electron transfer series is developed of the formula [AuIII(adt)2]1-/0, where adt is a redox-active dithiolene ligand that is sequentially oxidized as the series is traversed while the central metal ion remains AuIII and steadfastly square planar. One-electron oxidation of diamagnetic [AuIII(adt)2]1- (1) produces an S = 1/2 charge-neutral complex, [AuIII(adt2 3-˙)] (2) which is spectroscopically and theoretically characterized with a near negligible Au contribution to the ground state. A phase memory time (T M) of 21 μs is recorded in 4 : 1 CS2/CCl4 at 10 K, which is the longest ever reported for a coordination complex possessing a third-row transition metal ion. With increasing temperature, T M dramatically decreases becoming unmeasurable above 80 K as a consequence of the diminishing spin-lattice (T 1) relaxation time fueled by spin-orbit coupling. These relaxation times are 1-2 orders of magnitude shorter for the solid dilution of 2 in isoelectronic [Ni(adt)2] because this material is a molecular semiconductor. Although the conducting properties of this material provide efficient pathways to dissipate the energy through the lattice, it can also be used to electrically address the paramagnetic dopant by tapping into the mild reduction potential to switch magnetism "on" and "off" in the gold complex without compromising the integrity of its structure. These results serve to highlight the need to consider all components of these spintronic assemblies.

Gold and nickel alkyl substituted bis-thiophenedithiolene complexes: anionic and neutral forms

The effect of substituents on the magnetic and transport properties is assessed for Au and Ni alkyl substituted bisthiophenedithiolates.

A mixed valence zinc dithiolene system with spectator metal and reactor ligands

Neutral complexes of zinc with N,N'-diisopropylpiperazine-2,3-dithione ( ⁱ Pr₂Dt⁰) and N,N'-dimethylpiperazine-2,3-dithione (Me₂Dt⁰) with chloride or maleonitriledithiolate (mnt^2-) as coligands have been synthesized and characterized. The molecular structures of these zinc complexes have been determined using single crystal X-ray diffractometry. Complexes recrystallize in monoclinic P type systems with zinc adopting a distorted tetrahedral geometry. Two zinc complexes with mixed-valent dithiolene ligands exhibit ligand-to-ligand charge transfer bands. Optimized geometries, molecular vibrations and electronic structures of charge-transfer complexes were calculated using density functional theory (B3LYP/6-311G+(d,p) level). Redox orbitals are shown to be almost exclusively ligand in nature, with a HOMO based heavily on the electron-rich maleonitriledithiolate ligand, and a LUMO comprised mostly of the electron-deficient dithione ligand. Charge transfer is thus believed to proceed from dithiolate HOMO to dithione LUMO, showing ligand-to-ligand redox interplay across a d¹⁰ metal.

Synthesis and characterization of the cyanobenzene-ethylenedithio-TTF donor

A dissymmetric TTF-type electron donor, cyanobenzene-ethylenedithio-tetrathiafulvalene (CNB-EDT-TTF), was obtained in high yield, by a cross-coupling reaction with triethyl phosphite between 2-thioxobenzo[d][1,3]dithiole-5-carbonitrile and 5,6-dihydro-[1,3]dithiolo[4,5-b][1,4]dithiin-2-one. This new donor was characterized namely by single crystal X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, NMR, UV-visible and IR spectroscopy.

Lights and shadows in the challenge of binding acyclovir, a synthetic purine-like nucleoside with antiviral activity, at an apical-distal coordination site in copper(II)-polyamine chelates

Several nucleic acid components and their metal complexes are known to be involved in crucial metabolic steps. Therefore the study of metal-nucleic acid interactions becomes essential to understand these biological processes. In this work, the synthetic purine-like nucleoside acyclovir (acv) has been used as a model of guanosine recognition with copper(II)-polyamine chelates. The chemical stability of the N9-acyclic arm in acv offers the possibility to use this antiviral drug to deepen the knowledge of metal-nucleoside interactions. Cu(II) chelates with cyclam, cyclen and trien were used as suitable receptors. All these copper(II) tetraamine chelates have in common the potential ability to yield a Cu-N7(apical) bond assisted by an appropriate (amine)N-H⋯O6(acv) intra-molecular interligand interaction. A series of synthesis afforded the following compounds: [Cu(cyclam)(ClO4)2] (1), {[Cu(cyclam)(μ2-NO3)](NO3)}n (2), {[Cu(cyclam)(μ2-SO4)]·MeOH}n (3), {[Cu(cyclam)(μ2-SO4)]·5H2O}n (4), [Cu(cyclen)(H2O)]SO4·2H2O (5), [Cu(cyclen)(H2O)]SO4·3H2O (6), [Cu(trien)(acv)](NO3)2·acv (7) and [Cu(trien)(acv)]SO4·0.71H2O (8). All these compounds have been characterized by X-ray crystallography and FT-IR spectroscopy. Our results reveal that the macrochelates Cu(cyclen)(2+) and Cu(cyclam)(2+) are unable to bind acv at an apical site. In contrast, the Cu(trien)(2+) complex has proved to be an efficient receptor for acv in compounds (7) and (8). In the ternary complex [Cu(trien)(acv)](2+), the metal binding pattern of acv consists of an apical Cu-N7 bond assisted by an intra-molecular (primary amino)N-H⋯O6(acv) interligand interaction. Structural comparisons reveal that this unprecedented apical role of acv is due to the acyclic nature of trien together with the ability of the Cu(trien)(2+) chelate to generate five-coordinated (type 4+1) copper(II) complexes.

New isostructural transition metal complexes with a non-innocent dithiolate ligand

Three new complexes with 3,6-dichlorobenzene-1,2-dithiol (bdtCl2), namely methyltriphenylphosphonium bis(3,6-dichlorobenzene-1,2-dithiolato-κ(2)S,S')cobaltate(1-), (C19H18P)[Co(C6H2Cl2S2)2], (I), bis(methyltriphenylphosphonium) bis(3,6-dichlorobenzene-1,2-dithiolato-κ(2)S,S')cuprate(2-) dimethyl sulfoxide disolvate, (C19H18P)2[Cu(C6H2Cl2S2)2]·2C2H6OS, (II), and methyltriphenylphosphonium bis(3,6-dichlorobenzene-1,2-dithiolato-κ(2)S,S')cuprate(1-), (C19H18P)[Cu(C6H2Cl2S2)2], (III), have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The X-ray structure analyses of all three complexes confirm that the four donor S atoms form a slightly distorted square-planar coordination arrangement around the central metal atom. An interesting finding for both the Cu(II) and Cu(III) complexes, i.e. (II) and (III), respectively, is that the coordination polyhedra are principally the same and differ only slightly with respect to the interatomic distances.