High-order double exchange in mixed-valence [Fe(III)Fe(II)] cluster

How the Donor/Acceptor Spin States Affect the Electronic Couplings in Molecular Charge-Transfer Processes?

The electronic coupling matrix element H_AB is an essential ingredient of most electron-transfer theories. H_AB depends on the overlap between donor and acceptor wave functions and is affected by the involved states’ spin. We classify the spin-state effects into three categories: orbital occupation, spin-dependent electron density, and density delocalization. The orbital occupancy reflects the diverse chemical nature and reactivity of the spin states of interest. The effect of spin-dependent density is related to a more compact electron density cloud at lower spin states due to decreased exchange interactions between electrons. Density delocalization is strongly connected with the covalency concept that increases the spatial extent of the diabatic state’s electron density in specific directions. We illustrate these effects with high-level ab initio calculations on model direct donor–acceptor systems relevant to metal oxide materials and biological electron transfer. Obtained results can be used to benchmark existing methods for H_AB calculations in complicated cases such as spin-crossover materials or antiferromagnetically coupled systems.

Halide coordinated homoleptic [Fe4S4X4](2-) and heteroleptic [Fe4S4X2Y2](2-) clusters (X, Y = Cl, Br, I)--alternative preparations, structural analogies and spectroscopic properties in solution and solid state

New facile methods to prepare iron sulphur halide clusters [Fe4S4X4](2-) from [Fe(CO)5] and elemental sulphur were elaborated. Reactions of ferrous precursors like tetrahalidoferrates(ii) or simple ferrous halides with [Fe(CO)5] and sulphur turned out to be efficient methods to prepare homoleptic [Fe4S4X4](2-) (X = Cl, Br) and heteroleptic clusters [Fe4S4X4-nYn](2-) (X = Cl, Br; Y = Br, I). Solid materials were obtained as salts of BTMA(+) (= benzyltrimethylammonium); the new compounds containing [Fe4S4Br4](2-) and [Fe4S4X2Y2](2-) (X, Y = Cl, Br, I) were all isostructural to (BTMA)2[Fe4S4I4] (monoclinic, Cc) as inferred from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction. While the solid materials contain defined heteroleptic clusters with a halide X : Y ratio of 2 : 2, dissolving these compounds leads to rapid scrambling of the halide ligands forming mixtures of all five possible [Fe4S4X4-nYn](2-) clusters as could be shown by UHR-ESI MS. The variation of X and Y allowed assignment of the absorption bands in the visible and NIR; the long-wavelength bands around 1100 nm were tentatively assigned to intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) transitions.

Isotropic and Antisymmetric Double-Exchange, Zero-Field, Zeeman, and Hyperfine Splittings in Trinuclear Valence-Delocalized [Cu37+] Clusters

Valence delocalization in the [Cu3(7+)] trimer is considered in the model of the double-exchange coupling, in which full delocalization corresponds to the migration of the single d(x2-y2) hole and relatively strong isotropic double-exchange coupling. Strong double exchange results in the pairing of the individual spins in the delocalized trimer even at room temperature. The model explains the delocalized singlet 1A1 ground state in the planar Cu3(mu3-O) core by strong double exchange with positive double-exchange parameter t(0), whereas the delocalized triplet ground state of the [Cu3(7+)] trimer, which was observed in the Cu3(mu3-S)2 cluster, may be explained by the double exchange with relatively weak positive t(0): 0 < t(0) < 2J (degenerate 3E ground state) or negative t(0) (triplet 3A2 ground state). An analysis of the splitting of the delocalized degenerate 3E term requires inclusion of the antisymmetric double-exchange interaction, which takes into account the spin-orbit coupling in the double-exchange model. The cluster parameter KZ of the antisymmetric double-exchange coupling is proportional to t(0) and anisotropy of the g factor Deltag(parallel)[Cu(II)], KZ << t(0). Antisymmetric double exchange is relatively large in the [Cu3(7+)] cluster with the d(x2-y2) magnetic orbitals lying in the Cu3 plane [Cu3(mu3-O) core], whereas for the d(x2-y2) magnetic orbitals lying in the plane perpendicular to Cu3, antisymmetric double-exchange coupling is weak [Cu3(mu3-S)2 cluster]. The antisymmetric double-exchange coupling results in the linear zero-field splitting DeltaK = 2[equation: see text]KZ (approximately t(0)) of the delocalized degenerate 3E term that leads to strong anisotropy of the Zeeman splittings in the external magnetic field and a complex electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum. The delocalized model of hyperfine interaction explains the hyperfine structure [10 hyperfine lines with the relative intensities 1:3:6:10:12:12:10:6:3:1 and the interval a/3] of the EPR transitions in the triplet states that was observed in the EPR spectra of the Cu3(mu3-S)2 cluster.