Interconversion between (3,1) and (4,0) Isomers of Ru2(L)4X Complexes where L is 2-Anilinopyridinate or 2-(2,4,6-Trifluoroanilino)pyridinate Anion and X = Cl− or C≡CC5H4N−

Bisaryl and Bisalkynyl Diruthenium (III,III) Compounds Based on an Electron-Deficient Building Block

Reported herein is a new series of diruthenium(III,III) bisalkynyl and bisaryl diruthenium(III,III) compounds supported with 2-amino-3-(trifluoromethyl)pyridinate (amtfmp). Using Ru₂(amtfmp)₄Cl₂ from a modified preparation, cis 2:2 Ru₂(amtfmp)₄(C≡CPh)₂ (1), cis 2:2 Ru₂(amtfmp)₄(Ph)₂ (2), and 3:1 Ru₂(amtfmp)₄(Ph)₂ (3) were synthesized via a lithium-halogen exchange reaction using LiC₂Ph and LiPh, respectively. Compounds 1-3 are all Ru₂(III,III) species with a ground-state configuration of π⁴δ²(π*)⁴ (S = 0) and were characterized via mass spectrometry, electron absorption and ¹H/¹⁹F NMR spectroscopies, and voltammetry. The molecular structures of 1-3 were established using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, and preliminary density functional theory analysis was performed to elaborate the electronic structures of 1 and 2. Comparisons of the electrochemical properties of 1-3 against the Ru₂(amtfmp)₄Cl₂ starting material reveal cathodic shifts of the Ru₂^7+/6+ oxidation and the Ru₂^6+/5+ and Ru₂^5+/4+ reduction potentials. In comparison to related Ru₂(III,III) bisalkynyl and bisaryl compounds, the electrode potentials for 1-3 are anodically shifted up to ca. 0.95 V, highlighting the strong electron-withdrawing nature of the amtfmp ligand.

Electronic Structure of Ru26+ Complexes with Electron-Rich Anilinopyridinate Ligands

Diruthenium paddlewheel complexes supported by electron-rich anilinopyridinate (Xap) ligands were synthesized in the course of the first in-depth structural and spectroscopic interrogation of monocationic [Ru₂(Xap)₄Cl]⁺ species in the Ru₂⁶⁺ oxidation state. Despite paramagnetism of the compounds, ¹H NMR spectroscopy proved highly informative for determining the isomerism of the Ru₂⁵⁺ and Ru₂⁶⁺ compounds. While most compounds are found to have the polar (4,0) geometry, with all four Xap ligands in the same orientation, some synthetic procedures resulted in a mixture of (4,0) and (3,1) isomers, most notably in the case of the parent compound Ru₂(ap)₄Cl. The isomerism of this compound has been overlooked in previous reports. Electrochemical studies demonstrate that oxidation potentials can be tuned by the installation of electron donating groups to the ligands, increasing accessibility of the Ru₂⁶⁺ oxidation state. The resulting Ru₂⁶⁺ monocations were found to have the expected (π*)² ground state, and an in-depth study of the electronic transitions by Vis/NIR absorption and MCD spectroscopies with the aid of TD-DFT allowed for the assignment of the electronic spectra. The empty δ* orbital is the major acceptor orbital for the most prominent electronic transitions. Both Ru₂⁵⁺ and Ru₂⁶⁺ compounds were studied by Ru K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy; however, the rising edge energy is insensitive to redox changes in the compounds due to the broad line shape observed for 4d transition metal K-edges. DFT calculations indicate the presence of ligand orbitals at the frontier level, suggesting that further oxidation beyond Ru₂⁶⁺ will be ligand-centered rather than metal-centered.

Synthesis and Electronic Structure of Ru2(Xap)4(Y-gem-DEE) Type Compounds: Effect of Cross-Conjugation

Reported in this Article are the preparation and characterization of a series of new Ru2(II,III) compounds bearing one cross-conjugated σ-geminal-diethynylethene ligand (gem-DEE), namely, Ru2(Xap)4(Y-gem-DEE) (Xap = N,N'-anilinopyridinate (ap) or 2-(3,5-dimethoxy)anilinopyridinate (DiMeOap), and Y = Si(i)Pr3 (1) or H (2)) and [Ru2(ap)4]2(μ-gem-DEE) (3). Compounds 1-3 were characterized by spectroscopic and voltammetric techniques as well as the single crystal X-ray diffraction study of 2a. The X-ray structural data of 2a and the spectroscopic/voltammetric data of compounds 1 and 2 indicate that the gem-DEE ligands are similar to simple alkynyls in their effects on the molecular and electronic structures of the Ru2(Xap)4 moiety. Similar to the previously studied [Ru2(ap)4]2(μ-C2n) type compounds, dimer 3 exhibits pairwise 1e(-) oxidations and reductions, albeit the potential splits within the pair (ΔE1/2) are significantly smaller than those of [Ru2(ap)4]2(μ-C4). The electronic absorption spectra of the reduced and oxidized derivatives of 1a and 3 were determined using spectroelectrochemistry methods. No discernible intervalence charge transfer transition (IVCT) was detected in the near-IR spectrum for either 3(-) or 3(+), suggesting that the Ru2-Ru2 coupling in these mixed-valence states is weak. DFT calculations on a model compound of 3 yielded six singly occupied molecular orbitals (SOMOs), which have Ru2 contributions similar to those previously calculated for the [Ru2(ap)4]2(μ-C2n) type compounds. Among six SOMOs, SOMO-2 is the only one containing substantial dπ-π(gem-DEE) character across the entire Ru2-μ-gem-DEE-Ru2 linkage, which explains the weakened Ru2-Ru2 coupling.

Synthesis and characterization of bis-[PcRu(CO)][Ru2(ap)4(C≡CC5H4N)2]

A tetra-ruthenium complex containing two ruthenium(II) phthalocyanines and one metal–metal bonded diruthenium(III,III) unit was synthesized and investigated as to its electrochemical and spectroscopic properties in non-aqueous media. The title compound, represented as bis-[ PcRu ( CO )]-[ Ru 2( ap )4( C ≡ CC 5 H 4 N )2], where ap = 2-anilinopyridinate anion and Pc = the dianion of tetra-tert-butylphthalocyanine, was assembled by axial coordination of two PcRu ( CO ) macrocycles to pyridine groups of the complex which were themselves linked to the diruthenium(III,III) unit via alkyne groups. The tetra-ruthenium complex was characterized in solution and in the solid state by 1 H NMR, UV-visible and IR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry and cyclic voltammetry while thin-layer UV-visible spectroelectrochemistry was used to study the site of electron transfer. Eight redox processes occur in CH 2 Cl 2 or benzonitrile, four of which can be assigned to the macrocycles of PcRu ( CO ) and four to the central diruthenium unit of the molecule. The electrochemical and spectroscopic data suggest a weak electronic interaction between the diruthenium unit of [ Ru 2( ap )4( C ≡ CC 5 H 4 N )2] and the two externally linked Ru ( II ) phthalocyanines of the title compound.

Synthesis, structure, and electrochemical characterization of a mixed-ligand diruthenium(III,II) complex with an unusual arrangement of the bridging ligands

A mixed-ligand metal-metal bonded diruthenium complex having the formula Ru(2)(2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)ap)(3)(O(2)CCH(3))Cl where ap is the anilinopyridinate anion was synthesized from the reaction of Ru(2)(O(2)CCH(3))(4)Cl and H(2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)ap), after which the isolated product was structurally, spectroscopically and electrochemically characterized. The crystal structure reveals an unusual arrangement of the bridging ligands around the dimetal unit where one ruthenium atom is coordinated to one anilino and two pyridyl nitrogen atoms while the other ruthenium atom is coordinated to one pyridyl and two anilino nitrogen atoms. To our knowledge, Ru(2)(2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)ap)(3)(O(2)CCH(3))Cl is the only example of a mixed-ligand diruthenium complex of the type [Ru(2)L(3)(O(2)CCH(3))](+), where L is an unsymmetrical anionic bridging ligand that has been structurally characterized with a "(2,1)" geometric conformation of the bridging ligands, all others being "(3,0)". The initial Ru(2)(5+) compound in CH(2)Cl(2) or CH(3)CN containing 0.1 M tetra-n-butylammonium perchlorate (TBAP) undergoes up to four one-electron redox processes involving the dimetal unit. The Ru(2)(5+/4+) and Ru(2)(5+/6+) processes were characterized under N(2) using thin-layer UV-visible spectroelectrochemistry and this data is compared to UV-visible spectral changes obtained during similar electrode reactions for related diruthenium compounds having the formula Ru(2)L(4)Cl or Ru(2)L(3)(O(2)CCH(3))Cl where L is an anionic bridging ligand. Ru(2)(2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)ap)(3)(O(2)CCH(3))Cl was also examined by UV-visible and FTIR spectroelectrochemistry under a CO atmosphere and two singly reduced Ru(2)(4+) species, [Ru(2)(2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)ap)(3)(O(2)CCH(3))(CO)Cl](-) and Ru(2)(2,4,6-(CH(3))(3)ap)(3)(O(2)CCH(3))(CO) were in situ generated for further characterization. The CO-bound complexes could be further reduced and exhibited additional reductions to their Ru(2)(3+) and Ru(2)(2+) oxidation states.