Synthesis of Tetranuclear Rhodium and Iridium Complexes Directed by 6-Mercaptopyridin-2-ol: Electrochemical Behavior, Chemical Oxidation, and Coordination Chemistry

Structure-property relationships of photofunctional diiridium(II) complexes with tetracationic charge and an unsupported Ir-Ir bond

In contrast to the extensively studied dirhodium(II) complexes and iridium(III) complexes, neutral or dicationic dinuclear iridium(II) complexes with an unsupported ligand are underdeveloped. Here, a series of tetracationic dinuclear iridium(II) complexes, featuring the unsupported Ir(II)-Ir(II) single bond with long bond distances (2.8942(4)-2.9731(4) Å), are synthesized and structurally characterized. Interestingly, compared to the previous unsupported neutral or dicationic diiridium(II) complexes, our DFT and high-level DLPNO-CCSD(T) results found the largest binding energy in these tetracationic complexes even with the long Ir(II)-Ir(II) bond. Our study further reveals that London dispersion interactions enhance the stability cooperatively and significantly to overcome the strong electrostatic repulsion between two half dicationic metal fragments. This class of complexes also exhibit photoluminescence in solution and solid states, which, to our knowledge, represents the first example of this unsupported dinuclear iridium(II) system. In addition, their photoreactivity involving the generation of iridium(II) radical monomer from homolytic cleavage was also explored. The experimental results of photophysical and photochemical behaviours were also correlated with computational studies.

Synthesis and controlled hydrolysis of organolanthanide complexes with mono- and dianionic benzimidazole-2-thiolate ligands

Treatment of Cp(3)Er with one equivalent of benzimidazole-2-thiol (H(2)Bzimt) in THF affords the monoanionic HBzimt(-) complex Cp(2)Er(η(2)-HBzimt)(THF)(2) (1). Reaction of Cp(3)Yb with two equivalents of H(2)Bzimt gives complex CpYb(η(2)-HBzimt)(2)(THF) (2) at room temperature. Treatment of Cp(3)Ln with three equivalents of H(2)Bzimt in reflux THF affords the homoleptic Ln(η(2)-HBzimt)(3)(THF)(2) (Ln = Er (3), Y (4)). Cp(3)Ln reacts with 0.5 equivalents of H(2)Bzimt to afford the dianionic Bzimt(2-) complexes [(Cp(2)Ln)(THF)](2)(μ-Bzimt) (Ln = Yb (5), Er (6), Dy (7), Y (8)) in good yields, in which the Bzimt(2-) ligand bridges the two metals in an μ-η(2):η(2) coordination mode. Interestingly, controlled hydrolysis of complexes Cp(2)Ln(η(2)-HBzimt)(THF)(2), CpLn(η(2)-HBzimt)(2)(THF) and [(Cp(2)Ln)(THF)](2)(μ-Bzimt) produces the same tetranuclear complexes [CpLn(μ(3)-OH)(μ-η(1):η(2)-HBzimt)](4) (Ln = Yb (9), Er (10), Y (11)), indicating that the hydrolysis selectivity greatly depends on the number of coordinated cyclopentadienyl groups. All complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, spectroscopic properties and X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis.