Preparation, Spectroscopic Characterization, and Frontier MO Study of the Heteronuclear Luminescent [Pt(2)Au(2)(dmb)(2)(PPh(3))(4)](PF(6))(2) Cluster (dmb = 1,8-Diisocyano-p-menthane). A Cluster with a Formal Au(0)-Au(0) Bond Encapsulated inside a "Pt(2)(dmb)(2)(2+) " Fragment

Structure and Dynamic Rearrangements of the Pt2dba3 and Pd2dba3 Complexes in Solution

Although the tris(dibenzylideneacetone)diplatinum complex (Pt2dba3) is an important source of Pt(0) used in catalysis and materials science, its structure has not yet been fully elucidated. A thorough study of the three-dimensional structure of Pt2dba3 and its dynamic behavior in solution was carried out using NMR spectroscopy methods at a high field (600 MHz) and molecular modeling. The complex was shown to contain three dba ligands in the s-cis,s-trans, s-trans,s-cis, and s-trans,s-trans conformations, which are uniformly oriented around the Pt2 backbone. In solution, the Pt2dba3 and Pd2dba3 complexes undergo rapid dynamic rearrangements, as evidenced by the exchange between the signals of the olefin protons of various dba ligands in the EXSY NMR spectra. According to the experimental measurements, the activation energies of the rearrangements were estimated to be 19.9 ± 0.2 and 17.9 ± 0.2 kcal/mol for the platinum and palladium complexes, respectively. Three possible mechanisms for this chemical exchange process were considered within the framework of DFT calculations. According to the calculated data, M2dba3 complexes undergo fluxional isomerization involving successive rotations of the dihedral angles formed by the carbonyl group and the C═C bond. Dissociation of dba ligands does not occur within these processes.

Organometallic Oligomers Based on 1,8-Diisocyano-p-menthane (dmb): Syntheses and Characterization of the {[M(diphos)(dmb)]BF4}n and {[Pd2(diphos)2(dmb)](ClO4)2}n Materials (M = Cu, Ag; diphos = dppe, dppp)

A new strategy to synthesize organometallic oligomers is presented and consists of using the title diisocyanide and chelated metal fragments with bis(diphenylphosphine)alkanes. The title materials are synthesized by reacting the [M(dppe)(BF4)] and [M2(dppp)2](BF4)2 complexes (M = Cu, Ag; dppe = bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, dppp = bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) with dmb and the Pd2-bonded d9-d9 Pd2(dmb)2Cl2 dimer with dppe or dppp. The model compounds [M(diphos)(CN-t-Bu)2]BF4 (M = Cu, Ag) and [Pd2(diphos)2(CN-t-Bu)2](ClO4)2 (diphos = dppe, dppp) have been prepared and characterized as well for comparison purposes. Three of the model compounds were also characterized by X-ray crystallography to establish the diphosphine chelating behavior. The materials are amorphous and have been characterized from the measurements of the intrinsic viscosity, DSC, TGA, and XRD, as well as their capacity for making stand-alone films. The intrinsic viscosity data indicate that the Cu and Pd2 materials are oligomeric in solution (approximately 8-9 units), while the Ag materials are smaller. For [[Cu(dppe)(dmb)]BF4]n, a glass transition is reproducibly observed at about 82 degrees C (DeltaCp = 0.43 J/(g deg)), which suggests that these materials are polymeric in the solid state. The Cu and Ag species are luminescent in the solid state at room temperature exhibiting lambda(max) and tau(e) (emission lifetime) around 480-550 nm and 18-48 micros, respectively, while the Pd2 species are not luminescent under these conditions. During the course of this study, the unsaturated [M2(dppp)2](BF4)2 starting materials (M = Cu, Ag) were prepared, one of which (M = Ag) was characterized by crystallography. The bridging behavior of the dppp ligand in this case contrasts with the chelating behavior seen for the saturated [Cu(dppp)(CN-t-Bu)2]BF4 complex.

Synthesis, structure, luminescence, and theoretical studies of tetranuclear gold clusters with phosphinocarborane ligands

Treatment of the tetranuclear gold cluster [Au4((PPh2)2C2B9H10)2(AsPh3)2] (1), which contains the nido-carborane-diphosphine [7,8-(PPh2)2C2B9H10]-, with various tertiary phosphines leads to derivatives [Au4((PPh2)2C2B9H10)2-(PR3)2] (PR3 = PPh3 (2), P(4-MeC6H4)3 (3), P(4-OMeC6H4)3 (4)). The X-ray crystal structure of complex 4 shows a tetrahedral framework of gold atoms, two of which are chelated by the diphosphine, and two are coordinated to one monophosphine ligand each. These compounds are very stable and are obtained in high yield. MP2 calculations suggest that the two types of chemically nonequivalent gold atoms can be formally assigned as Au(I) (those attached to the arsines or phosphines) and Au(0) (those bonded to the anionic diphosphine) and emphasize the role of correlation in the gold-gold interactions. The compounds are luminescent. The emission is assigned to a gold-centered spin-forbidden transition; the assignment of the oxidation state of the gold centers on this basis leads to results coincident with those obtained by theoretical calculations.