Corroles at work: a small macrocycle for great applications

Corrole chemistry has witnessed an impressive boost in studies in the last 20 years, thanks to the possibility of preparing corrole derivatives by simple synthetic procedures. The investigation of a large number of corroles has highlighted some peculiar characteristics of these macrocycles, having features different from those of the parent porphyrins. With this progress in the elucidation of corrole properties, attention has been focused on the potential for the exploitation of corrole derivatives in different important application fields. In some areas, the potential of corroles has been studied in certain detail, for example, the use of corrole metal complexes as electrocatalysts for energy conversion. In some other areas, the field is still in its infancy, such as in the exploitation of corroles in solar cells. Herein, we report an overview of the different applications of corroles, focusing on the studies reported in the last five years.

Probing Ligand Effects on the Ultrafast Dynamics of Copper Complexes via Midinfrared Pump-Probe and 2DIR Spectroscopies

The effects of ligand structural variation on the ultrafast dynamics of a series of copper coordination complexes were investigated using polarization-dependent mid-IR pump-probe spectroscopy and two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy. The series consists of three copper complexes [(^R3P₃tren)Cu^IIN₃]BAr₄^F (1^PR3, ^R3P₃tren = tris[2-(phosphiniminato)ethyl]amine, BAr₄^F = tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate) where the number of methyl and phenyl groups in the PR₃ ligand are systematically varied across the series (PR₃ = PMe₃, PMe₂Ph, PMePh₂). The asymmetric stretching mode of azide in the 1^PR3 series is used as a vibrational probe of the small-molecule binding site. The results of the pump-probe measurements indicate that the vibrational energy of azide dissipates through intramolecular pathways and that the bulkier phenyl groups lead to an increase in the spatial restriction of the diffusive reorientation of bound azide. From 2DIR experiments, we characterize the spectral diffusion of the azide group and find that an increase in the number of phenyl groups maps to a broader inhomogeneous frequency distribution (Δ₂). This indicates that an increase in the steric bulk of the secondary coordination sphere acts to create more distinct configurations in the local environment that are accessible to the azide group. This work demonstrates how ligand structural variation affects the ultrafast dynamics of a small molecular group bound to the metal center, which could provide insight into the structure-function relationship of the copper coordination complexes and transition-metal coordination complexes in general.

Ultrafast Excited-State Dynamics of CuBr3- Complex Studied with Sub-20 fs Resolution

Ultrafast excited-state dynamics of CuBr₃^- complex was studied in acetonitrile and dichloromethane solutions using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy with 18 fs temporal resolution and quantum-chemical DFT calculations. Upon 640 nm excitation, the CuBr₃^- complex is promoted to the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) state, which then shortly undergoes internal conversion into the vibrationally hot ligand field (LF) excited state with time constants of 30 and 40 fs in acetonitrile and dichloromethane, respectively. The LF state nonradiatively relaxes into the ground state in 2.6 and 7.3 ps in acetonitrile and dichloromethane, respectively. Internal conversion of the LF state is accompanied by vibrational relaxation that occurs on the same time scale. Based on the analysis of coherent oscillations and quantum-chemical calculations, the predominant forms of the CuBr₃^- complex in acetonitrile and dichloromethane solutions were revealed. In acetonitrile, the CuBr₃^- complex exists as [CuBr₃(CH₃CN)₂]^-, whereas three forms of this complex, [CuBr₃CH₂Cl₂]^-, [CuBr₃(CH₂Cl₂)₂]^-, and [CuBr₃(CH₂Cl₂)₃]^-, are present in equilibrium in dichloromethane.

Synthesis, crystal structure, photoluminescence and catalytic properties of a novel cuprous complex with 2,3-pyrazinedicarboxylic acid ligands

A copper (I) polymer, [Cu2Mg(pzdc)2(H2O)5•2H2O]n (pzdc = 2,3-Pyrazinedicarboxylic acid), was synthesized by solvothermal method. The complex was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), and element analysis. X-ray crystal structure analysis reveals that the complex is a two-dimensional coordination polymer. The photophysical and luminescent properties of the complex were investigated. At room temperature, the complex exhibits reversible double strands cyclic voltammogram and displays efficient blue emission with peak maxima at 468 nm. Catalytic liquid phase oxidation of dyes and glyphosate was carried out using the copper (I) polymer as catalyst and H2O2 as oxidant. Degradation efficiencies were evaluated by varying the reaction conditions (i.e. illumination and oxidant). In the degradation reactions, the polymer exhibits high degradation efficiency within a short reaction time under the optimum reaction conditions. Furthermore, the reusability of the catalyst is excellent, showing no activity loss in four repeated cycles. The possible reaction mechanism catalyzed by the polymer was inferred on the basis of the results of electron spin resonance (ESR), electrochemical and ion chromatography analyses (IC).

Structures of the solvated copper(ii) ion in ammonia at various temperatures

We investigated theoretically the structures and relative stabilities of the solvated copper(ii) ion in ammonia, Cu²⁺(NH₃)_n, n = 1–10.

A Quantum Theory of Atoms-in-Molecules Perspective and DFT Study of Two Natural Products: Trans-Communic Acid and Imbricatolic Acid

The topological features of the charge densities, ρ(r), and the chemical reactivity of two most biologically relevant and chemically interesting scaffold systems i.e. trans-communic acid and imbricatolic acid have been determined using density functional theory. To identify, characterize, and quantify efficiently, the non-covalent interactions of the atoms in the molecules have been investigated quantitatively using Bader's quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM) technique. The bond path is shown to persist for a range of weak H···H as well as C···H internuclear distances (in the range of 2.0–3.0 Å). These interactions exhibit all the hallmarks of a closed-shell weak interaction. To get insights into both systems, chemical reactivity descriptors, such as HOMO–LUMO, ionization potential, and chemical hardness, have been calculated and used to probe the relative stability and chemical reactivity. Some other useful information is also obtained with the help of several other electronic parameters, which are closely related to the chemical reactivity and reaction paths of the products investigated. Trans-communic acid seems to be chemically more sensitive when compared with imbricatolic acid due to its experimentally observed higher half-maximal inhibitory concentration (bioactivity parameter) value, which is in accordance with its higher chemical reactivity as theoretically predicted using density functional theory-based reactivity index. The quantum chemical calculations have also been performed in solution using different solvents, and the relative order of their structural and electronic properties as well as QTAIM-based parameters show patterns similar to those observed in gas phase only. This study further exemplifies the use and successful application of the bond path concept and the quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules.

A density functional theory protocol for the calculation of redox potentials of copper complexes

The calculated redox potentials of copper complexes agree nicely with their corresponding experimental redox potentials.

Geometrical and optical benchmarking of copper(II) guanidine-quinoline complexes: insights from TD-DFT and many-body perturbation theory (part II)

Ground- and excited-state properties of copper(II) charge-transfer systems have been investigated starting from density-functional calculations with particular emphasis on the role of (i) the exchange and correlation functional, (ii) the basis set, (iii) solvent effects, and (iv) the treatment of dispersive interactions. Furthermore (v), the applicability of TD-DFT to excitations of copper(II) bis(chelate) charge-transfer systems is explored by performing many-body perturbation theory (GW + BSE), independent-particle approximation and ΔSCF calculations for a small model system that contains simple guanidine and imine groups. These results show that DFT and TD-DFT in particular in combination with hybrid functionals are well suited for the description of the structural and optical properties, respectively, of copper(II) bis(chelate) complexes. Furthermore, it is found an accurate theoretical geometrical description requires the use of dispersion correction with Becke-Johnson damping and triple-zeta basis sets while solvent effects are small. The hybrid functionals B3LYP and TPSSh yielded best performance. The optical description is best with B3LYP, whereby heavily mixed molecular transitions of MLCT and LLCT character are obtained which can be more easily understood using natural transition orbitals. An natural bond orbital analysis sheds light on the donor properties of the different donor functions and the intraguanidine stabilization during coordination to copper(I) and (II).