The structure of nickelocene at room temperature and at 101 K

Fulleride-metal η5 sandwich and multi-decker sandwich complexes: A DFT prediction

The (C₆₀ CN)^- formed by the reaction of CN^- with fullerene shows high electron rich character, very similar to C₆₀ ˙^- , and it behaves as a large anion. Similar to Cp^- , the bulky anion, (C₆₀ CN)^- , acts as a strong η⁵ ligand towards transition metal centers. Previous studies on η⁵ coordination of fullerene cage are reported for pseudo fullerenes whereas the present study deals with sandwich complexes of (C₆₀ CN)^- with Fe(II), Ru(II), Cr(II), Mo(II), and Ni(II) and multi-decker sandwich complexes of CN-fullerides with Fe(II). The structural parameters of these complexes and the corresponding Cp^- complexes showed very close resemblance. Analysis of the metal-to-carbon bonding molecular orbitals showed that sandwich complex [Fe(η⁵ -(C₆₀ CN)^- )₂ ] exhibit bonding features very similar to that of ferrocene. Also, a 6-fold decrease in the band gap energy is observed for [Fe(η⁵ -(C₆₀ CN)^- )₂ ] compared to ferrocene. The energy of dissociation (ΔE) of the ligand (C₆₀ CN)^- from [Fe(η⁵ -(C₆₀ CN)^- )₂ ] is slightly lower than the ΔE of a Cp* ligand from a ferrocene derivative wherein each cyclopentadienyl unit is substituted with four tertiary butyl groups. The (C₆₀ CN)^- ligand behaved as one of the bulkiest ligands in the chemistry of sandwich complexes. Further, the coordinating ability of the dianion, (C₆₀ (CN)₂ )^2- is evaluated which showed strong coordination ability simultaneously with two metal centers leading to the formation of multi-decker sandwich and pearl-necklace type polymeric structures.

Highly Dispersed Ni on Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Stable and Selective Hydrogen Generation from Gaseous Formic Acid

Ni supported on N-doped carbon is rarely studied in traditional catalytic reactions. To fill this gap, we compared the structure of 1 and 6 wt% Ni species on porous N-free and N-doped carbon and their efficiency in hydrogen generation from gaseous formic acid. On the N-free carbon support, Ni formed nanoparticles with a mean size of 3.2 nm. N-doped carbon support contained Ni single-atoms stabilized by four pyridinic N atoms (N₄-site) and sub-nanosized Ni clusters. Density functional theory calculations confirmed the clustering of Ni when the N₄-sites were fully occupied. Kinetic studies revealed the same specific Ni mass-based reaction rate for single-atoms and clusters. The N-doped catalyst with 6 wt% of Ni showed higher selectivity in hydrogen production and did not lose activity as compared to the N-free 6 wt% Ni catalyst. The presented results can be used to develop stable Ni catalysts supported on N-doped carbon for various reactions.

Metal Cluster Size-Dependent Activation Energies of Growth of Single-Chirality Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes inside Metallocene-Filled Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

By combining in situ annealing and Raman spectroscopy measurements, the growth dynamics of nine individual-chirality inner tubes (8,8), (12,3), (13,1), (9,6), (10,4), (11,2), (11,1), (9,3) and (9,2) with diameters from ~0.8 to 1.1 nm are monitored using a time resolution of several minutes. The growth mechanism of inner tubes implies two successive stages of the growth on the carburized and purely metallic catalytic particles, respectively, which are formed as a result of the thermally induced decomposition of metallocenes inside the outer SWCNTs. The activation energies of the growth on carburized Ni and Co catalytic particles amount to 1.85–2.57 eV and 1.80–2.71 eV, respectively. They decrease monotonically as the tube diameter decreases, independent of the metal type. The activation energies of the growth on purely metallic Ni and Co particles equal 1.49–1.91 eV and 0.77–1.79 eV, respectively. They increase as the tube diameter decreases. The activation energies of the growth of large-diameter tubes (d_t = ~0.95–1.10 nm) on Ni catalyst are significantly larger than on Co catalyst, whereas the values of small-diameter tubes (d_t = ~0.80–0.95 nm) are similar. For both metals, no dependence of the activation energies on the chirality of inner tubes is observed.

Polar Metallocenes

Crystalline polar metallocenes are potentially useful active materials as piezoelectrics, ferroelectrics, and multiferroics. Within density functional theory (DFT), we computed structural properties, energy differences for various phases, molecular configurations, and magnetic states, computed polarizations for different polar crystal structures, and computed dipole moments for the constituent molecules with a Wannier function analysis. Of the systems studied, Mn₂(C₉H₉N)₂ is the most promising as a multiferroic material, since the ground state is both polar and ferromagnetic. We found that the predicted crystalline polarizations are 30–40% higher than the values that would be obtained from the dipole moments of the isolated constituent molecules, due to the local effects of the self-consistent internal electric field, indicating high polarizabilities.

Models of the Ni-L and Ni-SIa States of the [NiFe]-Hydrogenase Active Site

A new class of synthetic models for the active site of [NiFe]-hydrogenases are described. The Ni(I/II)(SCys)2 and Fe(II)(CN)2CO sites are represented with (RC5H4)Ni(I/II) and Fe(II)(diphos)(CO) modules, where diphos = 1,2-C2H4(PPh2)2(dppe) or cis-1,2-C2H2(PPh2)2(dppv). The two bridging thiolate ligands are represented by CH2(CH2S)2(2-) (pdt(2-)), Me2C(CH2S)2(2-) (Me2pdt(2-)), and (C6H5S)2(2-). The reaction of Fe(pdt)(CO)2(dppe) and [(C5H5)3Ni2]BF4 affords [(C5H5)Ni(pdt)Fe(dppe)(CO)]BF4 ([1a]BF4). Monocarbonyl [1a]BF4 features an S = 0 Ni(II)Fe(II) center with five-coordinated iron, as proposed for the Ni-SIa state of the enzyme. One-electron reduction of [1a](+) affords the S = 1/2 derivative [1a](0), which, according to density functional theory (DFT) calculations and electron paramagnetic resonance and Mössbauer spectroscopies, is best described as a Ni(I)Fe(II) compound. The Ni(I)Fe(II) assignment matches that for the Ni-L state in [NiFe]-hydrogenase, unlike recently reported Ni(II)Fe(I)-based models. Compound [1a](0) reacts with strong acids to liberate 0.5 equiv of H2 and regenerate [1a](+), indicating that H2 evolution is catalyzed by [1a](0). DFT calculations were used to investigate the pathway for H2 evolution and revealed that the mechanism can proceed through two isomers of [1a](0) that differ in the stereochemistry of the Fe(dppe)CO center. Calculations suggest that protonation of [1a](0) (both isomers) affords Ni(III)-H-Fe(II) intermediates, which represent mimics of the Ni-C state of the enzyme.

Deformation twinning of ferrocene crystals assisted by the rotational mobility of cyclopentadienyl rings

A mechanical load lets ferrocene crystals become twinned through the rotational mobility of cyclopentadienyl rings.

Hume-Rothery phase-inspired metal-rich molecules: cluster expansion of [Ni(ZnMe)₆(ZnCp*)₂] by face capping with Ni⁰(η⁶-toluene) and Ni(I)(η⁵-Cp*)

The novel all-hydrocarbon ligand-stabilized binuclear clusters of metal-core composition Ni2Zn7E, [(η(5)-Cp*)Ni2(ZnMe)6(ZnCp*)(ECp*)] (1-Zn, E = Zn; 1-Ga, E = Ga) and [(η(6)-toluene)Ni2(ZnCp*)2(ZnMe)6] (2; Cp* = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl), were obtained via Ga/Zn and Al/Zn exchange reactions using the starting compounds [Ni2(ECp*)3(η(2)-C2H4)2] (E = Al/Ga) and an excess of ZnMe2 (Me = CH3). Compounds 1-Zn and 1-Ga are very closely related and differ only by one Zn or Ga atom in the group 12/13 metal shell (Zn/Ga) around the two Ni centers. Accordingly, 1-Zn is EPR-active and 1-Ga is EPR-silent. The compounds were derived as a crystalline product mixture. All new compounds were characterized by (1)H and (13)C NMR and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometric analysis using liquid-injection field desorption ionization, and elemental analysis, and their molecular structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. In addition, the electronic structure has been investigated by DFT and QTAIM calculations, which suggest that there is a Ni1-Ni2 binding interaction. Similar to Zn-rich intermetallic phases of the Hume-Rothery type, the transition metals (here Ni) are distributed in a matrix of Zn atoms to yield highly Zn-coordinated environments. The organic residues, ancillary ligands (Me, Cp*, and toluene), can be viewed as the "protecting" shell of the 10-metal-atom core structures. The soft and flexible binding properties of Cp* and transferability of Me substituents between groups 12 and 13 are essential for the success of this precedence-less type of cluster formation reaction.

High-spin binuclear cyclopentadienyliron chlorides: a density functional theory study

Theoretical studies on the cyclopentadienyliron chlorides Cp2Fe2Cl(n) (n = 6 - 1) with iron in the formal oxidation states from +1 to +4 indicate that all the high-spin species are predicted to be the lowest energy structures and they are paramagnetic complexes with magnetic moments between 2.8μ(B) and 5.9μ(B). The mixed oxidation state derivatives with odd number of chloride atoms have larger magnetic moments than other species. In addition to Cp2Fe2Cl, which has the largest magnetic moment, these high-spin species have terminal Cp rings and bridging Cl atoms up to a maximum of two bridges. The Cp2Fe2Cl4, Cp2Fe2Cl3 and Cp2Fe2Cl2 derivatives are predicted to be thermodynamically stable molecules with respect to exothermic reactions for the loss of one Cl atom from Cp2Fe2Cl n . Moreover, the lowest energy Cp2Fe2Cl(n) (n = 3, 4) derivatives can be derived by the oxidative addition reactions of Cp2Fe2Cl(n-2) + Cl2 → Cp2Fe2Cl(n).

Theoretical studies on all-metal binuclear sandwich-like complexes M2(η 4-E 4) 2 (M=Al, Ga, In; E=Sb, Bi)

A series of all-metal binuclear sandwich-like complexes with the formula M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (M=Al, Ga, In; E=Sb, Bi) was studied by density functional theory (DFT). The most stable conformer for each of the M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) species is the staggered one with D (4d) symmetry. The centred metal-metal bond in each M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) species is a covalent single bond, with the main contributors to these covalent bonds being the a(1) and e orbitals. For all these species, the interactions between the centred metal atoms and the all-metal ligands are covalent; η(4)-Sb (4) (2-) has a stronger ability to stabilize metal-metal bonds than η(4)-Bi (4) (2-). Nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) values and molecular orbital (MO) analysis reveal that the all-metal η(4)-Sb (4) (2-) and η(4)-Bi (4) (2-) ligands in M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) possess conflicting aromaticity (σ antiaromaticity and π aromaticity), which differs from the all-metal multiple aromatic unit Al (4) (2-). In addition, all of these M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) species are stable according to the dissociation energies of M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) → 2 M(η(4)-E(4)) and M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) → 2 M + 2E(4), and these stable species can be synthesized by two-step substitution reactions: CpZnZnCp + 2E (4) (2-)  → [E(4)ZnZnE(4)](2-) + 2Cp(-) and [E(4)ZnZnE(4)](2-) + 2 M (2) (+)  → E(4)MME(4) + 2Zn(+).

The first binuclear sandwich-like complexes based on the aromatic tetraatomic species

The first binuclear sandwich-like complexes based on the aromatic tetraatomic species with formula M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (M = Al, Ga; E = N, P, As) have been studied by density functional theory (DFT). The stable conformer for each M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) is the staggered one with D(4d) symmetry except for Ga(2)(η(2)-N(4))(2) with C(2v) symmetry. Natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis indicates that the metal-metal bonds of Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = N, P, As) and Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = P, As) are all σ single bonds, which are derived mostly from the s and p(z) orbitals of the metal atoms by molecular orbital (MO) analysis. For M(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (M = Al, Ga; E = P, As), the metal-ligand interactions are covalent, while for Al(2)(η(4)-N(4))(2) the interactions between the Al atoms and the N(4)(2-) ligands are ionic. According to the calculated dissociation energies for breaking metal-metal bonds, the Al-Al and Ga-Ga bonds are very strong indicating that these stable sandwich-like compounds Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = N, P, As) and Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = P, As) may be synthesized in future experiments. The nitrogen-rich compounds Al(2)(η(4)-N(4))(2) and Ga(2)(η(2)-N(4))(2) may be used as potential candidates of high energy density materials (HEDMs). Nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) values reveal that the E(4)(2-) rings in the Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = N, P, As) and Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) (E = P, As) species possess conflicting aromaticity (σ antiaromaticity and π aromaticity) and with the same ligands, the E(4)(2-) ligands in Ga(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2) have more aromaticity than those in Al(2)(η(4)-E(4))(2).

On the nature of Ni···Ni interaction in a model dimeric Ni complex

A new dinuclear complex (NiC(5)H(4)SiMe(2)CHCH(2))(2) (2) was prepared by reacting nickelocene derivative [(C(5)H(4)SiMe(2)CH=CH(2))(2)Ni] (1) with methyllithium (MeLi). Good quality crystals were subjected to a high-resolution X-ray measurement. Subsequent multipole refinement yielded accurate description of electron density distribution. Detailed inspection of experimental electron density in Ni···Ni contact revealed that the nickel atoms are bonded and significant deformation of the metal valence shell is related to different populations of the d-orbitals. The existence of the Ni···Ni bond path explains the lack of unpaired electrons in the complex due to a possible exchange channel.

Stacked nickelocenes: synthesis, structural characterization, and magnetic properties

The disubstitution of 1,8-diiodonaphthalene (1) with cyclopentadienyl nucleophiles reveals 1,8-(dicyclopentadienyl)-naphthalene, which rapidly undergoes Diels-Alder reaction forming 1,8-(3a',4',7',7a'-tetrahydro-4',7'-methanoindene-7a',8'-diyl)-naphthalene (2). A subsequent retro-Diels-Alder reaction in the presence of sodium hydride yields the disodium salt of 1,8-(dicyclopentadiendiyl)-naphthalene 3. The disodium salt 3 was the starting material to obtain the paramagnetic bisnickelocene derivative 4, which structure was obtained by X-ray structure analysis, revealing two nickelocenes kept together in a stacked fashion by a 1,8-naphthalene clamp. An electronic interaction between the two nickel atoms is found as a result of cyclic voltammetry, indicating five different oxidation states +4, +3, +2, +1, and 0. The magnetic properties of 4 in solution were studied by variable temperature paramagnetic (1)H NMR spectroscopy and Evans method and revealed Curie behavior between 213 and 293 K. The magnetic susceptibility of a powdered sample of 4 was measured, and an antiferromagnetic interaction with an exchange coupling of J(12) = -31.49 cm(-1) is found. In accord with experimental data, broken symmetry density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed four antiferromagnetically coupled electrons resulting in an open shell singlet ground state.

Homoleptic permethylpentalene complexes: "double metallocenes" of the first-row transition metals

The synthesis of the bimetallic permethylpentalene complexes Pn*2M2 (M = V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni; Pn* = C8Me6) has been accomplished, and all of the complexes have been structurally characterized in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Pn*2V2 (1) and Pn*2Mn2 (3) show very short intermetallic distances that are consistent with metal-metal bonding, while the cobalt centers in Pn*2Co2 (4) exhibit differential bonding to each side of the Pn* ligand that is consistent with an eta(5):eta(3) formulation. The Pn* ligands in Pn*2Ni2 (5) are best described as eta(3):eta(3)-bonded to the metal centers. (1)H NMR studies indicate that all of the Pn*2M2 species exhibit D(2h) molecular symmetry in the solution phase; the temperature variation of the chemical shifts for the resonances of Pn*2Cr2 (2) indicates that the molecule has an S = 0 ground state and a thermally populated S = 1 excited state and can be successfully modeled using a Boltzmann distribution (DeltaH(o) = 14.9 kJ mol(-1) and DeltaS(o) = 26.5 J K(-1) mol(-1)). The solid-state molar magnetic susceptibility of 3 obeys the Curie-Weiss law with mu(eff) = 2.78 muB and theta = -1.0 K; the complex is best described as having an S = 1 electronic ground state over the temperature range 4-300 K. Paradoxically, attempts to isolate the "double ferrocene" equivalent, Pn*2Fe2, led only to the isolation of the permethylpentalene dimer Pn*2 (6). Solution electrochemical studies were performed on all of the organometallic compounds; 2-5 exhibit multiple quasi-reversible redox processes. Density functional theory calculations were performed on this series of complexes in order to rationalize the observed structural and spectroscopic data and provide estimates of the M-M bond orders.

Analytic derivatives for perturbatively corrected "double hybrid" density functionals: theory, implementation, and applications

A recently proposed new family of density functionals [S. Grimme, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 34108 (2006)] adds a fraction of nonlocal correlation as a new ingredient to density functional theory (DFT). This fractional correlation energy is calculated at the level of second-order many-body perturbation theory (PT2) and replaces some of the semilocal DFT correlation of standard hybrid DFT methods. The new "double hybrid" functionals (termed, e.g., B2-PLYP) contain only two empirical parameters that have been adjusted in thermochemical calculations on parts of the G2/3 benchmark set. The methods have provided the lowest errors ever obtained by any DFT method for the full G3 set of molecules. In this work, the applicability of the new functionals is extended to the exploration of potential energy surfaces with analytic gradients. The theory of the analytic gradient largely follows the standard theory of PT2 gradients with some additional subtleties due to the presence of the exchange-correlation terms in the self-consistent field operator. An implementation is reported for closed-shell as well as spin-unrestricted reference determinants. Furthermore, the implementation includes external point charge fields and also accommodates continuum solvation models at the level of the conductor like screening model. The density fitting resolution of the identity (RI) approximation can be applied to the evaluation of the PT2 part with large gains in computational efficiency. For systems with approximately 500-600 basis functions the evaluation of the double hybrid gradient is approximately four times more expensive than the calculation of the standard hybrid DFT gradient. Extensive test calculations are provided for main group elements and transition metal containing species. The results reveal that the B2-PLYP functional provides excellent molecular geometries that are superior compared to those from standard DFT and MP2.

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of paramagnetic metallocenes

The paramagnetic metallocenes and decamethylmetallocenes (C(5)H(5))(2)M and (C(5)Me(5))(2)M with M=V (S=3/2), Mn (S=5/2 or 1/2), Co (S=1/2), and Ni (S=1) were studied by (1)H and (13)C solid-state MAS NMR spectroscopy. Near room temperature spinning sideband manifolds cover ranges of up to 1100 and 3500 ppm, and isotropic signal shifts appear between -260 and 300 ppm and between -600 and 1640 ppm for (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra, respectively. The isotropic paramagnetic signal shifts, which are related to the spin densities in the s orbital of ligand atoms, were discussed. A Herzfeld--Berger spinning sideband analysis of the ring carbon signals yielded the principal values of the paramagnetic shift tensors, and for metallocenes with a small g-factor anisotropy the electron spin density in the ligand pi system was determined from the chemical shift anisotropy. The unusual features of the (1)H and (13)C solid-state NMR spectra of manganocene were related to its chain structure while temperature-dependent (1)H MAS NMR studies reflected antiferromagnetic interaction between the spin centers.

Absorption spectroscopy of (Ind)Ni(PPh3)X (Ind = indenyl, 1-Me-indenyl; X = Cl, Br, Me) and M(Ind)2 (M = Ni, Ru; Ind = indenyl)

The electronic structures of two types of transition metal indenyl complexes have been studied. The first type, a series of (Ind)Ni(PPh3)X compounds (Ind = indenyl, 1-Me-indenyl; X = Cl, Br, Me) was investigated by absorption spectroscopy and Extended Hückel Molecular Orbital calculations. The energy differences between calculated levels are in good agreement with experimental band positions. For example, the lowest energy singlet–singlet band maximum for (Ind)Ni(PPh3)Cl is at 19 500 cm−1 and the calculated HOMO–LUMO difference is 19 817 cm−1. For X = Me, the calculated energy difference increases to 21 930 cm−1 and the corresponding absorption band is at 22 500 cm−1. The influence of the metal–ligand interactions on the molecular orbitals is discussed. The second category of indenyls, the bis(indenyl) compounds of Ni and Ru, show absorption spectra that are markedly different from those of nickelocene and ruthenocene. For example, in comparison to nickelocene, the first absorption band of Ni(Ind)2 is 5700 cm−1 higher in energy and is more intense by two orders of magnitude; in contrast, the first absorption maximum of Ru(Ind)2 is 6600 cm−1 lower in energy than observed for ruthenocene. The characteristics and relaxation dynamics of the lowest energy excited states are discussed. Key words: absorption spectroscopy, indenyl, nickel, ruthenium, EHMO analysis.