Mixed Valence (μ-Phenoxido) FeII FeIII et FeIII FeIV Compounds: Electron and Proton Transfers

Mixed-valence non-heme diiron centers are present at the active sites of a few enzymes and confer them interesting reactivities with the two ions acting in concert. Related (μ-phenoxido)diiron complexes have been developed as enzyme mimics. They exhibit very rich spectroscopic properties enabling independent monitoring of each individual ion, which proved useful for mechanistic studies of catalytic hydrolysis and oxidation reactions. In our studies of such complexes, we observed that these compounds give rise to a wide variety of electron transfers (intervalence charge transfer), proton transfers (tautomerism), coupled electron and proton transfers (H^. abstraction and PCET). In this minireview, we present and analyze the main results illustrating the latter aspects.

Cis/trans isomerizations in diiron complexes involving aniline or anilide ligands

We have recently reported a deprotonation-induced valence inversion within a phenoxido-bridged mixed-valent diiron(II,III) complex. The initial aniline coordinated to the Fe(II) site reacts with triethylamine, and the resulting complex contains an anilide ligand coordinated to the Fe(III) ion. The behavior of these complexes in acetonitrile is indeed more intricate. Owing to the very distinctive spectroscopic signatures of the complexes, the conjunction of NMR, Mössbauer, and UV-visible absorption spectroscopies allows one to evidence two isomerization reactions, one involving the aniline linked to Fe(II) and the other the anilide on Fe(III). Theoretical calculations sustain this conclusion. Aniline in the cis position versus the bridging phenoxide is shown to be the most stable isomer while the anilide trans to the phenoxido bridge is favored. The trans isomer of the aniline complex is more acidic than the cis one by 1 pKa unit. Isomerization of the anilide complex is 10 times faster than the analogous isomerization of the aniline complex. Both reactions are proposed to proceed through a unique mechanism. This is the first time that such isomerization reactions are evidenced in dinuclear complexes.

Effect of Bridging Anions on the Structure and Stability of Phenoxide Bridged Zinc Dipicolylamine Coordination Complexes

A series of four related phenol derivatives, with 2,2'-dipicolylamine substituents at the ortho positions, were prepared and their Zn2+ coordination complexes studied by spectroscopic methods. X-ray crystal diffraction analysis of a dinuclear zinc complex with two bridging acetate anions showed a ternary structure with highly charged interior and lipophilic exterior, which helps explain why this class of water-soluble complexes can effectively diffuse through cell membranes. The stability of the dinuclear zinc complexes in aqueous solution was found to be strongly anion dependent; that is, bridging oxyanions, such as acetate and pyrophosphate, lock the two Zn2+ cations to the surrounding ligand and greatly enhance ligand/zinc affinity. Overall, the results provide new insight into the structural and mechanistic factors that control the recognition and chemosensing performance of phenoxide bridged dipicolylamine molecular probes.