Synthesis, Spectroscopy and Electrochemistry in Relation to DFT Computed Energies of Ferrocene- and Ruthenocene-Containing -Diketonato Iridium(III) Heteroleptic Complexes. Structure of [(2-Pyridylphenyl)2Ir(RcCOCHCOCH3]

Synthesis, Spectroscopy, Electrochemistry and DFT of Electron-Rich Ferrocenylsubphthalocyanines

A series of novel ferrocenylsubphthalocyanine dyads Y-BSubPc(H)₁₂ with ferrocenyl-carboxylic acids Y-H = (FcCH₂CO₂-H), (Fc(CH₂)₃CO₂-H) or (FcCO(CH₂)₂CO₂-H) in the axial position were synthesized from the parent Cl-BSubPc(H)₁₂ via an activated triflate-SubPc intermediate. UV/Vis data revealed that the axial ferrocenyl-containing ligand did not influence the Q-band maxima compared to Cl-BSubPc(H)₁₂. A combined electrochemical and density functional theory (DFT) study showed that Fe group of the ferrocenyl-containing axial ligand is involved in the first reversible oxidation process, followed by a second oxidation localized on the macrocycle of the subphthalocyanine. Both observed reductions were ring-based. It was found that the novel Fc(CH₂)₃CO₂BSubPc(H)₁₂ exhibited the lowest first macrocycle-based reduction potential (-1.871 V vs. Fc/Fc⁺) reported for SubPcs till date. The oxidation and reduction values of Fc(CH₂)_nCO₂BSubPc(H)₁₂ (n = 0-3), FcCO(CH₂)₂CO₂BSubPc(H)₁₂, and Cl-BSubPc(H)₁₂ illustrated the electronic influence of the carboxyl group, the different alkyl chains and the ferrocenyl group in the axial ligand on the ring-based oxidation and reduction values of the SubPcs.

Redox and Photophysical Properties of Four Subphthalocyanines Containing Ferrocenylcarboxylic Acid as Axial Ligands

Four new ferrocenylsubphthalocyanines Y-BSubPc, with ferrocenylcarboxylic acid YH = Fc-CH₂-CH₂-COOH (1) or Fc-CH═CH-COOH (2) in the axial Y position, were synthesized with a 40% yield. The axial ferrocenylcarboxylic acid moiety did not have a significant influence on the position of the Q bands maxima of the UV/vis spectra of the ferrocenylsubphthalocyanines or on the ¹H NMR position of the ring proton peaks of Y-BSubPc(H₁₂) or on the ¹⁹F NMR position of the ring F peaks of YSubPc(F₁₂), relative to their respective parent compounds Cl-BSubPc(H₁₂) 3 and Cl-BSubPc(F₁₂) 4, containing axial chlorine. Very weak metal-to-ligand-charge-transfer bands (MLCT) in the near-IR region were observed. An electrochemical study utilizing cyclic voltammetry showed that electronic communication exists between ferrocene on the axial ferrocenylcarboxylic acid and the π-electrons of the macrocycle of the ferrocenylsubphthalocyanine (Fc(CH₂)₂COO)-BSubPc(H)₁₂,5, (Fc(CH)₂COO)-BSubPc(H)₁₂, 6, (Fc(CH₂)₂COO)-BSubPc(F)₁₂, 7, and (Fc(CH)₂COO)-BSubPc(F)₁₂, 8. The Fe group of the ferrocenyl-containing axial ligand is involved in the first reversible oxidation process, followed by a second oxidation localized on the subphthalocyanine ligand. The fluorine ring substituents in SubPcs 7 and 8 caused the ferrocenyl oxidation to shift more positive by ca. 0.1 V, compared to SubPcs 5 and 6 without fluorine. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided further insight into the properties of these novel ferrocenylsubphthalocyanines. The neutral species of SubPcs 5-8 have LUMOs with mainly π-ring character and HOMOs with mainly iron-d character, confirming ring-based reduction, metal-based Fe(II) to Fe(III) oxidation, as well as weak MLCT in the near-IR region. Further DFT optimization of the cation (oxidized) species was essential to verify the second ring-based oxidation.