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Thorium chalcogenolates Th(ER)4 react with 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) to form complexes with the stoichiometry (bipy)2Th(ER)4 (E = S, Se; R = Ph, C6F5). All four compounds have been isolated and characterized by spectroscopic methods and low-temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction. Two of the products, (bipy)2Th(SC6F5)4 and (bipy)2Th(SeC6F5)4, crystallize with lattice solvent, (bipy)2Th(SPh)4 crystallizes with no lattice solvent, and the selenolate (bipy)2Th(SePh)4 crystallizes in two phases, with and without lattice solvent. In all four compounds the available volume for coordination bounded by the two bipy ligands is large enough to allow significant conformational flexibility of thiolate or selenolate ligands. 77Se NMR confirms that the structures of the selenolate products are the same in pyridine solution and in the solid state. Attempts to prepare analogous derivatives with 2,2′,6′,2′′-terpyridine (terpy) were successful only in the isolation of (terpy)(py)Th(SPh)4, the first terpy compound of thorium. These materials are thermochromic, with color attributed to ligand-to-ligand charge transfer excitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe(ii) complex of the L1 ligand (L1 = 6-(3,5-diamino-2,4,6-triazinyl)-2,2′-bipyridine) has been used as a templating cation for the growth of oxalate-based networks. The magnetic characterization of the [FeII(L1)2](ClO4)2·CH3CN (1) precursor in the solid state has been performed for the first time showing that the low-spin (LS) state is predominating from 2 to 400 K with 10% of Fe(ii), which undergoes a gradual and irreversible spin-crossover above 350 K. 1 presents the LIESST effect with a photo-conversion close to 25% and a T(LIESST) of 49 K. During the preparation of 1, a secondary product of the formula [FeII(L1)(CH3CN)2(H2O)](ClO4)2·CH3CN (2) has been obtained. The magnetic characterization of 2 shows that it contains high-spin (HS) Fe(ii). 1 has afforded two novel oxalate-based compounds, the 2D compound of the formula [FeII(L1)2][MnIICrIII(ox)3]2·(CH3NO2)6·(CH3OH)·(H2O)2 (3) and the 3D compound of the formula [FeII(L1)2][MnIICrIII(ox)3]2·(CH3CN)3 (4), which have been obtained by changing the synthetic conditions. The magnetic properties show that in 3 the inserted Fe(ii) cation remains in the LS state from 2 to 340 K and presents a partial and irreversible spin-crossover of ∼20% at higher temperatures. In 4, most of the Fe(ii) complexes remain in the LS state from 2 to 230 K and present a partial and irreversible spin-crossover of ∼50% from 230 to 400 K. 3 and 4 do not present the LIESST effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complexes of Co(iii) containing mixed chelating diimine and o-quinone ligand sets are of fundamental interest on account of their fascinating magnetic and electronic properties. Whilst complexes of this type containing one diimine and two o-quinone ligands have been studied extensively, those with the reverse stoichiometry (two diimines and one o-quinone) are much rarer. Herein, we describe a ready route to the synthesis of the complex [CoIII(o-catecholate) (2,2′-bipyridine)2]+ (1), and also report the synthesis of [CoIII(o-catecholate)(5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)2]+ (2) and [CoIII(o-benezenedithiolate)(5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)2]+ (3) for the first time. Spectroscopic studies show that complex 2 displays intriguing solvatochromic behaviour as a function of solvent hydrogen bond donation ability, a property of this type of complex which has hitherto not been reported. Time-dependent density function theory (TD-DFT) shows that this effect arises as a result of hydrogen bonding between the solvent and the oxygen atoms of the catecholate ligand. In contrast, the sulfur atoms in the benzenedithiolate analogue 3 are much weaker acceptors of hydrogen bonds from the solvent, meaning that complex 3 is only very weakly solvatochromic. Finally, we show that complex 2 has some potential as a molecular probe that can report on the composition of mixed solvent systems as a function of its absorbance spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical and photochemical catalytic reductions of CO2 using N,O and N,S-NHC-containing dicarbonyl rhenium(i) bipyridine complexes have been investigated. By replacing the carbonyl ligand in tricarbonyl rhenium(i) complexes with a weaker π-accepting ligand, the characteristic MLCT transitions shifted to lower energy. This makes photocatalysts capable of harvesting low-energy visible light for catalyzing CO2 reduction. A detailed study revealed that these dicarbonyl rhenium(i) complexes are also highly selective for photocatalysis of CO2 to CO with a good quantum efficiency (10%), similar to that of the tricarbonyl rhenium(i) complex analogues. From the electrochemical study, it was observed that the catalysts efficiently produce CO from CO2 with high turnover frequency and good stability over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of electrocatalytic water oxidation by the heterogeneous water oxidation catalyst [Ru(bda)(4-O(CH2)3P(O3H2)2-pyr)2], 1, (pyr = pyridine; bda = 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxylate) on metal oxide surfaces is greatly enhanced relative to water as the solvent. In these experiments with propylene carbonate (PC) as the nonaqueous solvent, water is the limiting reagent. Mechanistic studies point to atom proton transfer (APT) as the rate limiting step in water oxidation catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New ferrocenoylacetonate complexes of several rare earth elements, [Ln(fca)3(bpy)]·MeC6H5 (Ln = Pr (1), Eu (2), Gd (3), Tb (4), Dy (5), Ho (6), Y (7); bpy – 2,2′-bipyridine; Hfca – FcCOCH2COMe) as well as scandium ferrocenoylacetonate [Sc(fca)3]·0.5MeC6H5 (8), were synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. In the crystal lattice of the isostructural complexes 1–7, two [Ln(fca)3(bpy)] molecules form a pair due to stacking interactions between the bpy ligands. The Ln3+ ions are coordinated in a square antiprism geometry with a coordination number of 8. The Sc3+ ions in complex 8 are coordinated in an octahedral geometry. Thermolysis of complexes 1–7 was studied under air and argon atmospheres; in the first case, it affords perovskites LnFeO3 as one of the products. Complexes 4–6 display single-molecule magnet properties, and the effective relaxation barrier for the Dy complex 5, was found to be Δeff/kB = 241 K, which is one of the highest values obtained for a mononuclear β-diketonate lanthanide complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A trinuclear ruthenium complex, 3, was designed and synthesized with the ligand 2,2′-bipyridine-6,6′-dicarboxylic acid (bda) and we found that this complex could function as a highly efficient molecular catalyst for water oxidation in homogeneous systems. This trinuclear molecular water oxidation catalyst, 3, displayed much higher efficiencies in terms of turnover numbers and initial oxygen evolution rate than its counterparts, a binuclear catalyst, 2, and a mononuclear catalyst, 1, in both chemically driven and photochemically driven water oxidation based on either the whole catalytic molecules or just the active Ru centers. The reasons for the superior performance of catalyst 3 were discussed and we believe that multiple Ru centers in a single molecule are indeed beneficial for increasing the probability of the formation of O–O bonds through an intramolecular radical coupling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of platinum(ii) biphenyl 2,2′-bipyridine complexes containing electron-donating and electron-withdrawing moieties on the 4 and 4′ positions of the bipyridine ligand exhibit emission from excited states in the 600 nm region of the spectrum upon excitation in the metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition located near 450 nm. These complexes are distorted from planarity based on both single crystal structure determinations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of isolated molecules in acetonitrile. The DFT also reveals the geometry of the lowest-lying triplet state (LLTS) of each complex that is important for emission behavior. The LLTS are assigned based on the electron spin density distributions and correlated with the singlet excited states to understand the mechanism of electronic excitation and relaxation. Time-dependent DFT calculations are performed to compute the singlet excited state energies of these complexes so as to help interpret their UV-Vis absorption spectra. Computational and experimental results, including absorption and emission energy maxima, electrochemical reduction potentials, LLTS, singlet excited states, and LUMO and HOMO energies, exhibit linear correlations with the Hammett constants for para-substituents σp. These correlations are employed to screen complexes that have not yet been synthesized. The correlation analysis indicates that the electronic structure and the HOMO–LUMO energy gap in Pt(ii) complexes can be effectively controlled using electron-donating and electron-withdrawing moieties covalently bonded to the ligands. The information presented in this paper provides a better understanding of the fundamental electronic and thermodynamic behavior of these complexes and could be used to design systems with specific applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the mechanism of metal–organic framework (MOF) crystal growth is important for the development of more efficient and reliable synthetic methods. Resonance Raman spectroscopy has been used for the first time to detect interactions in solution between metal ions and bridging ligands as MOFs form. UV excitation (229 nm) produced strong resonance enhancement of 4,4′-bipyridine (bpy) vibrational bands and showed that soluble Co2+-bpy species formed in solution prior to the growth of MOF crystals from bpy and Co(NO3)2. The results of the Raman experiments informed the development of faster methods for synthesizing [Co2(bpy)3(NO3)4]n 2D bilayer and [Co(bpy)(NO3)2(H2O)2]n 1D chain MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical calculations (density functional theory with the scalar relativistic ZORA Hamiltonian) have been performed to obtain the energy and Gibbs free energy of formation of cationic 1 : 3 complexes of americium(iii) and europium(iii) with a tri-O-dentate diglycolamide ligand TEDGA (a model of TODGA extractant), as well as the free energy of their partition between water and an organic diluent. The distribution of electron density over the atoms, bonds, and molecular orbitals was analyzed by means of Mulliken population analysis, the localization procedure of natural bond orbitals, and the Quantum Theory of Atoms-in-Molecules. The stabilities of both [M(TEDGA)3]3+ complexes are similar to each other. On the other hand, our recent data for a similar pair of cationic Am/Eu complexes with a softer (HSAB) tetra-N-dentate ligand C2-BTBP show that the [Am(C2-BTBP)2]3+ complex is significantly more stable in aqueous solution than its Eu counterpart. The decisive factor stabilizing the Am3+ complexes over their Eu3+ analogues is the charge transfer from the ligands, somewhat greater on the 6d(AmIII) than on 5d(EuIII) orbitals. The covalency of M–N bonds in the [M(C2-BTBP)2]3+ complexes is greater than that of M–O bonds in [M(TEDGA)3]3+, but the latter is not negligible, in particular in the bonds with the oxygen atoms of the amide groups in TEDGA. The analysis of charge distribution over the whole molecules of the complexes shows that the TEDGA molecule is not hard as expected, but a relatively soft Lewis base, only slightly harder than BTBP. This conclusion has been confirmed by the calculation of the chemical hardness of the ligands. Moreover, the comparison of the results of bonding analysis with the calculated energies of complex formation in water and in the gas phase allows us to conclude that the population analysis, QTAIM topological parameters, and SOPT stabilization energy, as well as Wiberg and overlap-weighted NAO indices are the tools for analyzing the covalency rather than the total bond strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a fluorinated 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-pentanedione (Htfac) ligand and either 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy), bathophenanthroline (bath) or 5-nitro-1,10-phenanthroline (5NO2phen) as an ancillary ligand, three new ternary erbium(III) octacoordinated complexes have been synthesized. The single crystal structures of the new complexes (namely [Er(tfac)3(bipy)], [Er(tfac)3(bath)] and [Er(tfac)3(5NO2phen)]) have been determined and their properties have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and thermodynamic analysis. After ligand-mediated excitation of these complexes in the UV, they all show the characteristic near-infrared (NIR) luminescence of the corresponding Er3+ ion at 1532 nm. The same emission in the C-band transmission window can also be obtained from the solutionprocessed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with structure: glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS/[Er(tfac)3(N,Ndonor)]/ Ca/Al. In spite of the fact that the photoluminescence intensity of [Er(tfac)3(5NO2phen)] is stronger than those of [Er(tfac)3(bipy)] and [Er(tfac)3(bath)], the best electroluminescence results correspond to the OLED based on the [Er(tfac)3(bath)] complex, as a consequence of the superior electron transport capabilities of bathophenanthroline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new [Pt(NN)(dtoc)] complexes (1-5; NN = diimine: 2,2'-bipyridine and its 4,4'-alkyl/aryl-substituted derivatives or 1,10-phenanthroline; dtoc2- = 1,2-dithiolate-1,2-closo-dicarbadodecaborane) have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and electrochemical methods, and by means of X-ray diffraction in the case of complexes 1 and 4. Hybrid DFT and time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations were performed on complexes 1-5 and the previously reported complex [Pt(Ph2phen)(dtoc)] (6; Ph2phen = 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) both in the gas phase and in the presence of several solvents (CH2Cl2, CHCl3, CH3CN, acetone, THF, DMF, DMSO, and toluene) to gain an insight into the electronic structure of the complexes and explain their experimental features. Theoretical calculations allowed for the determination of structure-property relationships within the series of the six complexes considered, and the prediction of their second order nonlinear optical (SONLO) properties by evaluating their first static hyperpolarizabilities (ßtot). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fulgimides monosubstituted with [M(bpy)3]2+ (M = Ru, Os; bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) chromophore units and with a single bpy group were synthesized and investigated as components of conceivable dinuclear photochromic switches of luminescence. The E-, Z- and closed-ring (C) photoisomer forms of the bpy-bound fulgimide were successfully separated by semi-preparative HPLC. The same procedure failed, however, in the case of the [M(bpy)3]2+-substituted fulgimides. Energy transfer from the excited photochromic unit to the metal-bpy centre competes with the fulgimide cyclization, reducing the photocyclization quantum yields by approximately one order of magnitude compared to the non-complexed fulgimide-bpy ligand (φEC = 0.17, φEZ = 0.071, φZE = 0.15 at λexc = 334 nm). The cycloreversion of the fulgimide-bpy ligand is less efficient (φCE = 0.047 at λexc = 520 nm). The intensity of the ³MLCT-based luminescence of the metal-bpy chromophore (in MeCN, φdeaer = 6.6 × 10-2 and τdeaer = 1.09 μs for Ru; φdeaer = 6.7 × 10-3 and τdeaer = 62 ns for Os) is not affected by the fulgimide photoconversion. These results and supporting spectro-electrochemical data reveal that the lowest triplet excited states of the photochromic fulgimide moiety in all its E-, Z- and closed-ring forms lie above the lowest ³MLCT levels of the attached ruthenium and osmium chromophores. The actual components are therefore unlikely to form a triad acting as functional switch of energy transfer from [Ru(bpy)3]2+ to [Os(bpy)3]2+ through the photochromic fulgimide bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]