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Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements confirm that, as expected, the mer isomer of tris(β-diketonato) cobalt(III) complexes is more stable (mer isomers are more stable because they are less affected by steric hindrance and they have lower dipoles). An excess of the mer isomer or only the mer isomer is experimentally observed. The existence of both fac and mer isomers is predicted by density functional theory calculations. At room temperature, the nuclear magnetic resonance peaks of phenyl-containing mer complexes are broad due to the intermediate rotation of bulky phenyl groups resulting in only the average orientation of the non-equivalent protons in the mer complexes. However, upon heating to 55°C (thus speeding up the rotation) or cooling to −50°C (slowing down the rotation), this broad peak is resolved into three sets of carbon peaks appearing in the 13C NMR spectrum, as well as splitting of the ¹H NMR peaks for the non-equivalent protons in the mer isomer. In solid-state 13C NMR the aromatic rings do not rotate, resulting in the splitting of all the 13C NMR peaks. Two sets of well-defined peaks are observed for the fluorine-containing compound [Co(CF3COCHCOCPh)3] in both the 13C and 19F NMR spectra, indicating that both the fac and mer isomers are present with a ratio of fac:mer = 0.1:1. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measured binding energy of the Co 2p3/2 photoelectron lines are influenced by the subtle electronic (electron-donating or electron-withdrawing) properties of the R groups on the β-diketonato ligands. Various relationships are established between the binding energy of Co 2p3/2 and several physical and density functional theory–calculated properties, confirming good electronic communication (the measurable electronic effect that a molecular fragment has on the physical properties of another molecular fragment in the molecule) of the substituent groups through the pseudo aromatic system of the β-diketonato backbones to the metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Three different classes of ferrocenyl-containing β-keto compounds Fc-CO-CH 2 -CO-R were synthesised to obtain two β-diketones with R = CH 3, 3 , and R = Fc (ferrocenyl = FeII(C 5 H 5)(C 5 H 4)), 4 , a β-ketoester, 5 , with R = OEt and a β-ketoamide, 6 , with R = NH 2. The β-diketones exhibited keto ⇌ enol tautomerization with the enol form Fc-CO-CH=C(OH)-R as the dominant isomer. Both the β-ketoester and β-ketoamide primarily existed in the keto form. FTIR and 1H NMR measurements could distinguish between keto and enol isomers. Dilute CHCl 3 solutions of 3 and 4 exhibited FTIR ѵ C=O keto vibrations between 1627 and 1712 cm−1 and ѵ C=O enol vibrations between 1590 and 1660 cm−1. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) measurements showed keto isomer Fe 2p 3/2 photoelectron lines at smaller binding energies than enol isomers. Significantly lower calculated molecular energies of the keto form of the β-ketoester 5 and β-ketoamide 6 utilising the Gaussian09 suite of programs at the B3LYP (uB3LYP for open-shell species), confirmed that 5 and 6 almost exclusively exists in the keto conformation. Cyclic voltammetry also distinguished between keto and enol isomers, and it was found that the electrochemical reversible ferrocenyl formal oxidation potential, E °ꞌ, of keto isomers of compounds can be estimated with the equation E °ꞌ keto = 170.99χ R –57.57 where χ R is the group electronegativities of R in FcCOCH 2 COR. This result complements earlier research that enables calculation of the ferrocenyl formal oxidation potentials of enol isomers of β-diketones. Computational studies further showed that the HOMO orbitals of 3 – 6 is exclusively on the Fe centre and computed Mulliken spin densities on the d xy orbital of the oxidised iron species approached 1 e−. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical analysis, theoretical examination, as well as the first X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) study on molybdenum(0) Fischer carbene complexes are presented. The intramolecular communication between the carbene ligand, molybdenum metal centre, and the ancillary ligands is illustrated by linear relationships and trends obtained between experimentally measured redox and XPS binding energy values and theoretically calculated energies and charges. The ease of oxidation of the three series of Mo(0) Fischer carbene complexes presented, namely four pentacarbonyl Mo(0) Fischer carbene complexes of general formula [(CO) 5 MoC(OEt)(Ar)], with Ar = 2-thienyl ( 1 ), 2-furyl ( 2 ), 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl ( 3 ), 2,2'-bithienyl ( 4 ), four triphenylphosphine-substituted tetracarbonyl Mo(0) Fischer carbene complexes of general formula [(CO) 4 (PPh 3 )MoC(OEt)(Ar)], with Ar = 2-thienyl ( 5 ), 2-furyl ( 6 ), 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl ( 7 ), 2,2'-bithienyl ( 8 ), and four triphenylarsine-substituted tetracarbonyl Mo(0) Fischer carbene complexes of general formula [(CO) 4 (AsPh 3 )MoC(OEt)(Ar)], with Ar = 2-thienyl ( 9 ), 2-furyl ( 10 ), 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl ( 11 ), 2,2'-bithienyl ( 12 ), all showed the same trend, namely (most difficult to oxidize at a higher potential): 2-thienyl ≈ 2,2'-bithienyl > 2-furyl > 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl. The pentacarbonyl complexes [(CO) 5 MoC(OEt)(Ar)] have the highest oxidation potentials, followed by the oxidation potential of [(CO) 4 (PPh 3 )MoC(OEt)(Ar)], while [(CO) 4 (AsPh 3 )MoC(OEt)(Ar)] oxidized at a potential 0.12 − 0.15 V lower than the PPh 3 substituted complexes [(CO) 4 (PPh 3 )MoC(OEt)(Ar)]. Substitution of carbonyl ligand(s) in the pentacarbonyl complexes 1 – 4 , by one (complexes 5 – 12 ) or two ([(dppe)(CO) 3 MoC(OEt)(2-furyl)] complex ( 13 ), dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) weaker π-acceptor ligands (phosphines/arsines) in Fischer carbene complexes leads to a decrease in the binding energy of the Mo 3d 5/2 photoelectron lines of the X-ray photoelectron spectra of the Fischer carbene complexes and an increase in the binding energy of the carbene carbon C 1 s photoelectron lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis and characterization of the first triphenylstibine-containing Fischer carbene complexes of Mo(0) with general formula [(SbPh 3 )(CO) 4 MoC(OEt)(Ar)] with Ar = 2-thienyl ( 1 ), 2-furyl ( 2 ), 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl ( 3 ), and 2,2′-bithienyl ( 4 ) are reported. The solid state crystal structures of these complexes show a syn conformation of the 2-thienyl and 2,2′-bithienyl groups relative to the ethoxy group, and an anti conformation of the 2-furyl group relative to the ethoxy group. Density functional theory calculations using natural bonding orbital (NBO) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) calculations gave insight into the electronic structure and preferred conformations of these novel complexes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements show that the binding energy of the Mo 3d 5/2 photoelectron line for the 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl-containing Fischer carbene complex, 3 , is the smallest; followed by 2 and then 1 . This implies that the Mo metal centre is more electron rich in 3 , relative to the 2-furyl or 2-thienyl containing Fischer carbene complexes, 2 and 1 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical behaviour of triphenylstibine-containing Fischer carbene complexes of Mo(0) of the type [(SbPh 3 )(CO) 4 MoC(OEt)(Ar)] with Ar = 2-thienyl ( 1 ), 2-furyl ( 2 ), 2-(N-methyl)pyrrolyl ( 3 ) or 2,2'-bithienyl ( 4 ) is reported. Results are compared to the related complexes [(L,L')(CO) 3 MoC(OEt)(Ar)] where L,L' = CO,CO; PPh 3 ,CO; AsPh 3 ,CO; or dppe (1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane). Linear trends and relationships obtained between HOMO/LUMO energies, oxidation/reduction potentials, ionization energies/electron affinities and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic binding energies of the Mo 3d 5/2 photoelectron lines, show that the electronic influences of the heteroaryl carbene substituent and pnictogen ligands in Mo(0) Fischer ethoxycarbene complexes are transmitted well through the bonds to the Mo metal centre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is illustrated that the electrochemical redox potentials of chromium(0) Fischer carbene complexes containing a heteroaromatic substituent can be determined to a high degree of accuracy from the gas phase density functional theory (DFT) optimized frontier orbital energies, with a mean average error of the calculated redox potentials of 0.047 V for the chromium-based oxidation potential and 0.057 V for the carbene ligand based reduction potential. For the first time it was possible to distinguish between the Cr 0/I oxidation peaks of the E and the Z -isomer of a cyclohexylamino pentacarbonyl chromium Fischer carbene complex, namely [(CO) 5 CrC(NHCy)(2-thienyl)]. The linear relationship obtained between the oxidation potential and the DFT calculated highest molecular orbital energies, made it possible to assign the oxidation peak at the lower less positive oxidation potential to the oxidation of the E isomer, and the peak at the slightly higher (more positive) oxidation potential to the oxidation of the Z isomer of [(CO) 5 CrC(NHCy)(2-thienyl)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]