Analysis of tertiary phosphanes, arsanes, and stibanes as bridging ligands in dinuclear Group†9 complexes.

The unusual bridging and semi-bridging binding mode of tertiary phosphanes, arsanes, and stibanes in dinuclear low-valent Group 9 complexes have been studied by density functional methods and bonding analyses. The influence of various parameters (bridging and terminal ligands, metal atoms) on the structural preferences and bonding of dinuclear complexes of the general composition [A(1)M(1)(µ-CH(2))(2)(µ-EX(3))M(2)A(2)] (M(1), M(2) = Co, Rh, Ir; A(1), A(2) = F, Cl, Br, I, κ(2)-acac; E = P, As, Sb, X = H, F, CH(3)) has been analyzed. A number of factors have been identified that favor bridging or semi-bridging modes for the phosphane ligands and their homologues. A more symmetrical position of the bridging ligand EX(3) is promoted by more polar E-X bonding, but by less electronegative (softer) terminal anionic ligands. Among the Group 9 metal elements Co, Rh, and Ir, the computations clearly show that the 4d element rhodium exhibits the largest preference for a {M(1)(µ-EX(3))M(2)} bridge, in agreement with experimental observation. Iridium complexes should be valid targets, whereas cobalt does not seem to support well a symmetric bridging mode. Analyses of the Electron Localization Function (ELF) indicate a competition between a delocalized three-center bridge bond and direct metal-metal bonding.

Computation of hyperfine tensors for dinuclear Mn(III) Mn(IV) complexes by broken-symmetry approaches: anisotropy transfer induced by local zero-field splitting.

Based on broken-symmetry density functional calculations, the (55)Mn hyperfine tensors of a series of exchange-coupled, mixed-valence, dinuclear Mn(III) Mn(IV) complexes have been computed. We go beyond previous quantum chemical work by fully including the effects of local zero-field splitting (ZFS) interactions in the spin projection, following the first-order perturbation formalism of Sage et al. [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1989, 111, 7239]. This allows the ZFS-induced transfer of hyperfine anisotropy from the Mn(III) site to the Mn(IV) site to be described with full consideration of the orientations of local hyperfine and ZFS tensors. After scaling to correct for systematic deficiencies in the quantum chemically computed local ZFS tensors, good agreement with experimental (55)Mn anisotropies at the Mn(IV) site is obtained. The hyperfine coupling anisotropies on the Mn(III) site depend sensitively on structural distortions for a d(4) ion. The latter are neither fully reproduced by using a DFT-optimized coordination environment nor by using experimental structures. For very small exchange-coupling constants, the perturbation treatment breaks down and a dramatic sensitivity to the scaling of the local ZFS tensors is observed. These results are discussed with respect to ongoing work to elucidate the structure of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II by analysis of the EPR spectra.

Density functional calculations of (55)Mn, (14)N and (13)C electron paramagnetic resonance parameters support an energetically feasible model system for the S(2) state of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II.

Metal and ligand hyperfine couplings of a previously suggested, energetically feasible Mn(4)Ca model cluster (SG2009(-1)) for the S(2) state of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII) have been studied by broken-symmetry density functional methods and compared with other suggested structural and spectroscopic models. This was carried out explicitly for different spin-coupling patterns of the S=1/2 ground state of the Mn(III)(Mn(IV))(3) cluster. By applying spin-projection techniques and a scaling of the manganese hyperfine couplings, computation of the hyperfine and nuclear quadrupole coupling parameters allows a direct evaluation of the proposed models in comparison with data obtained from the simulation of EPR, ENDOR, and ESEEM spectra. The computation of (55)Mn hyperfine couplings (HFCs) for SG2009(-1) gives excellent agreement with experiment. However, at the current level of spin projection, the (55)Mn HFCs do not appear sufficiently accurate to distinguish between different structural models. Yet, of all the models studied, SG2009(-1) is the only one with the Mn(III) site at the Mn(C) center, which is coordinated by histidine (D1-His332). The computed histidine (14)N HFC anisotropy for SG2009(-1) gives much better agreement with ESEEM data than the other models, in which Mn(C) is an Mn(IV) site, thus supporting the validity of the model. The (13)C HFCs of various carboxylates have been compared with (13)C ENDOR data for PSII preparations with (13)C-labelled alanine.

Evaluation of the carbene hydride mechanism in the carbon-carbon bond formation process of alkane metathesis through a DFT study.

Olefin metathesis on a silica supported tantalumhydridocarbene complex, the key carbon-carbon making process in alkane metathesis, requires a large number of elementary steps in contrast to the known olefin metathesis pathway, which corresponds to successive [2 + 2]-cycloaddition and cycloreversion steps. The direct pathway is forbidden because it requires the formation of a high energy reaction intermediates, an olefin adduct of trigonal bipyramid (TBP) geometry, where the carbene is trans to an hydride ligand. Extra low-energy steps are therefore necessary to connect the reactants to products, the key being a turnstile interconversion at the metallacyclobutane intermediates.

Synthesis, reactivity, and electronic structure of [n]vanadoarenophanes: an experimental and theoretical study.

An optimized procedure for the selective dimetalation of [V(eta (6)-C 6H 6) 2] by BuLi/tmeda allowed for the isolation and characterization of [V(eta (6)-C 6H 5Li) 2].tmeda. X-ray diffraction of its thf solvate [V(eta (6)-C 6H 5Li) 2].(thf) 7 revealed an unsymmetrical, dimeric composition in the solid state, in which both subunits are connected by three bridging lithium atoms. Treatment with several element dihalides facilitated the isolation of [ n]vanadoarenophanes ( n = 1, 2) with boron and silicon in the bridging positions. In agreement with the number and covalent radii of the bridging elements, these derivatives exhibit molecular ring strain to a greater or lesser extent. The B-B bond of the [2]bora species [V(eta (6)-C 6H 5) 2B 2(NMe 2) 2] was readily cleaved by [Pt(PEt 3) 3] to afford the corresponding oxidative addition product. Subsequently, [V(eta (6)-C 6H 5) 2B 2(NMe 2) 2] was employed as a diborane(4) precursor in the diboration of 2-butyne under stoichiometric, homogeneous, and heterogeneous catalysis conditions. This transformation is facilitated by the reduction of molecular ring strain, which was confirmed by a decrease of the tilt angle alpha observed in the corresponding solid-state structures. EPR spectroscopy was used to probe the electronic structure of strained [ n]vanadoarenophanes and revealed an obvious correlation between the degree of molecular distortion and the observed hyperfine coupling constant a iso. State-of-the-art DFT calculations were able to reproduce the measured isotropic vanadium hyperfine couplings and the coupling anisotropies. The calculations confirmed the decrease of the absolute isotropic hyperfine couplings with increasing tilt angle. Closer analysis showed that this is mainly due to increased positive contributions to the spin density at the vanadium nucleus from the spin polarization of doubly occupied valence orbitals of vanadium-ligand sigma-antibonding character. The latter are destabilized and thus made more polarizable in the bent structures.

Synthesis and structure of a ferrocenylboron dication.

Treatment of the borane Br 2BFc (Fc = ferrocenyl) with the Lewis base 4-methylpyridine and Na[BAr (f) 4] [Ar (f) = 3,5-(CF 3) 2C 6H 3] afforded the boron dication [FcB(NC 5H 4-4-Me) 3][BAr (f) 4] 2. This compound is a rare example of a structurally characterized boron dication.

A comparison between artificial and natural water oxidation.

Two artificial water oxidation catalysts, the blue dimer and the Llobet catalyst, have been studied using hybrid DFT methods. The results are compared to those for water oxidation in the natural photosystem II enzyme. Studies on the latter system have now reached a high level of understanding, at present much higher than the one for the artificial systems. A recent high resolution X-ray structural investigation of PSII has confirmed the main features of the structure of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) suggested by previous DFT cluster studies. The O-O bond formation mechanism suggested is of direct coupling (DC) type between an oxygen radical and a bridging oxo ligand. A similar DC mechanism is found for the Llobet catalyst, while an acid-base (AB) mechanism is preferred for the blue dimer. All of them require at least one oxygen radical. Full energy diagrams, including both redox and chemical steps, have been constructed illustrating similarities and differences to the natural system. Unlike previous DFT studies, the results of the present study suggest that the blue dimer is rate-limited by the initial redox steps, and the Llobet catalyst by O(2) release. The results could be useful for further improvement of the artificial systems.

Structural and electronic analysis of lanthanide complexes: reactivity may not necessarily be independent of the identity of the lanthanide atom--a DFT study.

Density functional theory calculations were used to study a given complex for the whole series of lanthanide cations: [Ln(C3H5)Cp(OMe)] (1) [Ln = La (Z = 57)-Lu (Z = 71)], the radioactive lanthanide promethium (Z = 61) excepted. Contrary to the common assumptions, the calculations suggested a significant, albeit indirect, contribution of f electrons to bonding. Relativistic effects were considered in the calculations of the bonding energies, as well as in geometry optimizations in both spin-restricted and unrestricted formalisms. The unrestricted orbitals were finally used for the analysis of the charges and the composition of the frontier orbitals. It was confirmed that the ionic character was more pronounced for complexes of the late lanthanides.