The Role of the Redox Non-Innocent Hydroxyl Ligand in the Activation of O2 Performed by [Ni(H)(OH)].

The cationic complex [Ni(H)(OH)]+ was previously found to activate dioxygen and methane in gas phase under single collision conditions. These remarkable reactivities were thought to originate from a non-classical electronic structure, where the Ni-center adopts a Ni(II), instead of the classically expected Ni(III) oxidation state by formally accepting an electron from the hydroxo ligand, which formally becomes a hydroxyl radical in the process. Such radicaloid oxygen moieties are envisioned to easily react with otherwise inert substrates, mimicking familiar reactivities of free radicals. In this study, the reductive activation of dioxygen by [Ni(H)(OH)]+ to afford the hydroperoxo species was investigated using coupled cluster, multireference ab initio and density functional theory calculations. Orbital and wave function analyses indicate that O2 binding tranforms the aforementioned non-classical electronic structure to a classical Ni(III)-hydroxyl system, before O2 reduction takes place. Remarkably, we found no evidence for a direct involvement of the radicaloid hydroxyl in the reaction with O2 , as is often assumed. The function of the redox non-innocent character of the activator complex is to protect the reactive electronic structure until the complex engages O2 , upon which a dramatic electronic reorganization releases internal energy and drives the chemical reaction to completion.

Light-Driven Water Oxidation with Ligand-Engineered Prussian Blue Analogues.

The elucidation of the ideal coordination environment of a catalytic site has been at the heart of catalytic applications. Herein, we show that the water oxidation activities of catalytic cobalt sites in a Prussian blue (PB) structure could be tuned systematically by decorating its coordination sphere with a combination of cyanide and bidentate pyridyl groups.  K0.1[Co(bpy)]2.9[Fe(CN)6]2 ([Cobpy-Fe]), K0.2[Co(phen)]2.8[Fe(CN)6]2 ([Cophen-Fe]), {[Co(bpy)2]3[Fe(CN)6]2}[Fe(CN)6]1/3 ([Cobpy2-Fe]), and {[Co(phen)2]3[Fe(CN)6]2}[Fe(CN)6]1/3 Cl0.11 ([Cophen2-Fe]) were prepared by introducing bidentate pyridyl groups (phen: 1,10-phenanthroline, bpy: 2,2'-bipyridine) to the common synthetic protocol of Co-Fe Prussian blue analogues. Characterization studies indicate that [Cobpy2-Fe] and [Cophen2-Fe] adopt a pentanuclear molecular structure, while [Cobpy-Fe] and [Cophen-Fe] could be described as cyanide-based coordination polymers with lower-dimensionality and less crystalline nature compared to the regular Co-Fe Prussian blue analogue (PBA), K0.1Co2.9[Fe(CN)6]2 ([Co-Fe]). Photocatalytic studies reveal that the activities of [Cobpy-Fe] and [Cophen-Fe] are significantly enhanced compared to those of [Co-Fe], while molecular [Cobpy2-Fe] and [Cophen2-Fe] are inactive toward water oxidation. [Cobpy-Fe] and [Cophen-Fe] exhibit upper-bound turnover frequencies (TOFs) of 1.3 and 0.7 s-1, respectively, which are ∼50 times higher than that of [Co-Fe] (1.8 × 10-2 s-1). The complete inactivity of [Cobpy2-Fe] and [Cophen2-Fe] confirms the critical role of aqua coordination to the catalytic cobalt sites for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Computational studies show that bidentate pyridyl groups enhance the susceptibility of the rate-determining Co(IV)-oxo species to the nucleophilic water attack during the critical O-O bond formation. This study opens a new route toward increasing the intrinsic water oxidation activity of the catalytic sites in PB coordination polymers.

Building an Iron Chromophore Incorporating Prussian Blue Analogue for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the Ferdi Karadas and Ekmel Ozbay groups at Bilkent University and co-workers. The image presents an utopic city in Iron Age, which is powered by an iron photosensitizer that bridges semiconductor buildings (TiO2 nanowires) and the catalyst (cobalt site). Read the full text of the article at 10.1002/chem.202100654.

Building an Iron Chromophore Incorporating Prussian Blue Analogue for Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation.

The replacement of traditional ruthenium-based photosensitizers with low-cost and abundant iron analogs is a key step for the advancement of scalable and sustainable dye-sensitized water splitting cells. In this proof-of-concept study, a pyridinium ligand coordinated pentacyanoferrate(II) chromophore is used to construct a cyanide-based CoFe extended bulk framework, in which the iron photosensitizer units are connected to cobalt water oxidation catalytic sites through cyanide linkers. The iron-sensitized photoanode exhibits exceptional stability for at least 5 h at pH 7 and features its photosensitizing ability with an incident photon-to-current conversion capacity up to 500 nm with nanosecond scale excited state lifetime. Ultrafast transient absorption and computational studies reveal that iron and cobalt sites mutually support each other for charge separation via short bridging cyanide groups and for injection to the semiconductor in our proof-of-concept photoelectrochemical device. The reorganization of the excited states due to the mixing of electronic states of metal-based orbitals subsequently tailor the electron transfer cascade during the photoelectrochemical process. This breakthrough in chromophore-catalyst assemblies will spark interest in dye-sensitization with robust bulk systems for photoconversion applications.

When Does Fusing Two Rings Not Yield a Larger Ring? The Curious Case of BOPHY.

Structural and electronic features of ground and excited states of the bis(difluoroboron)-1,2-bis-(pyrrol-2-yl)methylene-hydrazine (BOPHY) fluorophore, a seemingly extended version of the popular 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) fluorophore, are presented. Geometries of S0 and S1 electronic states are highly puckered, as confirmed by a combination of density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent (TD)-DFT, CASSCF-PT2, EOM-CCSD calculations and density functional theory-based molecular dynamics (DFT-MD). Packing effects are responsible for planarization in the solid state. Without the network of a solid matrix, planar conformation of BOPHY is an easily accessible transition state of inversion between two puckered conformations and hence solvated BOPHY is suggested to sample the conformational space between the two puckered geometries. The peculiar features of puckering as well as inversion via a planar TS are unaltered with a large range of lateral substitutions. Concentration-dependent electronic absorbance measurements were carried, which showed that the transformation of the low activation energy between the puckered and planar conformations is responsible for the broadening of the absorption spectrum. BOPHY, a four-ring system, is not an electronic extension of the three-ring BODIPY system since the excitation characteristics suggest BOPHY to behave as two electronically unlinked fragments despite the fact that the two subunits are covalently bonded.

A Robust, Precious-Metal-Free Dye-Sensitized Photoanode for Water Oxidation: A Nanosecond-Long Excited-State Lifetime through a Prussian Blue Analogue.

Herein, we establish a simple synthetic strategy affording a heterogeneous, precious metal-free, dye-sensitized photoelectrode for water oxidation, which incorporates a Prussian blue (PB) structure for the sensitization of TiO2 and water oxidation catalysis. Our approach involves the use of a Fe(CN)5 bridging group not only as a cyanide precursor for the formation of a PB-type structure but also as an electron shuttle between an organic chromophore and the catalytic center. The resulting hetero-functional PB-modified TiO2 electrode demonstrates a low-cost and easy-to-construct photoanode, which exhibits favorable electron transfers with a remarkable excited state lifetime on the order of nanoseconds and an extended light absorption capacity of up to 500 nm. Our approach paves the way for a new family of precious metal-free robust dye-sensitized photoelectrodes for water oxidation, in which a variety of common organic chromophores can be employed in conjunction with CoFe PB structures.

Nanostructured organic semiconductor films for molecular detection with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

π-Conjugated organic semiconductors have been explored in several optoelectronic devices, yet their use in molecular detection as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-active platforms is unknown. Herein, we demonstrate that SERS-active, superhydrophobic and ivy-like nanostructured films of a molecular semiconductor, α,ω-diperfluorohexylquaterthiophene (DFH-4T), can be easily fabricated by vapour deposition. DFH-4T films without any additional plasmonic layer exhibit unprecedented Raman signal enhancements up to 3.4 × 103 for the probe molecule methylene blue. The combination of quantum mechanical computations, comparative experiments with a fluorocarbon-free α,ω-dihexylquaterthiophene (DH-4T), and thin-film microstructural analysis demonstrates the fundamental roles of the π-conjugated core fluorocarbon substitution and the unique DFH-4T film morphology governing the SERS response. Furthermore, Raman signal enhancements up to ∼1010 and sub-zeptomole (<10-21 mole) analyte detection were accomplished by coating the DFH-4T films with a thin gold layer. Our results offer important guidance for the molecular design of SERS-active organic semiconductors and easily fabricable SERS platforms for ultrasensitive trace analysis.

Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis with a Cobalt-Borate-Based Hybrid System under Neutral Conditions.

The development of new water oxidation electrocatalysts that are both stable and efficient, particularly in neutral conditions, holds great promise for overall water splitting. In this study, the electrocatalytic water oxidation performance of a new cobalt-based catalyst, Co3 (BO3 )2 , with a Kotoite-type crystal structure is investigated under neutral conditions. The catalyst is also hybridized with CNTs to enhance its electrocatalytic properties. A remarkable increase in catalytic current along with a significant shift in the onset overpotential is observed in Co3 (BO3 )2 @CNT. Additionally, CNT addition also greatly influences the surface concentration of the catalyst: 12.7 nmol cm-2 for Co3 (BO3 )2 @CNT compared with 3.9 nmol cm-2 for Co3 (BO3 )2 . Co3 (BO3 )2 @CNT demands overpotentials of 303 and 487 mV to attain current densities of 1 and 10 mA cm-2 , respectively, at pH 7. Electrochemical and characterization studies performed over varying pH conditions reveal that the catalyst retains its stability over a pH range of 3-14. Multi-reference quantum chemical calculations are performed to study the nature of the active cobalt sites and the effect of boron atoms on the activity of the cobalt ions.

Tuning the Electronic Properties of Prussian Blue Analogues for Efficient Water Oxidation Electrocatalysis: Experimental and Computational Studies.

Although several Prussian Blue analogues (PBAs) have been investigated as water oxidation catalysts, the field lacks a comprehensive study that focuses on the design of the ideal PBA for this purpose. Here, members of a series of PBAs with different cyanide precursors have been investigated to study the effect of hexacyanometal groups on their electrocatalytic water oxidation activities. Cyclic voltammetric, chronoamperometric, and chronopotentiometric measurements have revealed a close relationship between the electron density of electroactive cobalt sites and electrocatalytic activity, which has also been confirmed by infrared and XPS studies. Furthermore, pH-dependent cyclic voltammetry and computational studies have been performed to gain insight into the catalytic mechanism and electronic structure of cyanide-based systems to identify possible intermediates and to assign the rate-determining step of the target process.

A Noble-Metal-Free Heterogeneous Photosensitizer-Relay Catalyst Triad That Catalyzes Water Oxidation under Visible Light.

An entirely earth-abundant chromophore-relay water oxidation catalyst triad system, which is robust and efficient at neutral pH, is presented. The synthesis involves the coordination of a porphyrin derivative to a bridging Fe(CN)5 group, which is then reacted with Co ions to prepare a covalently linked chromophore-Prussian blue analogue assembly. Light-driven water oxidation studies in the presence of an electron scavenger indicate that the triad is active and it maintains a steady activity for at least three hours. Transient absorption experiments and computational studies reveal that the Fe(CN)5 group is more than a linker as it takes part in electron-transfer and co-operates with porphyrin in the charge separation process.

Morphological Versatility in the Self-Assembly of Val-Ala and Ala-Val Dipeptides.

Since the discovery of dipeptide self-assembly, diphenylalanine (Phe-Phe)-based dipeptides have been widely investigated in a variety of fields. Although various supramolecular Phe-Phe-based structures including tubes, vesicles, fibrils, sheets, necklaces, flakes, ribbons, and wires have been demonstrated by manipulating the external physical or chemical conditions applied, studies of the morphological diversity of dipeptides other than Phe-Phe are still required to understand both how these small molecules respond to external conditions such as the type of solvent and how the peptide sequence affects self-assembly and the corresponding molecular structures. In this work, we investigated the self-assembly of valine-alanine (Val-Ala) and alanine-valine (Ala-Val) dipeptides by varying the solvent medium. It was observed that Val-Ala dipeptide molecules may generate unique self-assembly-based morphologies in response to the solvent medium used. Interestingly, when Ala-Val dipeptides were utilized as a peptide source instead of Val-Ala, we observed distinct differences in the final dipeptide structures. We believe that such manipulation may not only provide us with a better understanding of the fundamentals of the dipeptide self-assembly process but also may enable us to generate novel peptide-based materials for various applications.

Intracellular modulation of excited-state dynamics in a chromophore dyad: differential enhancement of photocytotoxicity targeting cancer cells.

The photosensitized generation of reactive oxygen species, and particularly of singlet oxygen [O2 (a(1) Δg )], is the essence of photodynamic action exploited in photodynamic therapy. The ability to switch singlet oxygen generation on/off would be highly valuable, especially when it is linked to a cancer-related cellular parameter. Building on recent findings related to intersystem crossing efficiency, we designed a dimeric BODIPY dye with reduced symmetry, which is ineffective as a photosensitizer unless it is activated by a reaction with intracellular glutathione (GSH). The reaction alters the properties of both the ground and excited states, consequently enabling the efficient generation of singlet oxygen. Remarkably, the designed photosensitizer can discriminate between different concentrations of GSH in normal and cancer cells and thus remains inefficient as a photosensitizer inside a normal cell while being transformed into a lethal singlet oxygen source in cancer cells. This is the first demonstration of such a difference in the intracellular activity of a photosensitizer.

Switching off the charge transfer and closing the S1-T1 ISC channel in excited states of quinolizinium derivatives: a theoretical study.

Excited states of benzo[b]quinolizinium (BQ) derivatives that show efficient pH-responsive fluorescence switching properties were studied quantum-chemically by employing the CASSCF/CASPT2 and TD-DFT methods. Protonation of aminophenyl-BQ at the electron-donor amine moiety converts the nitrogen lone pair into a σ bond and the HOMO into a lower-lying orbital that is no longer involved in the excitation, thereby rationalizing the suppression of the charge transfer. An S1-T1 seam between the vertically excited Franck-Condon (FC) point and the S1 equilibrium geometry favors intersystem crossing (ISC). The T1 state of the protonated form remains well below S1 (1.5 eV) because of favorable exchange interactions, whereas the T1 state of the unprotonated form does not experience any analogous stabilization because of the difference in the spatial domains of the singly occupied orbitals in the S1 and T1 states. The S1 surface from the FC point until the equilibrium geometry for the protonated species is energetically downhill. Calculations on models and available experimental data suggest design principles for similarly functioning pH-responsive species, namely, an amine lone pair as the electron donor and a cationic ring of moderate size as the electron acceptor that are structurally separated by virtue of a spacer.

Luminescence of BODIPY and dipyrrin: an MCSCF comparison of excited states.

Low lying electronic states of the highly fluorescent BODIPY (boron dipyrromethene, 1) and its nonemissive cousin dipyrrin (2) were investigated by state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods. The opposed luminescence of 1 and 2 is explained by discovering distinct structural and energetic features for the intersection of the ground and first excited singlet state potential energy surfaces, S(0) and S(1). In accessing the intersection region, a B-N σ-bond in 1 has to be broken-an energetically prohibitive change on the nonemissive decay channel. On the contrary, 2 is deactivated via an energetically accessible S(0)/S(1) intersection point. Details of S(0), S(1), S(2), and T(1) wave functions for various regions of the potential energy surfaces were described. Unnoted features for multidimensional vectors that represent S(0) → S(1) and S(0) → T(1) transitions are reported. These correlations regarding S(0) → S(1) and S(0) → T(1) multidimensional vectors were also shown to apply to two highly fluorescent molecules: indole and coumarin.

Homoprotocatechuate dioxygenase active site: Imitating the secondary sphere base via computational design.

Oxidative ring cleavage reactions have attracted great interest and various studies on the catechol ring-cleaving enzyme homoprotocatechuate dioxygenase (HPCD) have been reported in the literature. The available data on how the proton transfer takes place led us to design a potential HPCD model structure. A secondary sphere effect of utmost importance, the assistance of His200, which is critical for the catechol proton to migrate to dioxygen, was cautiously included on the first coordination shell. This was done mainly by modifying the axial ligands in the first coordination shell of HPCD such that the dual basic/acidic role in the proton transfer pathway of His200 was reproduced. Model systems with mono-, bi-, and tridentate ligands are reported. Energetically feasible reaction channels on synthetically promising ligand structures are identified. Key structural and electronic principles for obtaining viable proton transfer paths are outlined.

Heavy atom free singlet oxygen generation: doubly substituted configurations dominate S1 states of bis-BODIPYs.

S(0), S(1), and T(1) states of various orthogonal 8,8' and 8,2'-bis-boradiaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes, recently (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.2011, 50, 11937) proposed as heavy atom free photosensitizers for O(2)((1)Δ(g)) generation, were studied by multireference quantum chemical approaches. S(0)→S(1) excitation characteristics of certain bis-BODIPYs are shown to be drastically different than the parent BODIPY chromophore. Whereas a simple HOMO→LUMO-type single substitution perfectly accounts for the BODIPY core, S(1) states of certain orthogonal bis-BODIPYs are described as linear combinations of doubly substituted (DS) configurations which overall yield four electrons in four singly occupied orbitals. Computed DS character of S(1), strongly correlated with facile (1)O(2) production, was presumed to occur via S(1)→T(1) intersystem crossing (ISC) of the sensitizer. Further confirmation of this relation was provided by newly synthesized BODIPY derivatives and comparison of spectroscopic properties of their dimers and monomers. Near-IR absorption, desired for potential photodynamic therapy applications, was not pursuable for bis-chromophores by the standard strategy of π-extension, as DS singlet states are destabilized. Decreased exchange coupling in π-extended cases appears to be responsible for this destabilization. Comparisons with iodine incorporated bis-BODIPYs suggest that the dynamics of (1)O(2) generation via DS S(1) states are qualitatively different from that via ISC originating from heavy atom spin-orbit coupling. Although red-shifting the absorption wavelength to enter the therapeutic window does not seem attainable for orthogonal bis-BODIPYs with DS S(1) states, modifications in the chromophore cores are shown to be promising in fine-tuning the excitation characteristics.

Intermolecular acetaldehyde and dimethoxymethane formation mechanisms via ethenol and methoxymethylene precursors in reactions of atomic carbon with methanol: a computational study.

Atomic carbon, a reactive intermediate abundant in the interstellar medium (ISM) can participate in various energetically demanding reactions in its extremely long living (69 min) first excited singlet state ((1)D). Several studies on reactions of oxygen containing species with carbon atoms have been reported, however mechanistic details of the title reaction remain obscure. We report here quantum chemical studies on reactions of methanol with (3)P and (1)D carbon atoms at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level of theory, with which experimentally well known facile CO production, intermolecular acetaldehyde formation, and intermolecular dimethoxymethane production mechanisms are explained. Energetics of the fragmentation, O-H insertion, C-H insertion, and O-C insertion channels on the triplet and singlet surfaces are studied. The CO production mechanism by C ((1)D) is identified as an oxygen abstraction and a triplet PES seems non-operative. Presenting novel features for the intermolecular reaction channels, current findings may be applicable to C + ROR reactions.

A redox non-innocent ligand controls the life time of a reactive quartet excited state - an MCSCF study of [Ni(H)(OH)](+).

The electronic structures of the low and high-spin states of the cationic complex [Ni(H)(OH)](+) that was previously found to be highly reactive toward CH(4) and O(2) were examined. Earlier computational work suggested that the low-spin doublet state D(0) of the Ni(III)-d(7) system is significantly lower in energy than its high-spin quartet analogue Q(1). Recent DFT-studies indicated, however, that Q(1) is the reactive species requiring Q(1) to have a sufficiently long lifetime for undergoing thermal reactions with the small molecule reactants under single collision conditions in the gas phase. These observations raise the question as to why Q(1) does not spontaneously undergo intersystem crossing. Our work based on DFT, coupled-cluster and MCSCF calculations suggests that the hydroxyl ligand behaves as a redox noninnocent ligand and becomes oxidized to formally afford an electronic structure that is consistent with a Ni(II)-(OH)* species. As a result, the doublet and quartet ground states are not related by a single electron spin flip and the intersystem crossing becomes inhibited, as indicated by unexpectedly small spin-orbit coupling constants. After extensive sampling of the potential energy surfaces, we concluded that there is no direct way of converting Q(1) to the ground state doublet D(0). Alternative multistep pathways for the Q(1) --> D(0) decay involving doublet excited states were also evaluated and found to be energetically not accessible under the experimental conditions.

Control of triboelectric charges on common polymers by photoexcitation of organic dyes.

Triboelectric charging of insulators, also known as contact charging in which electrical charges develop on surfaces upon contact, is a significant problem that is especially critical for various industries such as polymers, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and space. Several methods of tribocharge mitigation exist in practice; however, none can reach the practicality of using light in the process. Here we show a light-controlled manipulation of triboelectric charges on common polymers, in which the tribocharges are mitigated upon illumination with appropriate wavelengths of light in presence of a mediator organic dye. Our method provides spatial and temporal control of mitigation of static charges on common polymer surfaces by a mechanism that involves photoexcitation of organic dyes, which also allows additional control using wavelength. This control over charge mitigation provides a way to manipulate macroscopic objects by tribocharging followed by light-controlled discharging.