Slow Magnetic Relaxations in Cobalt(II) Tetranitrate Complexes. Studies of Magnetic Anisotropy by Inelastic Neutron Scattering and High-Frequency and High-Field EPR Spectroscopy.

Three mononuclear cobalt(II) tetranitrate complexes (A)2[Co(NO3)4] with different countercations, Ph4P+ (1), MePh3P+ (2), and Ph4As+ (3), have been synthesized and studied by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, magnetic measurements, inelastic neutron scattering (INS), high-frequency and high-field EPR (HF-EPR) spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations. The X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the structure of the tetranitrate cobalt anion varies with the countercation. 1 and 2 exhibit highly irregular seven-coordinate geometries, while the central Co(II) ion of 3 is in a distorted-dodecahedral configuration. The sole magnetic transition observed in the INS spectroscopy of 1-3 corresponds to the zero-field splitting (2(D2 + 3E2)1/2) from 22.5(2) cm-1 in 1 to 26.6(3) cm-1 in 2 and 11.1(5) cm-1 in 3. The positive sign of the D value, and hence the easy-plane magnetic anisotropy, was demonstrated for 1 by INS studies under magnetic fields and HF-EPR spectroscopy. The combined analyses of INS and HF-EPR data yield the D values as +10.90(3), +12.74(3), and +4.50(3) cm-1 for 1-3, respectively. Frequency- and temperature-dependent alternating-current magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal the slow magnetization relaxation in 1 and 2 at an applied dc field of 600 Oe, which is a characteristic of field-induced single-molecule magnets (SMMs). The electronic structures and the origin of magnetic anisotropy of 1-3 were revealed by calculations at the CASPT2/NEVPT2 level.

Magnetic Transitions in Iron Porphyrin Halides by Inelastic Neutron Scattering and Ab Initio Studies of Zero-Field Splittings.

Zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters of nondeuterated metalloporphyrins [Fe(TPP)X] (X = F, Br, I; H2TPP = tetraphenylporphyrin) have been directly determined by inelastic neutron scattering (INS). The ZFS values are D = 4.49(9) cm⁻¹ for tetragonal polycrystalline [Fe(TPP)F], and D = 8.8(2) cm⁻¹, E = 0.1(2) cm⁻¹ and D = 13.4(6) cm⁻¹, E = 0.3(6) cm⁻¹ for monoclinic polycrystalline [Fe(TPP)Br] and [Fe(TPP)I], respectively. Along with our recent report of the ZFS value of D = 6.33(8) cm⁻¹ for tetragonal polycrystalline [Fe(TPP)Cl], these data provide a rare, complete determination of ZFS parameters in a metalloporphyrin halide series. The electronic structure of [Fe(TPP)X] (X = F, Cl, Br, I) has been studied by multireference ab initio methods: the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and the N-electron valence perturbation theory (NEVPT2) with the aim of exploring the origin of the large and positive zero-field splitting D of the 6A1 ground state. D was calculated from wave functions of the electronic multiplets spanned by the d5 configuration of Fe(III) along with spin­orbit coupling accounted for by quasi degenerate perturbation theory. Results reproduce trends of D from inelastic neutron scattering data increasing in the order from F, Cl, Br, to I. A mapping of energy eigenvalues and eigenfunctions of the S = 3/2 excited states on ligand field theory was used to characterize the σ- and π-antibonding effects decreasing from F to I. This is in agreement with similar results deduced from ab initio calculations on CrX6³â» complexes and also with the spectrochemical series showing a decrease of the ligand field in the same directions. A correlation is found between the increase of D and decrease of the π- and σ-antibonding energies e(λ)(X) (λ = σ, π) in the series from X = F to I. Analysis of this correlation using second-order perturbation theory expressions in terms of angular overlap parameters rationalizes the experimentally deduced trend. D parameters from CASSCF and NEVPT2 results have been calibrated against those from the INS data, yielding a predictive power of these approaches. Methods to improve the quantitative agreement between ab initio calculated and experimental D and spectroscopic transitions for high-spin Fe(III) complexes are proposed.

Intermolecular interactions in solid-state metalloporphyrins and their impacts on crystal and molecular structures.

A variable-temperature (VT) crystal structure study of [Fe(TPP)Cl] (TPP(2-) = meso-tetraphenylporphyrinate) and Hirshfeld surface analyses of its structures and previously reported structures of [M(TPP)(NO)] (M = Fe, Co) reveal that intermolecular interactions are a significant factor in structure disorder in the three metalloporphyrins and phase changes in the nitrosyl complexes. These interactions cause, for example, an 8-fold disorder in the crystal structures of [M(TPP)(NO)] at room temperature that obscures the M-NO binding. Hirshfeld analyses of the structure of [Co(TPP)(NO)] indicate that the phase change from I4/m to P1 leads to an increase in void-volume percentage, permitting additional structural compression through tilting of the phenyl rings to offset the close-packing interactions at the interlayer positions in the crystal structures with temperature decrease. X-ray and neutron structure studies of [Fe(TPP)Cl] at 293, 143, and 20 K reveal a tilting of the phenyl groups away from being perpendicular to the porphyrin ring as a result of intermolecular interactions. Structural similarities and differences among the three complexes are identified and described by Hirshfeld surface and void-volume calculations.

C-H bond activation during and after the reactions of a metallacyclic amide with silanes: formation of a µ-alkylidene hydride complex, its H-D exchange, and ß-H abstraction by a hydride ligand.

Metallacyclic complex [(Me2N)3Ta(η(2)-CH2SiMe2NSiMe3)] (3) undergoes C-H activation in its reaction with H3SiPh to afford a Ta/µ-alkylidene/hydride complex, [(Me2N)2{(Me3Si)2N}Ta(µ-H)2(µ-C-η(2)-CHSiMe2NSiMe3)Ta(NMe2)2] (4). Deuterium-labeling studies with [D3]SiPh show H-D exchange between the Ta-D-Ta unit and all methyl groups in [(Me2N)2{(Me3Si)2N}Ta(µ-D)2(µ-C-η(2)-CHSiMe2NSiMe3)Ta(NMe2)2] ([D2]-4) to give the partially deuterated complex [Dn]-4. In addition, 4 undergoes ß-H abstraction between a hydride and an NMe2 ligand and forms a new complex [(Me2N){(Me3 Si)2N}Ta(µ-H)(µ-N-η(2)-C,N-CH2NMe)(µ-C-η(2)-C,N-CHSiMe2NSiMe3)Ta(NMe2)2] (5) with a cyclometalated, η(2)-imine ligand. These results indicate that there are two simultaneous processes in [Dn]-4:1) H-D exchange through σ-bond metathesis, and 2) H-D elimination through ß-H abstraction (to give [Dn]-5). Both 4 and 5 have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies.

Magnetic excitations in metalloporphyrins by inelastic neutron scattering: determination of zero-field splittings in iron, manganese, and chromium complexes.

Zero field splitting (ZFS) parameters of several nondeuterated metalloporphyrins [M(TPP)Cl] and [Mn(TPP)] (H2TPP = tetraphenylporphyrin) have been directly determined by inelastic neutron scattering (INS). The ZFS values are the following: D = 6.33(8) cm(-1) for [Fe(TPP)Cl], -2.24(3) cm(-1) for [Mn(TPP)Cl], 0.79(2) cm(-1) for [Mn(TPP)], and |D|= 0.234(12) cm(-1) for [Cr(TPP)Cl]. The work shows that compounds with magnetic excitations below ∼30 cm(-1) could be determined using nondeuterated samples.