RESUMEN
An isostructural series of FeII, FeIII, and FeIV complexes [Fe(ImP)2]0/+/2+ utilizing the ImP 1,1'-(1,3-phenylene)bis(3-methyl-1-imidazol-2-ylidene) ligand, combining N-heterocyclic carbenes and cyclometalating functions, is presented. The strong donor motif stabilizes the high-valent FeIV oxidation state yet keeps the FeII oxidation state accessible from the parent FeIII compound. Chemical oxidation of [Fe(ImP)2]+ yields stable [FeIV(ImP)2]2+. In contrast, [FeII(ImP)2]0, obtained by reduction, is highly sensitive toward oxygen. Exhaustive ground state characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, 1H NMR, Mössbauer spectroscopy, temperature-dependent magnetic measurements, a combination of X-ray absorption near edge structure and valence-to-core, as well as core-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy, complemented by detailed density functional theory (DFT) analysis, reveals that the three complexes [Fe(ImP)2]0/+/2+ can be unequivocally attributed to low-spin d6, d5, and d4 complexes. The excited state landscape of the FeII and FeIV complexes is characterized by short-lived 3MLCT and 3LMCT states, with lifetimes of 5.1 and 1.4 ps, respectively. In the FeII-compound, an energetically low-lying MC state leads to fast deactivation of the MLCT state. The distorted square-pyramidal state, where one carbene is dissociated, can not only relax into the ground state, but also into a singlet dissociated state. Its formation was investigated with time-dependent optical spectroscopy, while insights into its structure were gained by NMR spectroscopy.
RESUMEN
Although iron is a dream candidate to substitute noble metals in photoactive complexes, realization of emissive and photoactive iron compounds is demanding due to the fast deactivation of their charge-transfer states. Emissive iron compounds are scarce and dual emission has not been observed before. Here we report the FeIII complex [Fe(ImP)2][PF6] (HImP = 1,1'-(1,3-phenylene)bis(3-methyl-1-imidazol-2-ylidene)), showing a Janus-type dual emission from ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT)- and metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT)-dominated states. This behaviour is achieved by a ligand design that combines four N-heterocyclic carbenes with two cyclometalating aryl units. The low-lying π* levels of the cyclometalating units lead to energetically accessible MLCT states that cannot evolve into LMCT states. With a lifetime of 4.6 ns, the strongly reducing and oxidizing MLCT-dominated state can initiate electron transfer reactions, which could constitute a basis for future applications of iron in photoredox catalysis.
RESUMEN
The complex class [Fe(N^N^C)(N^N^N)]+ with an Earth-abundant metal ion has been repeatedly suggested as a chromophore and potential photosensitizer on the basis of quantum chemical calculations. Synthesis and photophysical properties of the parent complex [Fe(pbpy)(tpy)]+ (Hpbpy=6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine and tpy=2,2':6',2''-terpyridine) of this new chromophore class are now reported. Ground-state characterization by X-ray diffraction, electrochemistry, spectroelectrochemistry, UV/Vis, and X-ray spectroscopy in combination with DFT calculations proves the high impact of the cyclometalating ligand on the electronic structure. The photophysical properties are significantly improved compared to the prototypical [Fe(tpy)2 ]2+ complex. In particular, the metal-to-ligand absorption extends into the near-IR and the 3 MLCT lifetime increases by 5.5, whereas the metal-centered excited triplet state is very short-lived.
RESUMEN
Four homo- and heteroleptic complexes bearing both polypyridyl units and N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) donor functions are studied as potential noble metal-free photosensitizers. The complexes [FeII(L1)(terpy)][PF6]2, [FeII(L2)2][PF6]2, [FeII(L1)(L3)][PF6]2, and [FeII(L3)2][PF6]2 (terpy = 2,2':6',2â³ terpyridine, L1 = 2,6-bis[3-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene]pyridine, L2 = 2,6-bis[3-isopropylimidazol-2-ylidene]pyridine, L3 = 1-(2,2'-bipyridyl)-3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene) contain tridentate ligands of the C^N^C and N^N^C type, respectively, resulting in a Fe-NHC number between two and four. Thorough ground state characterization by single crystal diffraction, electrochemistry, valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy (VtC-XES), and high energy resolution fluorescence detected X-ray absorption near edge structure (HERFD-XANES) in combination with ab initio calculations show a correlation between the geometric and electronic structure of these new compounds and the number of the NHC donor functions. These results serve as a basis for the investigation of the excited states by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, where the lifetime of the 3MLCT states is found to increase with the NHC donor count. The results demonstrate for the first time the close interplay between the number of NHC functionalities in Fe(II) complexes and their photochemical properties, as revealed in a comparison of the activity as photosensitizers in photocatalytic proton reduction.