The electronic structures of two formally isoelectronic transition-metal dithiolato complexes [Fe(L)2]2- (1) and [Co(L Bu)2]1- (2) both possessing a spin triplet ground state (St=1) have been investigated by various spectroscopic and density functional methods; H2L Bu represents the pro-ligand 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzene-1,2-dithiol and H2L is the corresponding unsubstituted benzene-1,2-dithiol. An axial zero-field splitting (D) of +32 cm(-1) for 2 has been measured independently by SQUID magnetometry, far-infrared absorption, and variable-temperature and variable-field (VTVH) magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopies. A similar D value of +28 cm(-1) is obtained for 1 on the basis of VTVH SQUID measurements. The absorption spectra of 1 and 2 are found, however, to be very different. Complex 1 is light yellow in color with no intense transition in the visible region, whereas 2 is deep blue. DFT calculations establish that the electronic structures of the [Fe(L)2](2-) and [Co(L)2]1- anions are very different and explain the observed differences in their absorption spectra. On the basis of these spectroscopic and theoretical analyses, 1 is best described as containing an intermediate spin FeII ion, whereas for the corresponding cobalt complex, oxidation states describing a d6 (CoIII) or d7 (CoII) electron configuration cannot be unambiguously assigned. The physical origin of the large zero-field splitting in both 1 and 2 is found to be due to the presence of low-energy spin-conserved d-d excitations which lead to a large Dzz through efficient spin-orbit coupling. Differential covalency effects appear to be of limited importance for this property.

No abstract

No abstract

Better than nature! A nickel(II) dithiolene complex [NiII(L2−)(L−.)][PPh4] (1; see figure; L=1,2‐dicarbomethoxyethylene dithiolate) electrocatalyzes hydrogen evolution at the lowest achievable reduction potential (${{{\rm E}{{{\rm {\rm red}}\hfill \atop {\rm {\rm p}}\hfill}}}}$, −0.69 V) in CH3CN and also in aqueous medium (${{{\rm E}{{{\rm {\rm red}}\hfill \atop {\rm {\rm p}}\hfill}}}}$, −0.71 V) to date. Compound 1 shows strikingly similar EPR and reduction potential values to those observed with native Ni‐containing hydrogenases.

The coordination chemistry of the ligands o-aminothiophenol, H(abt), 4,6-di-tert-butyl-2-aminothiophenol, H[L(AP)], and 1,2-ethanediamine-N,N'-bis(2-benzenethiol), H(4)('N(2)S(2')), with FeCl(2) under strictly anaerobic and increasingly aerobic conditions has been systematically investigated. Using strictly anaerobic conditions, the neutral, air-sensitive, yellow complexes (mu-S,S)[Fe(II)(abt)(2)](2) (1), (mu-S,S)[Fe(II)(L(AP))(2)](2).8CH(3)OH (2), and (mu-S,S)[Fe(II)('H(2)N(2)S(2'))](2).CH(3)CN (3) containing high spin ferrous ions have been isolated where (abt)(1-), (L(AP))(1-), and ('H(2)N(2)S(2'))(2-) represent the respective N,S-coordinated, aromatic o-aminothiophenolate derivative of these ligands. When the described reaction was carried out in the presence of trace amounts of O(2) and [PPh(4)]Br, light-green crystals of [PPh(4)][Fe(II)(abt)(2)(itbs)].[PPh(4)]Br (4) were isolated. The anion [Fe(II)(abt)(2)(itbs)](-) contains a high spin ferrous ion, two N,S-coordinated o-aminophenolate(1-) ligands, and an S-bound, monoanionic o-iminothionebenzosemiquinonate(1-) pi radical, (itbs)(-). Complex 4 possesses an S(t) = 3/2 ground state. In the absence of [PPh(4)]Br and presence of a base NEt(3) and a little O(2), the ferric dimer (mu-NH,NH)[Fe(III)(L(AP))(L(IP))](2) (5a) and its isomer (mu-S,S)[Fe(III)(L(AP))(L(IP))](2) (5b) formed. (L(IP))(2-) represents the aromatic o-iminothiophenolate(2-) dianion of H[L(AP)]. The structures of compounds 2, 4, and 5a have been determined by X-ray crystallography at 100(2) K. Zero-field Mössbauer spectroscopy of 1, 2, 3, and 4 unambiguously shows the presence of high spin ferrous ions: The isomer shift at 80 K is in the narrow range 0.85-0.92 mm s(-1), and a large quadrupole splitting, |DeltaE(Q)|, in the range 3.24-4.10 mm s(-1), is observed. In contrast, 5a and 5b comprise both intermediate spin ferric ions (S(Fe) = 3/2) which couple antiferromagnetically in the dinuclear molecules yielding an S(t) = 0 ground state.

No abstract

The iron(III) dithiolene complex [PPh 4 ] 2 [Fe(mnt) 2 (SPh)] (1, mnt = maleonitrile dithiolate) has a highly distorted squarepyramidal geometry and an intermediate spin ferric ion (S Fe = 3/2), and catalyzes electrochemical H 2 evolution at the lowest achievable reduction potential known for iron-containing electrocatalytic systems to date: E p = -0.309 V in CH 3 CN and

No abstract