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Bioinspired organometallic chemistry: An oxoiron(IV) unit has been trapped within a macrocyclic tetracarbene ligand, merging a key bioinorganic intermediate with a popular organometallic scaffold (see picture). The stability of the new complex has allowed its characterization by a variety of methods, which show a strong σ‐donating tetracarbene coordination leading to an S=1 ground state and unusual properties of the oxoiron(IV) species.

Unprecedented anion-pi interactions are revealed for the electron-poor triazine rings in [L2(CuCl)3][CuCl4]Cl (L = hexakis(pyridin-2-yl)-[1,3,5]-triazine-2,4,6-triamin), where both the chloride ion and a Cl atom of [CuCl4]2- are located approximately 3.15 A above the ring centroids, in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions for a Cl-...triazine complex. This confirms the importance of attractive anion-pi interactions for the supramolecular assembly of complexes with pi-electron-deficient heteroaromatics.

A new powerful and oxidatively rugged pyrazolate-based water oxidation catalyst of formula {[Ru(II)(py-SO3)2(H2O)]2(μ-Mebbp)}(-), 1(H2O)2(-), has been prepared and thoroughly characterized spectroscopically and electrochemically. This new catalyst has been conceived based on a specific ligand tailoring design, so that its performance has been systematically improved. It was also demonstrated how subtle ligand modifications cause a change in the O-O bond formation mechanism, thus revealing the close activation energy barriers associated with each pathway.

Hydrogen production through water splitting is one of the most promising solutions for the storage of renewable energy. [NiFe] hydrogenases are organometallic enzymes containing nickel and iron centres that catalyse hydrogen evolution with performances that rival those of platinum. These enzymes provide inspiration for the design of new molecular catalysts that do not require precious metals. However, all heterodinuclear NiFe models reported so far do not reproduce the Ni-centred reactivity found at the active site of [NiFe] hydrogenases. Here, we report a structural and functional NiFe mimic that displays reactivity at the Ni site. This is shown by the detection of two catalytic intermediates that reproduce structural and electronic features of the Ni-L and Ni-R states of the enzyme during catalytic turnover. Under electrocatalytic conditions, this mimic displays high rates for H evolution (second-order rate constant of 2.5 × 10 M s; turnover frequency of 250 s at 10 mM H concentration) from mildly acidic solutions.

Use of a macrocyclic tetracarbene ligand, which is topologically reminiscent of tetrapyrrole macrocycles though electronically distinct, has allowed for the isolation, X-ray crystallographic characterization and comprehensive spectroscopic investigation of a complete set of {FeNO}(x) complexes (x = 6, 7, 8). Electrochemical reduction, or chemical reduction with CoCp2, of the {FeNO}(7) complex 1 leads to the organometallic {FeNO}(8) species 2. Its crystallographic structure determination is the first for a nonheme iron nitroxyl {FeNO}(8) and has allowed to identify structural trends among the series of {FeNO}(x) complexes. Combined experimental data including (57)Fe Mössbauer, IR, UV-vis-NIR, NMR and Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopies in concert with DFT calculations suggest a largely metal centered reduction of 1 to form the low spin (S = 0) {FeNO}(8) species 2. The very strong σ-donor character of the tetracarbene ligand imparts unusual properties and spectroscopic signatures such as low (57)Fe Mössbauer isomer shifts and linear Fe-N-O units with high IR stretching frequencies for the NO ligand. The observed metal-centered reduction leads to distinct reactivity patterns of the {FeNO}(8) species. In contrast to literature reported {FeNO}(8) complexes, 2 does not undergo NO protonation under strictly anaerobic conditions. Only in the presence of both dioxygen and protons is rapid and clean oxidation to the {FeNO}(7) complex 1 observed. While 1 is stable toward dioxygen, its reaction with dioxygen under NO atmosphere forms the {FeNO}(6)(ONO) complex 3 that features an unusual O-nitrito ligand trans to the NO. 3 is a rare example of a nonheme octahedral {FeNO}(6) complex. Its electrochemical or chemical reduction triggers dissociation of the O-nitrito ligand and sequential formation of the {FeNO}(7) and {FeNO}(8) compounds 1 and 2. A consistent electronic structure picture has been derived for these unique organometallic variants of the key bioinorganic {FeNO}(x) functional units.

C-H bond activation mediated by oxo-iron (IV) species represents the key step of many heme and nonheme O-activating enzymes. Of crucial interest is the effect of spin state of the Fe(O) unit. Here we report the C-H activation kinetics and corresponding theoretical investigations of an exclusive tetracarbene ligated oxo-iron(IV) complex, [LFe(O)(MeCN)] (1). Kinetic traces using substrates with bond dissociation energies (BDEs) up to 80 kcal mol show pseudo-first-order behavior and large but temperature-dependent kinetic isotope effects (KIE 32 at -40 °C). When compared with a topologically related oxo-iron(IV) complex bearing an equatorial N-donor ligand, [LFe(O) (MeCN)] (A), the tetracarbene complex 1 is significantly more reactive with second order rate constants k' that are 2-3 orders of magnitude higher. UV-vis experiments in tandem with cryospray mass spectrometry evidence that the reaction occurs via formation of a hydroxo-iron(III) complex (4) after the initial H atom transfer (HAT). An extensive computational study using a wave function based multireference approach, viz. complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) followed by N-electron valence perturbation theory up to second order (NEVPT2), provided insight into the HAT trajectories of 1 and A. Calculated free energy barriers for 1 reasonably agree with experimental values. Because the strongly donating equatorial tetracarbene pushes the Fe-d orbital above d, 1 features a dramatically large quintet-triplet gap of ∼18 kcal/mol compared to ∼2-3 kcal/mol computed for A. Consequently, the HAT process performed by 1 occurs on the triplet surface only, in contrast to complex A reported to feature two-state-reactivity with contributions from both triplet and quintet states. Despite this, the reactive Fe(O) units in 1 and A undergo the same electronic-structure changes during HAT. Thus, the unique complex 1 represents a pure "triplet-only" ferryl model.

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