Molecular engineering to tune functionality: the case of Cl substituted [Fe(terpy)2]2+

Abstract

The properties of transition metal complexes and their chemical dynamics can be effectively modified with ligand substitutions, and theory can be a great aid to such molecular engineering. In this paper we first theoretically explore how substitution with a Cl atom at different positions of the terpyridine ligand affects the electronic structure of the [Fe(terpy)2]2+ complex. We found that besides the substitution at position 4’, the next most promising candidate to cause substantial electronic effects is that where the side pyridine ring is substituted at position 5 (beta). Therefore, next we examine in detail the Fe(II) complexes of the 5- chloro and 5,5”-di-chloro derivatives of terpy, theoretically and experimentally, to reveal how these substitutions modify the ground state properties and the lifetime of the excited quintet state in such complexes. In addition, we extend the investigation to the complexes of the analogously substituted derivatives of 4’-SMe-terpy. The substitution at position(s) 5 (and 5”) with Cl lowers the energy of the quintet state and increases its lifetime; the results on the 4’-SMe substituted complexes show similar changes with these two substitutions, verifying that these effects are more or less additive. This study contributes to the enhancement of our molecular engineering toolset for modifying the potential energy landscape of similar complexes.

Molecular Engineering to Tune Functionality: The Case of Cl-Substituted [Fe(terpy)2]2+

“…We thank Dr. Attila Domján (Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest) for the NMR measurements and Dr. László Burai (Servier Hungária) for the LC-HRMS measurements. Note that an earlier version of this article is available on the ChemRxiv preprint server …”