Mechanistic insights into photochromic behavior of a ruthenium(II)-pterin complex.

The pterin-coordinated ruthenium complex, [Ru(II) (dmdmp)(tpa)](+) (1) (Hdmdmp=N,N-dimethyl-6,7-dimethylpterin, tpa=tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine), undergoes photochromic isomerization efficiently. The isomeric complex (2) was fully characterized to reveal an apparent 180° pseudorotation of the pterin ligand. Photoirradiation to the solution of 1 in acetone with incident light at 460 nm resulted in dissociation of one pyridylmethyl arm of the tpa ligand from the Ru(II) center to give an intermediate complex, [Ru(dmdmp)(tpa)(acetone)](2+) (I), accompanied by structural change and the coordination of a solvent molecule to occupy the vacant site. The quantum yield (ϕ) of this photoreaction was determined to be 0.87 %. The subsequent thermal process from intermediate I affords an isomeric complex 2, as a result of the rotation of the dmdmp(2-) ligand and the recoordination of the pyridyl group through structural change. The thermal process obeyed first-order kinetics, and the rate constant at 298 K was determined to be 5.83×10(-5) s(-1). The activation parameters were determined to be ΔH(≠) =81.8 kJ mol(-1) and ΔS(≠) =-49.8 J mol(-1) K(-1). The negative ΔS(≠) value indicates that this reaction involves a seven-coordinate complex in the transition state (i.e., an interchange associative mechanism). The most unique point of this reaction is that the recoordination of the photodissociated pyridylmethyl group occurs only from the direction to give isomer 2, without going back to starting complex 1, and thus the reaction proceeds with 100 % conversion efficiency. Upon heating a solution of 2 in acetonitrile, isomer 2 turned back into starting complex 1. The backward reaction is highly dependent on the solvent: isomer 2 is quite stable and hard to return to 1 in acetone; however, 2 was converted to 1 smoothly by heating in acetonitrile. The activation parameters for the first-order process in acetonitrile were determined to be ΔH(≠) =59.2 kJ mol(-1) and ΔS(≠) =-147.4 kJ mol(-1) K(-1). The largely negative ΔS(≠) value suggests the involvement of a seven-coordinate species with the strongly coordinated acetonitrile molecule in the transition state. Thus, the strength of the coordination of the solvent molecule to the Ru(II) center is a determinant factor in the photoisomerization of the Ru(II)-pterin complex.

Synthesis and characterization of ruthenium(II)-pyridylamine complexes with catechol pendants as metal binding sites.

A novel tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) derivate having two catechol moieties linked by amide linkages at the 6-positions of two pyridyl groups was synthesized. The ligand, N,N-bis[6-{3,4-(dihydroxy)benzamide}-2-pyridyl-methyl]-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (Cat(2)-TPA; L2), and its precursor, N,N-bis[6-{3,4-bis(benzyloxy)-benzamide}-2-pyridyl-methyl]-N-(2-pyridylmethyl)-amine ((Bn(2)Cat)(2)-TPA; L1), formed stable ruthenium(II) complexes, [RuCl(L2)]PF(6) (2) and [RuCl(L1)]PF(6) (1), respectively. The crystal structure of [RuCl(L2)]Cl (2') was determined by X-ray crystallography to show two isomers in terms of the orientation of one catechol moiety. In complex 2, the ligand bearing catechols acts as a pentadentate ligand involving coordination of one of the amide oxygen atoms in addition to that of the tetradentate TPA moiety and two metal-free catechol moieties as metal-binding sites. The coordination of L2 results in the preorganization of the two catechols to converge them to undergo intramolecular pi-pi interactions. The (1)H NMR spectrum of 2 in DMSO-d(6) revealed that only one isomer was present in the solution. This selective formation could be ascribed to the formation of an intramolecular hydrogen-bonding network among the hydroxyl groups of the catechol moieties, as suggested by X-ray analysis. This intramolecular hydrogen bonding could differentiate the pK(a) values of the hydroxy groups of the catechol moieties into three kinds, as indicated by spectroscopic titration with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) in DMF. The complexation of 2 with other metal ions was also examined. The reaction of 2 with [Cu(NO(3))(2)(TMEDA)] (TMEDA = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) in methanol allowed us to observe the selective formation of a binuclear complex, [RuCl(L2(2-)){Cu(TMEDA)}]PF(6) (3), which was characterized by ESI-MS, UV-vis, and ESR spectroscopies. Its ESR spectrum in methanol suggested that the coordination of the Cu(II)-TMEDA unit to the converged catechol moieties would be different from conventional kappa(2)-O,O':eta(2)-coordination: it exhibits a novel bridging coordination mode, bis-kappa(1)-O:eta(1)-coordination, to form the binuclear Ru(II)-Cu(II) complex.

A tetranuclear iridium(iii) complex with a flavin analogue as a bridging ligand in different coordination modes and exchangeable anion encapsulation in a supramolecular cage.

A novel tetranuclear Ir(iii) complex involving unprecedented coordination modes of alloxazine formed a closed pi-space by intermolecular hydrogen bonding and the counter anions encapsulated in the space could be exchanged via self-assembly.

Proton-coupled electron transfer of ruthenium(III)-pterin complexes: a mechanistic insight.

Ruthenium(II) complexes having pterins of redox-active heteroaromatic coenzymes as ligands were demonstrated to perform multistep proton transfer (PT), electron transfer (ET), and proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) processes. Thermodynamic parameters including pK(a) and bond dissociation energy (BDE) of multistep PCET processes in acetonitrile (MeCN) were determined for ruthenium-pterin complexes, [Ru(II)(Hdmp)(TPA)](ClO(4))(2) (1), [Ru(II)(Hdmdmp)(TPA)](ClO(4))(2) (2), [Ru(II)(dmp(-))(TPA)]ClO(4) (3), and [Ru(II)(dmdmp(-))(TPA)]ClO(4) (4) (Hdmp = 6,7-dimethylpterin, Hdmdmp = N,N-dimethyl-6,7-dimethylpterin, TPA = tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine), all of which had been isolated and characterized before. The BDE difference between 1 and one-electron oxidized species, [Ru(III)(dmp(-))(TPA)](2+), was determined to be 89 kcal mol(-1), which was large enough to achieve hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from phenol derivatives. In the HAT reactions from phenol derivatives to [Ru(III)(dmp(-))(TPA)](2+), the second-order rate constants (k) were determined to exhibit a linear relationship with BDE values of phenol derivatives with a slope (-0.4), suggesting that this HAT is simultaneous proton and electron transfer. As for HAT reaction from 2,4,6-tri-tert-buthylphenol (TBP; BDE = 79.15 kcal mol(-1)) to [Ru(III)(dmp(-))(TPA)](2+), the activation parameters were determined to be DeltaH(double dagger) = 1.6 +/- 0.2 kcal mol(-1) and DeltaS(double dagger) = -36 +/- 2 cal K(-1) mol(-1). This small activation enthalpy suggests a hydrogen-bonded adduct formation prior to HAT. Actually, in the reaction of 4-nitrophenol with [Ru(III)(dmp(-))(TPA)](2+), the second-order rate constants exhibited saturation behavior at higher concentrations of the substrate, and low-temperature ESI-MS allowed us to detect the hydrogen-bonding adduct. This also lends credence to an associative mechanism of the HAT involving intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the deprotonated dmp ligand and the phenolic O-H to facilitate the reaction. In particular, a two-point hydrogen bonding between the complex and the substrate involving the 2-amino group of the deprotonated pterin ligand effectively facilitates the HAT reaction from the substrate to the Ru(III)-pterin complex.

Ruthenium(II) pyridylamine complexes with diimine ligands showing reversible photochemical and thermal structural change.

Ruthenium(II)-TPA-diimine complexes, [Ru(TPA)(diimine)]2+ (TPA=tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine; diimine=2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpm), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)) were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic and crystallographic methods. Their crystal structures demonstrate severe steric hindrance between the TPA and diimine ligands. They exhibit drastic structural changes on heating and photoirradiation at their MLCT bands, which involve partial dissociation of the tetradentate TPA ligand to exhibit a facially tridentate mode accompanied by structural change and solvent coordination to give [Ru(TPA)(diimine)(solvent)]2+ (solvent=acetonitrile, pyridine). The incoming solvent molecules are required to have pi-acceptor character, since sigma-donating solvent molecules do not coordinate. The thermal process is irreversible dissociation to give the solvent-bound complexes, which takes place by an interchange associative mechanism with large negative activation entropies. The photochemical process is a reversible reaction reaching a photostationary state, probably by a dissociative mechanism involving a five-coordinate intermediate to afford the same product as obtained in the thermal reaction. Quantum yields of the forward reactions to give dissociated products were lower than those of the backward reactions to recover the starting complexes. In the photochemical process, the conversions of the forward and backward reactions depend on the absorption coefficients of the starting materials and those of the products at certain wavelength, as well as the quantum yields of those reactions. The reversibility of the motions can be regulated by heating and by photoirradiation at certain wavelength for the recovery process. In the bpm system, we could achieve about 90 % recovery in thermal/photochemical structural interconversion.

Proton-coupled electron transfer in ruthenium(II)-pterin complexes: formation of ruthenium-coordinated pterin radicals and their electronic structures.

Ruthenium(II)-pterin complexes were prepared using tetradentate and tripodal tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPA) and tris(5-methyl-2-pyridylmethyl)amine (5-Me3-TPA) as auxiliary ligands together with 2-(N,N-dimethyl)-6,7-dimethylpterin (Hdmdmp) and 6,7-dimethylpterin (Hdmp) as pterin derivatives for ligands. Characterization was made by spectroscopic methods, X-ray crystallography, and electrochemical measurements. The pterin ligands coordinated to the ruthenium centers as monoanionic bidentate ligands via the 4-oxygen of the pyrimidinone moiety and the 5-nitrogen of the pyrazine parts. The striking feature is that the coordinated dmp- ligand exhibits a quinonoid structure rather than a deprotonated biopterin structure, showing a short C-N bond length for the 2-amino group. Those complexes exhibit reversible two-step protonation for both pterin derivatives coordinated to the ruthenium centers to give a drastic spectral change in the UV-vis spectroscopy. Doubly protonated Ru(II)-pterin complexes were stabilized by pi-back-bonding interaction and exhibited clear and reversible proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) to give ruthenium-coordinated neutral monohydropterin radicals as intermediates of PCET processes. Those ESR spectra indicate that the unpaired electron delocalizes onto the PCET region (N5-C6-C7-N8) of the pyrazine moiety.

Photocatalytic formation of dimethyllepidopterene from 9,10-dimethylanthracene via electron-transfer oxidation.

[Structure: see text] Photocatalytic carbon-carbon bond formation of 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMA) in chloroform occurs efficiently via the electron-transfer oxidation of DMA with the photoinduced electron-transfer state of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion (Acr+-Mes), followed by deprotonation from the methyl group of DMA radical cation and the radical coupling reaction between anthracenylmethyl radicals to produce dimethyllepidopterene.

Intramolecular rearrangement for regioselective complexation by intramolecular CH/pi interaction in a hydrophobic cavity of a ruthenium coordination sphere.

A Ru(II) complex with a hydrophobic cavity formed from two 1-naphthoylamide groups was prepared. Its reactions with beta-diketones gave beta-diketonato complexes in which hydrophobic pi-pi or CH/pi interactions were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. In the case of the asymmetric beta-diketone benzoylacetone, an isomer with a CH/pi interaction was afforded as the sole product owing to thermodynamic control. The reaction was found to involve a novel intramolecular rearrangement from the phenyl-included isomer to the methyl-included one without rupture of Ru-beta-diketonato coordination bonds (activation energy 52 kJ mol(-1)). This indicates that CH/pi interactions can be more favored thermodynamically than pi-pi interactions in a suitable hydrophobic environment.