Metal centred transitions

As a contradistinction to the relatively simple case of AI2O3 Cr(III) where the color is due to a metal-centred electronic transition, we mention now on one hand the fact that the Cr(III) ion colors many transition-metal oxides brown (e.g. rutile Ti02 or the perovskite SrTi03 [15]), and on the other hand the fact that the color of blue sapphire (AI2O3 Fe, Ti [16]) is not simply due to a metal-centred transition. By way of illustration Fig. 1 shows the diffuse reflection spectrum of SrTiOj and SrTi03 Cr(III) [17], and Fig. 2 the absorption spectrum of Al203 Ti(III) and Al203 Ti(III), Fe(III) [18]. It has been shown that these colors are due to MMCT transitions and cannot simply be described by metal-centred transitions [19],... 

Given the focus of this chapter on metal complexes, we concentrate below on those types of electronic transitions which either involve directiy, or are affected by, the metal centre. These involve metal-centred transitions such as dd or charge-transfer metal/ligand transitions (metal-to-ligand or ligand-to-metal), and transitions between different ligands which can only occur because they are anchored to the same metal ion. 

A number of transition-metal complexes of RNSO ligands have been structurally characterized. Three bonding modes, r(A,5), o-(5)-trigonal and o (5 )-pyramidal, have been observed (Scheme 9.1). Side-on (N,S) coordination is favoured by electron-rich (et or j °) metal centers, while the ff(S)-trigonal mode is preferred for less electron-rich metal centres (or those with competitive strong r-acid co-ligands). As expected ti (N,S)... 

The combination of hard (A) and soft (5) coordination in the 1,5-P2N4S2 ring system leads to a diversity of coordination modes in complexes with transition metals (Lig. 13.1). In some cases these complexes may be prepared by the reaction of the dianion [Ph4P2N4S2] with a metal halide complex, but these reactions frequently result in redox to regenerate 13.3 (L = S, R = Ph). A more versatile approach is the oxidative addition of the neutral ligand 13.3 (L = S) to the metal centre. 

Ligand substitution reactions at low-valent four-, five- and six-coordinate transition metal centres. J. A. S. Howell and P. M, Burkinshaw, Chem. Rev., 1983, 83, 557-599 (468). 

Experimentally, spin-allowed d-d bands (we use the quotation marks again) are observed with intensities perhaps 100 times larger than spin-forbidden ones but still a few orders of magnitude (say, two) less intense than fully allowed transitions. This weakness of the d-d bands, alluded to in Chapter 2, is a most important pointer to the character of the d orbitals in transition-metal complexes. It directly implies that the admixture between d and p metal functions is small. Now a ligand function can be expressed as a sum of metal-centred orbitals also (see Box 4-1). The weakness of the d-d bands also implies that that portion of any ligand function which looks like a p orbital when expanded onto the metal is small also. Overall, therefore, the great extent to which d-d bands do satisfy Laporte s rule entirely supports our proposition in Chapter 2 that the d orbitals in Werner-type complexes are relatively well isolated (or decoupled or unmixed) from the valence shell of s and/or p functions. 

There is an interesting paradox in transition-metal chemistry which we have mentioned earlier - namely, that low and high oxidation state complexes both tend towards a covalency in the metal-ligand bonding. Low oxidation state complexes are stabilized by r-acceptor ligands which remove electron density from the electron rich metal center. High oxidation state complexes are stabilized by r-donor ligands which donate additional electron density towards the electron deficient metal centre. 

Deeth RJ (1995) Computational Modelling of Transition Metal Centres. 82 1-42 Degen J, see Schmidtke H-H (1989) 71 99-124... 

Due to their stability and their easy formation, many examples of transition metal complexes containing benzoyl-substituted thiourea ligands have been described [59-62]. Most of them concern Ft species in which the thiourea ligands behave as monoanions and are bounded to the metal centre through the S and O atoms, forming a six-member ring system (Scheme 10). 

Zn -PDF, 37 pM versus E. coli Fe -PDF), it was successfully used to provide co-crystals bound in the active site of both Co - and Zn -E. coli PDF [58], These structures reveal that the H-phosphonate binds to the metal in a monodentate fashion, adopting a tetrahedral coordination state similar to that of the native resting state of the enzyme. This is in contrast to later co-crystal structures obtained with more potent hydroxamic acid or reverse hydroxamate inhibitors, which bind to the metal in a bidentate fashion vide infra). Presumably these bidentate inhibitors mimic the true transition state of the enzyme, in which the metal centre slips to a penta-coordinate geometry in order to activate the Wformyl carbonyl of the substrate [56, 67]. 

British Biotech has described co-crystal structures of both BB-3497 and actinonin bound in the active site of E. coli PDF [24]. The metal centre (Ni ) in both complexes adopts a pentacoordinate geometry, bound by the two oxygen atoms of the hydroxamate along with Cys-90, His-132 and His-136. This coordination pattern is consistent with the mechanism of de-formylation proposed by Becker et al. [56] and Jain et al. [67], in which a pentacoordinated metal centre stabilises the transition state during hydrolysis of the formamide bond. When compared to the co-crystal structure of a substrate hydrolysis product, Met-Ala-Ser, it is clear that the side chains of these two inhibitors bind into the active site pockets similarly to the substrate [56]. 

The ability of thioether macrocyclic complexes (and especially those of [9]aneS3) to support multi-redox behaviour at the coordinated metal centre is particularly notable. This allows a series of reversible stepwise one-electron oxidation and/or reduction processes, and stabilization of highly unusual transition metal oxidation states e.g. mononuclear [Pd([9]aneS3)2]2+/3+/4+,149 [Au([9]aneS3)2]+/2+/3+,150 [Ni([9]aneS3)2]2+/3+,151 and [Rh([9]aneS3)2]+/2+/3+.152 It appears to be the ability of the crown thioethers to readily adjust their... 

The photochemical formation of these complexes generally occurs from initial loss of CO or some similarly photolabile substituent from the transition metal centre. A common mode of attack of the Group 14 organometallic on the unsaturated species thus formed is by oxidative addition. There are many examples of such reactions, the most common involve E—H cleavage88 equations 40 and 41 show typical reactions. 

Germylenes, stabilized by coordination to a transition metal centre, have also been produced by irradiation of M(CO)6 in the presence of the appropriate free carbene homologue100, as shown in reaction 54. 

As mentioned above, the particular characteristics of the spin crossover process in dinuclear compounds is the appearance of a plateau in the spin transition curve. From the analysis of the results of the pressure experiments, it is inferred that the plateau results from successive ST in the two metal centres, leading first to the formation of relatively stable [HS-LS] pairs and then, above a critical pressure, to the formation of [LS-LS] pairs on further lowering of the temperature. The intermolecular interactions between [HS-LS] pairs leads to domains that contribute to the stability of the... 

The special feature of the spin crossover process in all bpym-bridged dinuclear compounds studied so far is the occurrence of a plateau in the spin transition curve. A reasonable assumption to account for this observation is that a thermal spin transition takes place successively in the two metal centres. However, it cannot be excluded that spin transition takes place simultaneously in the dinuclear units leading directly from [HS—HS] pairs to [LS-LS] pairs with decreasing temperature. Therefore, two possible conversion pathways for [HS—HS] pairs with decreasing temperature may be proposed [HS—HS]<->[HS—LS]<->[LS—LS] or [HS-HS] [LS-LS]. The differentiation of the existence of the [LS—LS], [HS—LS], and [HS—HS] spin pairs is not trivial and has recently been solved experimentally by utilisation of magnetisation versus magnetic field measurements as a macroscopic tool [9], and by Mossbauer spectroscopy in an applied magnetic field as a microscopic tool [11]. 

The results from Mossbauer spectroscopy in applied magnetic fields clearly prove that the spin transition in the dinuclear compounds under study proceeds via [HS-HS][HS-LS][LS-LS]. Simultaneous spin transition in both metal centres of the [HS-HS] pairs converting the dinuclear pairs directly to [LS-LS] pairs can apparently be excluded, at least in the present systems. This is quite surprising in view of the fact that the present dinuclear complexes are centrosymmetric (in other words the two metal centres have identical surroundings, and should therefore experience the same ligand field strength and, consequently, thermal spin transition should occur simultaneously in both centres). 

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