Redox orbital

Voltametric studies (34, 37) have revealed the electron transfers Mo(R2c/fc)4 Mo(R2C fc)4° MoCRjdfc) Mo(R2half wave potentials for the processes 0 +1 and + - + 2 depend upon the nature of R. The dependency can be described by the Taft relation =p2a where a is the Taft constant for the N-bonded substituents R. The rather low values of p indicate that the redox orbitals have mainly a metal character, the mixing of these orbitals with those of the ligands is rather small. This conclusion is in accordance with the interpretation of the electronic spectra and the results of Extended Hiickel MO calculations (37). Only the compound with R = Ph does not fit into the Taft relation, the Ej 2 value is lower than... 

The electron transfer series W(R2fi ic)4° W(R2tfic)4 -> W(R2rfic)4 was detected by voltametric measurements (37), the half wave potentials are 0.24 and 0.36 V lower than the corresponding values of the molybdenum compounds. Both transfers obey the Taft relation with a low value of p, which points to a rather small contribution of the ligand orbitals into the redox orbitals. 

The influence of the N-bonded substituents R on the half-wave potentials can be described by a Taft relation, like is found for Mo, W and Au. The small value of p points to the dominance of metal orbitals in the redox orbital (5(5). The phenyl derivates do not fit this relation, probably because of a mesomeric influence. Here, however, the n-butyl and cyclohexyl also show small deviations, probably because of steric effects. 

The electron transfer Au(R2voltametric measurements 163). The half-wave potentials of the quasi-reversible process depends on the substituent R according to the Taft relation, as was described for Mo, W and Mn 37). The value of p decreases in the series Au > Mn > Mo = W, which indicates that in this sequence the mixing of ligand orbitals into the redox orbital decreases. The dominant ligand character of the unpaired electron MO in Au(R2dtc)2 relative to those in copper and silver compounds is found from Extended Hiickel MO calculations, as will be discussed later on. 

In the (semi-)classical models of ETR (Marcus the Russian school), redox orbitals of reactants overlap at a close separation, followed by swift electron transfer. The activated complex, considered in equilibrium with the reactants, consists of these overlapping orbitals. In the tunneling model, the electron penetrates... 

In a second example, Astruc et al. showed that the redox potential of FeCp(rjb-arene) core dendrimers (molecule 2 is the largest example studied) was similar to smaller molecules.86 The degree of hyperbranching is minimal in this molecule. Moreover, the authors also pointed out that the redox orbital is quite well buried at... 

A question of particular interest is whether or not the redox orbitals are essentially metal or ligand based and how this varies as one traverses the series. For example, [Ru(bipy)3]2+ (bipy = 2,2 -bipyridyl), a complex much studied for its photoredox chemistry, has been shown by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical studies to undergo a series of reversible, ligand-localized electron-transfer reactions about the reversible metal-centred Ru VRu111 couple (reaction 2).9 10... 

These monolayers provide a significant opportunity to compare the extent of electronic communication across the p3p bridge when bound to a metal electrode as opposed to being coupled to a molecular species, e.g. within a dimeric metal complex. Electronic interaction of the redox orbitals and the metallic states causes splitting between the product and reactant hypersurfaces, which is quantified by HabL the matrix coupling element. The Landau-Zener treatment [15] of a non-adiabatic reaction yields the following equation ... 

The unique electronic structure of these (L-A3)MoO(dithiolene) complexes arises from two basic factors. The first is the strong axial a- and Ji-donor properties of the terminal oxo ligand, which dominates the ligand field and predetermines the energy of the Mo-based dxz, dyz, and dzi acceptor orbitals. The second is the equatorial dithiolene sulfur donors, from which the low-energy LMCT transitions arise. Dithiolene covalency contributions to the electroactive C, or redox, orbital can be directly probed via the relative oscillator strengths of the / —> ixy and /fp —> (/", transitions (see above). These three wave functions may be expanded in terms of Mo- and dithiolene sulfur-based functions ... 

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