More Like this

1. Electronic structure of cobalt valence tautomeric molecules in different environments

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d2nr06834f  

   Mishra, Esha; Ekanayaka, Thilini K.; Panagiotakopoulos, Theodoros; Le, Duy; Rahman, Talat S.; Wang, Ping; McElveen, Kayleigh A.; Phillips, Jared P.; Zaid Zaz, M.; Yazdani, Saeed; et al (January 2022, Nanoscale)

   Future molecular microelectronics require the electronic conductivity of the device to be tunable without impairing the voltage control of the molecular electronic properties. This work reports the influence of an interface between a semiconducting polyaniline polymer or a polar poly-D-lysine molecular film and one of two valence tautomeric complexes, i.e. , [Co III (SQ)(Cat)(4-CN-py) 2 ] ↔ [Co II (SQ) 2 (4-CN-py) 2 ] and [Co III (SQ)(Cat)(3-tpp) 2 ] ↔ [Co II (SQ) 2 (3-tpp) 2 ]. The electronic transitions and orbitals are identified using X-ray photoemission, X-ray absorption, inverse photoemission, and optical absorption spectroscopy measurements that are guided by density functional theory. Except for slightly modified binding energies and shifted orbital levels, the choice of the underlying substrate layer has little effect on the electronic structure. A prominent unoccupied ligand-to-metal charge transfer state exists in [Co III (SQ)(Cat)(3-tpp) 2 ] ↔ [Co II (SQ) 2 (3-tpp) 2 ] that is virtually insensitive to the interface between the polymer and tautomeric complexes in the Co II high-spin state. 

   more » « less
2. Magnetic anisotropy and slow magnetic relaxation processes of cobalt( ii )-pseudohalide complexes

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C9DT00644C  

   Cui, Hui-Hui; Zhang, Yi-Quan; Chen, Xue-Tai; Wang, Zhenxing; Xue, Zi-Ling (January 2019, Dalton Transactions)

   Three mononuclear six-coordinate Co( ii )-pseudohalide complexes [Co(L)X 2 ] with two N-donor pseudohalido coligands occupying the cis -positions (X = NCS − ( 1 ), NCSe − ( 2 ) or N(CN) 2 − ( 3 )), and a five-coordinate complex [Co(L)(NCO)][B(C 6 H 5 ) 4 ] ( 4 ) [L = 1,4,7,10-tetramethyl-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (12-TMC)] have been prepared and structurally characterized. Easy-plane magnetic anisotropy for 1–3 and easy-axis anisotropy for 4 were revealed via the analyses of the direct-current magnetic data, high-frequency and -field EPR (HFEPR) spectra and ab initio theoretical calculations. They display slow magnetic relaxations under an external applied dc field. Typically, two slow relaxation processes were found in 1 and 2 while only one relaxation process occurs in 3 and 4 . The Raman-like mechanism is found to be dominant in the studied temperature range in 1 . For 2–4 , the Raman process is dominant in the low temperature region, while the Orbach mechanism dominates in the high temperature range. 

   more » « less
3. Geometrical control of the magnetic anisotropy in six coordinate cobalt complexes

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC03238G  

   Saber, Mohamed R.; Singh, Mukesh K.; Dunbar, Kim R. (July 2020, Chemical Communications)

   The geometry of cobalt( ii ) ions in the axially distorted octahedral cation in [Co(MeCN) 6 ](BF 4 ) 2 ( 1 ) was compared to the trigonal prismatic cation in [CoTp py ]PF 6 ( 2 ) which revealed significant differences in magnetic anisotropy. Combined experimental and ab initio CASSCF/NEVPT2 calculations support the observed zero field SMM behaviour for 2 , with easy axis anisotropy, attributed to the rigidity of the trigonal prismatic ligand. Strong transverse anisotropy for 1 leads to significant quantum tunnelling processes. 

   more » « less
4. Distal scaffold flexibility accelerates ligand substitution kinetics in manganese( i ) tricarbonyls: flexible thianthrene versus rigid anthracene scaffolds

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D2DT04048D  

   Labrecque, Jordan; Cho, Yae-In; McIntosh, Daniel K.; Agboola, Faridat; Rose, Michael J. (March 2023, Dalton Transactions)

   This work investigates the effect of molecular flexibility on fundamental ligand substitution kinetics in a pair of manganese( i ) carbonyls supported by scaffold-based ligands. In previous work, we reported that the planar and rigid, anthracene-based scaffold with two pyridine ‘arms’ ( Anth-py 2 , 2) serves as a bidentate, cis donor set, akin to a strained bipyridine (bpy). In the present work, we have installed a more flexible and dynamic scaffold in the form of thianthrene ( Thianth-py 2 , 1), wherein the scaffold in the free ligand exhibits a ∼130° dihedral angle in the solid state. Thianth-py 2 also exhibits greater flexibility (molecular motion) in solution compared with Anth-py 2 , as evidenced by longer 1 H NMR T 1 times Thianthy-py 2 ( T 1 = 2.97 s) versus Anth-py 2 ( T 1 = 1.91 s). Despite the exchange of rigid Anth-py2 for flexible Thianth-py2 in the complexes [( Anth-py 2 )Mn(CO) 3 Br] (4) and [( Thianth-py 2 )Mn(CO) 3 Br] (3), respectively, nearly identical electronic structures and electron densities were observed at the Mn center: the IR of 3 exhibits features at 2026, 1938 and 1900 cm −1 , nearly identical to the features of the anthracene-based congener (4) at 2027, 1936 and 1888 cm −1 . Most importantly, we assessed the effect of ligand-scaffold flexibility on reactivity and measured the rates of an elementary ligand substitution reaction. For ease of IR study, the corresponding halide-abstracted, nitrile-bound (PhCN) cations [( Thianth-py 2 )Mn(CO) 3 (PhCN)](BF 4 ) (6) and [( Anth-py 2 )Mn(CO) 3 (PhCN)](BF 4 ) (8) were generated in situ , and the PhCN → Br – back-reaction was monitored. The more flexible 3 (thianth-based) exhibited ∼3–4× faster ligand substitution kinetics ( k 25 C = 22 × 10 −2 min −1 , k 0 C = 43 × 10 −3 min −1 ) than the rigid analogue 4 (anth-based: ( k 25 C = 6.0 × 10 −2 min −1 , k 0 C = 9.0 × 10 −3 min −1 ) on all counts. Constrained angle DFT calculations revealed that despite large changes in the thianthrene scaffold dihedral angle, the bond metrics of 3 about the metal center remain unchanged; i.e. the ‘flapping’ motion is strictly a second coordination sphere effect. These results suggest that the local environment of molecular flexibility plays a key role in determining reactivity at the metal center, which has essential implications for understanding the reactivity of organometallic catalysts and metalloenzyme active sites. We propose that this molecular flexibility component of reactivity can be considered a thematic ‘third coordination sphere’ that dictates metal structure and function. 

   more » « less
5. Field tunable magnetic transitions of CsCo ₂ (MoO ₄ ) ₂ (OH): a triangular chain structure with a frustrated geometry

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d2qm01272c  

   Sanjeewa, Liurukara D.; Garlea, V. Ovidiu; Fishman, Randy S.; Foroughian, Mahsa; Yin, Li; Xing, Jie; Parker, David S.; Smith Pellizzeri, Tiffany M.; Sefat, Athena S.; Kolis, Joseph W. (March 2023, Materials Chemistry Frontiers)

   The sawtooth chain compound CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) is a complex magnetic system and here, we present a comprehensive series of magnetic and neutron scattering measurements to determine its magnetic phase diagram. The magnetic properties of CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) exhibit a strong coupling to the crystal lattice and its magnetic ground state can be easily manipulated by applied magnetic fields. There are two unique Co 2+ ions, base and vertex, with J bb and J bv magnetic exchange. The magnetism is highly anisotropic with the b -axis (chain) along the easy axis and the material orders antiferromagnetically at T N = 5 K. There are two successive metamagnetic transitions, the first at H c 1 = 0.2 kOe into a ferrimagnetic structure, and the other at H c 2 = 20 kOe to a ferromagnetic phase. Heat capacity measurements in various fields support the metamagnetic phase transformations, and the magnetic entropy value is intermediate between S = 3/2 and 1/2 states. The zero field antiferromagnetic phase contains vertex magnetic vectors (Co(1)) aligned parallel to the b -axis, while the base vectors (Co(2)) are canted by 34° and aligned in an opposite direction to the vertex vectors. The spins in parallel adjacent chains align in opposite directions, creating an overall antiferromagnetic structure. At a 3 kOe applied magnetic field, adjacent chains flip by 180° to generate a ferrimagnetic phase. An increase in field gradually induces the Co(1) moment to rotate along the b -axis and align in the same direction with Co(2) generating a ferromagnetic structure. The antiferromagnetic exchange parameters are calculated to be J bb = 0.028 meV and J bv = 0.13 meV, while the interchain exchange parameter is considerably weaker at J ch = (0.0047/ N ch ) meV. Our results demonstrate that the CsCo 2 (MoO 4 ) 2 (OH) is a promising candidate to study new physics associated with sawtooth chain magnetism and it encourages further theoretical studies as well as the synthesis of other sawtooth chain structures with different magnetic ions. 

   more » « less