Photoswitchable Mixed Valence

For a molecular electronics technology to be fully serviceable, switching functions will be indispensable. Specifically, it will be desirable to control the conductivity of a given molecule using an external stimulus. This tutorial review discusses photoswitchable mixed valence systems that are comprised of a reversibly photoisomerizable bridging unit connecting two redox-active moieties, and as such represent some of the most simple chemical systems in which switching of charge delocalization can be explored. As photoisomerizable units, dithienylethenes have received much attention in the context of photoswitchable mixed valence, but there are also more exotic examples such as norbornadiene- and dimethyldihydropyrene-based switchable systems. As redox-active units responsible for the mixed valence phenomenon, both metal-containing as well as purely organic moieties have been employed. Typical investigations in this area involve the comparison of cyclic voltammograms and (near-infrared) optical absorption spectra of the two isomeric forms of a given system. The magnitude of the comproportionation constant and evaluation of intervalence absorption bands using appropriate theoretical models yield information regarding the extent of charge delocalization in the two isomeric forms. In several of the compounds investigated so far, the light stimulus induces a substantial increase of charge delocalization, or in the terminology commonly used in mixed valence chemistry, a changeover from class I to class II or even class III behavior

Is Iron the New Ruthenium?

Ruthenium complexes with polypyridine ligands are very popular choices for applications in photophysics and photochemistry, for example, in lighting, sensing, solar cells, and photoredox catalysis. There is a long‐standing interest in replacing ruthenium with iron because ruthenium is rare and expensive, whereas iron is comparatively abundant and cheap. However, it is very difficult to obtain iron complexes with an electronic structure similar to that of ruthenium(II) polypyridines. The latter typically have a long‐lived excited state with pronounced charge‐transfer character between the ruthenium metal and ligands. These metal‐to‐ligand charge‐transfer (MLCT) excited states can be luminescent, with typical lifetimes in the range of 100 to 1000 ns, and the electrochemical properties are drastically altered during this time. These properties make ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes so well suited for the abovementioned applications. In iron(II) complexes, the MLCT states can be deactivated extremely rapidly (ca. 50 fs) by energetically lower lying metal‐centered excited states. Luminescence is then no longer emitted, and the MLCT lifetimes become much too short for most applications. Recently, there has been substantial progress on extending the lifetimes of MLCT states in iron(II) complexes, and the first examples of luminescent iron complexes have been reported. Interestingly, these are iron(III) complexes with a completely different electronic structure than that of commonly targeted iron(II) compounds, and this could mark the beginning of a paradigm change in research into photoactive earth‐abundant metal complexes. After outlining some of the fundamental challenges, key strategies used so far to enhance the photophysical and photochemical properties of iron complexes are discussed and recent conceptual breakthroughs are highlighted in this invited Concept article

Ruthenium-Phenothiazine Electron Transfer Dyads with a Photoswitchable Dithienylethene Bridge

A molecular ensemble composed of a phenothiazine (PTZ) electron donor, a photoisomerizable dithienylethene (DTE) bridge, and a Ru(bpy)32+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) electron acceptor was synthesized and investigated by optical spectroscopic and electrochemical means. Our initial intention was to perform flash-quench transient absorption studies in which the Ru(bpy)32+ unit is excited selectively (“flash”) and its 3MLCT excited state is quenched oxidatively (“quench”) by excess methylviologen prior to intramolecular electron transfer from phenothiazine to Ru(III) across the dithienylethene bridge. However, after selective Ru(bpy)32+1MLCT excitation of the dyad with the DTE bridge in its open form, 1MLCT → 3MLCT intersystem crossing on the metal complex is followed by triplet–triplet energy transfer to a 3π–π* state localized on the DTE unit. This energy transfer process is faster than bimolecular oxidative quenching with methylviologen at the ruthenium site (Ru(III) is not observed); only the triplet-excited DTE then undergoes rapid (10 ns, instrumentally limited) bimolecular electron transfer with methylviologen. Subsequently, there is intramolecular electron transfer with PTZ. The time constant for formation of the phenothiazine radical cation via intramolecular electron transfer occurring over two p-xylene units is 41 ns. When the DTE bridge is photoisomerized to the closed form, PTZ+ cannot be observed any more. Irrespective of the wavelength at which the closed isomer is irradiated, most of the excitation energy appears to be funneled rapidly into a DTE-localized singlet excited state from which photoisomerization to the open form occurs within picoseconds

Proton Coupled Electron Transfer from the Excited State of a Ruthenium(II) Pyridylimidazole Complex

Proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) from the excited state of [Ru(bpy)2pyimH]2+ (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine; pyimH = 2-(2′-pyridyl)imidazole) to N-methyl-4,4′-bipyridinium (monoquat, MQ+) was studied. While this complex has been investigated previously, our study is the first to show that the formal bond dissociation free energy (BDFE) of the imidazole-N–H bond decreases from (91 ± 1) kcal mol−1 in the electronic ground state to (43 ± 5) kcal mol−1 in the lowest-energetic 3MLCT excited state. This makes the [Ru(bpy)2pyimH]2+ complex a very strong (formal) hydrogen atom donor even when compared to metal hydride complexes, and this is interesting for light-driven (formal) hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions with a variety of different substrates. Mechanistically, formal HAT between 3MLCT excited [Ru(bpy)2pyimH]2+ and monoquat in buffered 1 : 1 (v : v) CH3CN/H2O was found to occur via a sequence of reaction steps involving electron transfer from Ru(II) to MQ+ coupled to release of the N–H proton to buffer base, followed by protonation of reduced MQ+ by buffer acid. Our study is relevant in the larger contexts of photoredox catalysis and light-to-chemical energy conversion

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Between 4-Cyanophenol and Photoexcited Rhenium(I) Complexes with Different Protonatable Sites

Two rhenium(I) tricarbonyl diimine complexes, one of them with a 2,2′-bipyrazine (bpz) and a pyridine (py) ligand in addition to the carbonyls ([Re(bpz)(CO)3(py)]+), and one tricarbonyl complex with a 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) and a 1,4-pyrazine (pz) ligand ([Re(bpy)(CO)3(pz)]+) were synthesized, and their photochemistry with 4-cyanophenol in acetonitrile solution was explored. Metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excitation occurs toward the protonatable bpz ligand in the [Re(bpz)(CO)3(py)]+ complex while in the [Re(bpy)(CO)3(pz)]+ complex the same type of excitation promotes an electron away from the protonatable pz ligand. This study aimed to explore how this difference in electronic excited-state structure affects the rates and the reaction mechanism for photoinduced proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) between 4-cyanophenol and the two rhenium(I) complexes. Transient absorption spectroscopy provides clear evidence for PCET reaction products, and significant H/D kinetic isotope effects are observed in some of the luminescence quenching experiments. Concerted proton–electron transfer is likely to play an important role in both cases, but a reaction sequence of proton transfer and electron transfer steps cannot be fully excluded for the 4-cyanophenol/[Re(bpz)(CO)3(py)]+ reaction couple. Interestingly, the rate constants for bimolecular excited-state quenching are on the same order of magnitude for both rhenium(I) complexes

Excited-State Relaxation in Luminescent Molybdenum(0) Complexes with Isocyanide Chelate Ligands

Diisocyanide ligands with a m-terphenyl backbone provide access to Mo0 complexes exhibiting the same type of metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) luminescence as the well-known class of isoelectronic RuII polypyridines. The luminescence quantum yields and lifetimes of the homoleptic tris(diisocyanide) Mo0 complexes depend strongly on whether methyl- or tert-butyl substituents are placed in α-position to the isocyanide groups. The bulkier tert-butyl substituents lead to a molecular structure in which the three individual diisocyanides ligated to one Mo0 center are interlocked more strongly into one another than the ligands with the sterically less demanding methyl substituents. This rigidification limits the distortion of the complex in the emissive excited-state, causing a decrease of the nonradiative relaxation rate by one order of magnitude. Compared to RuII polypyridines, the molecular distortions in the luminescent 3MLCT state relative to the electronic ground state seem to be smaller in the Mo0 complexes, presumably due to delocalization of the MLCT-excited electron over greater portions of the ligands. Temperature-dependent studies indicate that thermally activated nonradiative relaxation via metal-centered excited states is more significant in these homoleptic Mo0 tris(diisocyanide) complexes than in [Ru(2,2′-bipyridine)3]2

Luminescent First-Row Transition Metal Complexes

Precious and rare elements have traditionally dominated inorganic photophysics and photochemistry, but now we are witnessing a paradigm shift toward cheaper and more abundant metals. Even though emissive complexes based on selected first-row transition metals have long been known, recent conceptual breakthroughs revealed that a much broader range of elements in different oxidation states are useable for this purpose. Coordination compounds of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu now show electronically excited states with unexpected reactivity and photoluminescence behavior. Aside from providing a compact survey of the recent conceptual key advances in this dynamic field, our Perspective identifies the main design strategies that enabled the discovery of fundamentally new types of 3d-metal-based luminophores and photosensitizers operating in solution at room temperature

Luminescent chromium(0) and manganese(i) complexes

In this Frontier article, recently discovered chromium(0) and manganese(i) complexes emitting from metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited states are highlighted. Chelating isocyanide ligands give access to this new class of 3d(6) emitters with MLCT lifetimes in (or close to) the nanosecond regime in solution at room temperature. Although the so far achievable luminescence quantum yields in these open-shell complexes are yet comparatively low, the photophysical properties of the new chromium(0) and manganese(i) isocyanides are reminiscent of those of well-known ruthenium(ii) polypyridines. Our findings provide insight into how undesired nonradiative MLCT deactivation in 3d(6) complexes can be counteracted, and they seem therefore relevant for the further development of new luminescent first-row transition metal complexes based on iron(ii) and cobalt(iii) in addition to chromium(0) and manganese(i)