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Title: Ground-state and excited-state structures of tungsten-benzylidyne complexes

Journal Article · · Inorganic Chemistry
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ic202622s· OSTI ID:1051239

The molecular structure of the tungsten-benzylidyne complex trans-W({triple_bond}CPh)(dppe){sub 2}Cl (1; dppe = 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane) in the singlet (d{sub xy}){sup 2} ground state and luminescent triplet (d{sub xy}){sup 1}({pi}*(WCPh)){sup 1} excited state (1*) has been studied using X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Molecular-orbital considerations suggest that the W-C and W-P bond lengths should increase in the excited state because of the reduction of the formal W-C bond order and decrease in W {yields} P {pi}-backbonding, respectively, between 1 and 1*. This latter conclusion is supported by comparisons among the W-P bond lengths obtained from the X-ray crystal structures of 1, (d{sub xy}){sup 1}-configured 1{sup +}, and (d{sub xy}){sup 2} [W(CPh)(dppe){sub 2}(NCMe)]{sup +} (2{sup +}). X-ray transient absorption spectroscopic measurements of the excited-state structure of 1* reveal that the W-C bond length is the same (within experimental error) as that determined by X-ray crystallography for the ground state 1, while the average W-P/W-Cl distance increases by 0.04 {angstrom} in the excited state. The small excited-state elongation of the W-C bond relative to the M-E distortions found for M({triple_bond}E)L{sub n} (E = O, N) compounds with analogous (d{sub xy}){sup 1}({pi}*(ME)){sup 1} excited states is due to the {pi} conjugation within the WCPh unit, which lessens the local W-C {pi}-antibonding character of the {pi}*(WCPh) lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). These conclusions are supported by DFT calculations on 1 and 1*. The similar core bond distances of 1, 1{sup +}, and 1* indicates that the inner-sphere reorganization energy associated with ground- and excited-state electron-transfer reactions is small.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
SC BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1051239
Report Number(s):
ANL/CSE/JA-74237; INOCAJ; TRN: US201218%%1338
Journal Information:
Inorganic Chemistry, Vol. 51, Issue 10; ISSN 0020-1669
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH