Thermodynamic study on dioxygen binding of diiron(II) and dicobalt(II) complexes containing various dinucleating ligands

A new dinucleating ligand containing a sterically bulky imidazolyl group, Ph-Htidp (N,N,N',N'-tetrakis [(1-methyl-4, 5-diphenyl-2-imidazolyl)methyl]-1,3-diamino-2-propanol), and its mu-alkoxo-diiron(II) complexes [Fe-2(Ph-tidp)(RCO2)] (ClO4)(2), (RCO2 = C6H5CO2 (1), C6F5CO2 (2), CF3CO2 (3), and C2H5CO2 (4)), were synthesized. The structure of complex 1 was determined by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c with a = 13.464(2), b = 19.223(4), c = 31.358(4) Angstrom, beta = 92.84(2)degrees, and Z = 4. The complex has a doubly-bridged structure with mu-alkoxo of Ph-tidp and mu-benzoate; the two iron centers have a distorted five-coordinate structure with N3O2 donor set. All the complexes showed fairly good reversible oxygenation below -30 degrees C in CH2Cl2, which was monitored by UV-vis and NMR spectroscopies, and dioxygen up-take measurements. Introduction of 4,5-diphenyl substituents into 2-imidazolyl group stabilized the mu-peroxo diiron species against irreversible oxidation, just as introduction of 6-methyl substituent into 2-pyridyl group did. Phenyl substituents appear to weaken the electron donor ability of a dinucleating ligand to stabilize divalent oxidation state of iron and to form a hydrophobic cavity for a O-2 binding site, which would suppress the irreversible oxidation and facilitate the reversible oxygenation. Dioxygen affinities of the Ph-tidp and Me-4-tpdp diiron(II), and the tpdp and bpmp dicobalt(II) complexes were measured, [Fe-2(Me-4-tpdp)(RCO2)](2+) (RCO2 = C6H5CO2 and RCO2 = CF3CO2) and [Co-2(L)(RCO2)](2+) (L = tpdp, RCO2 = CH3CO2, and L = bpmp, RCO2 = C6F5CO2, and CF3CO2), where Me-4-tpdp, tpdp, and bpmp are N,N,N',N'-tetrakis[(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)methyl] 1,3-diamino-2-propanolate, N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,3 -diamino-2-propanolate, and 2,6-bis[bis(2-pyridylmethyl) aminomethyl] -4-methylphenolate, respectively. Within a series of the Ph-tidp diiron(II) complexes, dioxygen affinity is well correlated with electron donor ability of bridging carboxylates (1 (C6H5CO2)> 2 (C6F5CO2)> 3 (CF3CO2)). In contrast to the above trend, dioxygen affinities of the Ph-tidp complexes are lower than those of the Me4-tpdp complexes, although electron donor abilities of the Me4-tpdp complexes are weaker than those of the Ph-tidp complexes. Significant enhancement of dioxygen affinity was observed for both iron and cobalt complexes with 2,6-bis(aminomethyl)phenolate bridging skeleton compared to the complexes with a 1,3-diamino-2-propanolate bridging one. Thermodynamic study suggested that the observed enhancement is mainly attributable to a favorable entropy effect along with a steric effect.