Rates of axial ligand rotation in diamagnetic d(6) Co(III) and Fe(II) porphyrinates

In order to investigate the rates of rotation of pyridine and imidazole ligands in diamagnetic low-spin d(6) Co(III) and Fe(II) porphyrinate systems, we have synthesized tetramesitylporphyrinate (TMP) complexes of each of these metals with pyridine and imidazole ligands and investigated them as a function of temperature by LH NMR spectroscopy. We have already reported that for TMPFe(III) and -Co(III) complexes with hindered imidazoles the TMP o-CH3 resonances can be used to measure the rates of rotation (N.V Shokhirev, T.Kh. Shokhireva, J.R. Polam, C.T. Watson, K. Raffii, U. Simonis and F.A. Walker, J. Phys. Chern. A, 101 (1997) 2778). For the bis-1,2-dimethylimidazole complex, [TMPCo(1,2-Me(2)Im)(2)] BF4, at ambient temperatures ligand rotation is slow but measureable on the NMR time scale, and four o-CH3 resonances are observed, as we have already reported. In contrast, as shown in the present work, for the bis-4-dimethylaminopyridine complex, [TMPCo(4-NMe2Py)(2)] BF4, ligand rotation is extremely rapid at ambient temperatures. At temperatures below -50 degrees C at 300 MHz the o-CH, resonance broadens and the rates of rotation can be estimated using the modified Bloch equations simplified for the fast exchange regime. The activation parameters Delta H-not equal and Delta S-not equal have been determined, and the extrapolated rate constant at 25 degrees C, k(ex) greater than or equal to 1.1 x 10(6) s(-1). These results contradict previous reports (J. Huet and A. Gaudemer, Org. Magn. Reson., 15 (1981) 347; I. Cassidei, H. Bang, J.O. Edwards and R. G. Lawler, J. Phys. Chem., 95 (1991) 7186) that pyridine ligands bound to Co(III) porphyrinates do not rotate at room temperature in homogeneous solution. For unhindered imidazole complexes, such as [TMPCo(NMeIm)(2)]+BF4-, no broadening of the o-CH3 resonance is observed, even at -90 degrees C, and thus the rate of axial ligand rotation is too fast to measure, even at that low temperature (or the difference in chemical shift of the two resonances expected if ligand rotation is slow is very small). For the corresponding Fe(II) porphyrinate complexes, the rates of pyridine and unhindered imidazole rotation are too fast to measure, even at -90 degrees C. The 2-methylimidazole complex undergoes chemical reactions that prevent detailed study of this system by NMR spectroscopy, but the 1,2-dimethylimidazole complex is stable and of similar structure (ruffled porphyrinate ring, axial ligands in perpendicular planes) to the Co(III) and Fe(III) analogs, with the rate constant for ligand rotation, k(ex) similar to 1 s(-1), at -90 degrees C. Assuming a similar activation enthalpy to those of the Co(III) and Fe(III) systems, the rate of rotation of axial ligands in [TMPFe(1,2-Me(2)Im)(2)] at 25 degrees C is estimated to be about 2 x 10(4) s(-1). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.