Characteristics of Five-Coordinate Nickel−Cysteine Centers

Abstract

Monomeric five-coordinate nickel−cysteine complexes were prepared using anionic tris(3,5-disubstituted pyrazolyl)borates (Tp* - and TpPhMe-) and l-cysteine (ethyl ester and amino acid forms). Tp*NiCysEt crystallizes with a single methanol of solvation in the monoclinic space group P21: a = 7.8145(18), b = 24.201(6), c = 7.9925(14) A; β = 117.991(16)°. [Tp*NiCys-][K+] and TpPhMeNiCysEt show magnetic and electronic characteristics similar to Tp*NiCysEt, so that the trigonal bipyramidal coordination geometry confirmed for Tp*NiCysEt in the solid state likely applies to all three. All three complexes have high spin magnetic ground states at room temperature (μeff = 2.9−3.2 μB, S =1). Their electronic spectra are dominated by sulfur to nickel charge-transfer bands (388−430 nm in chloroform) with energies that correlate to respective thiolate basicities and TpX- donor strengths. The Tp* derivatives undergo a rapid reaction with molecular oxygen. Stoichiometric, infrared, and electronic spectroscopy measurement...