Comparison of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy multiplet splitting of Cr 2p peaks from chromium tris(β-diketonates) with chemical effects

Abstract

X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) measurements of a series of chromium(III) β-diketonato complexes of the Cr 2p spectra was fitted with calculated multiplet peaks. The XPS of these Cr(III) complexes did not exhibit fine structure, however, well-defined line shapes could be fitted to the Cr 2p3/2 envelope. The splitting patterns obtained for the Cr(III) β-diketonato complexes compared well with the multiplet splitting predicted by Gupta and Sen for the free Cr(III) ion. The Cr(III) β-diketonato complexes containing unsymmetrically substituted β-diketonato ligands, which display both the fac and mer isomers, could be fitted with two sets of multiplets and were useful in determining the ratio between the fac and mer isomers, which was compared with the Boltzman calculated ratio obtained from density functional theory energies. The obtained binding energy of the first multiplet splitting peak of the Cr 2p3/2 envelope was found to be dependent on the combined Gordy group electronegativity of the R-groups substituted on the β-diketonato ligand (RCOCHCOR′)−.