Pressure-tuning spectroscopy of charge-transfer salts: x-ray crystallography and comparative studies in solution and in the solid state

Abstract

The highly colored pyridinium (P{sup +}) and cobaltocenium (C{sup +}) iodides are charge-transfer salts by virtue of the new electronic absorption bands that follow Mulliken theory. X-ray crystallography establishes the relevant interionic separation and steric orientation of the cation/anion pairs P{sup +}I{sup {minus}} and C{sup +}I{sup {minus}} constrained for optimum charge-transfer interaction in the crystal lattice. Spectral comparisons of the charge-transfer (CT) transitions by absorption (solution) and by diffuse reflectance (solid-state) measurements reveals the commonality of contact ion pairs (CIP) in aprotic nonpolar solvents (dichloromethane) with those extant in crystalline charge-transfer salts. As such, the compression of the charge-transfer salts P{sup +}I{sup {minus}} in the solid state by the application of pressures up to 140 kbar leads to unusual red shifts of the CT bands indicative of the dominance of destabilizing charge-transfer interactions.