Vibronic Coupling in Dicyano-Complex-Bridged Mixed-Valence Complexes. Relaxation of Vibronic Constraints in Systems with Degenerate Bridging-Ligand and Electron-Transfer Excited States

Abstract

Intense near-infrared (NIR) absorption bands have been found in mixed-valence Ru(NH3)5(2+,3+) complexes bridged by trans-Ru(py)4(CN)2 and cis-Os(bpy)2(CN)2, epsilonmax approximately 1.5 x 10(3) cm(-1) and deltav1/2 approximately 5 x 10(3) cm(-1) for bands at 1,000 and 1,300 nm, respectively. The NIR transitions implicate substantial comproportionation constants (64 and 175, respectively) characteristic of moderately strong electronic coupling in the mixed-valence complexes. This stands in contrast to the weakly forbidden electronic coupling of Ru(NH3)5(2+,3+) couples bridged by M(MCL)(CN)2+ complexes (MCL = a tetraazamacrocyclic ligand) (Macatangay; et al. J. Phys. Chem. 1998, 102, 7537). A straightforward perturbation theory argument is used to account for this contrasting behavior. The electronic coupling between a cyanide-bridged, donor-acceptor pair, D-(CN-)-A, alters the properties of the bridging ligand. Such systems are described by a "vibronic" model in which the electronic matrix element, HDA, is a function of the nuclear coordinates, QN, of the bridging ligand: HDA = HDA degrees + bQN. Electronic coupling in the dicyano-complex-bridged, D-[(NC)M(CN)]-A, systems is treated as the consequence of the perturbational mixing of the "local", D(NC)M and M(CN)A, vibronic interactions. If M is an electron-transfer acceptor, then the nuclear coordinates are assumed to be configured so that bQN is larger for D(NC)M but very small (bQN approximately 0) for M(CN)A. When the vertical energies of the corresponding charge-transfer transitions, EDM and EDA, differ significantly, a perturbation theory treatment results in HDA = HDAHAM/Eave independent of M and consistent with the earlier report. When EDM approximately equals EDA, configurational mixing of the excited states leads to HDA proportional to HDM, consistent with the relatively intense intervalence bands reported in this paper. Some implications of the model are discussed.