First-row Transition Metal Cations Research Articles

Tailoring Co site reactivity via Sr and Ni doping in LaCoO3 for enhanced water splitting performance

Perovskite oxides (ABO3) featuring rare-earth cations in the A-site and first-row transition-metal cations in the B-site, have emerged as promising catalytic materials for addressing the slow kinetics of the water splitting reaction. In this study, we synthesized La1-xSrxCo1-yNiyO3 using the solution combustion synthesis method and conducted a comprehensive investigation into the structural, surface, and electronic properties of the resulting materials. The strategic doping of Sr in La sites and Ni in Co sites has notably enhanced the kinetics and effectiveness of both the oxygen evolution reaction at the anode and the hydrogen evolution reaction at the cathode, leading to an overall improvement in water splitting efficiency over La1-xSrxCo1-yNiyO3. Detailed mechanistic studies have revealed the crucial role of high covalency and surface oxygen vacancies, tailored through aliovalent doping, in enhancing the catalytic activity of the oxygen evolution reaction in La1-xSrxCo1-yNiyO3. This research serves as a pioneering effort to establish a correlation between electronic and surface properties and to elucidate the mechanistic aspects of water splitting over perovskite materials.

Tuning Band Gap in Fe-Doped g-C3N4 by Zn for Enhanced Fenton-Like Catalytic Performance.

Multiple oxidation states of first-row transition-metal cations were always doped in g-C3N4 to enhance the catalytic activity by the synergistic action between the cations in the Fenton-like reaction. It remains a challenge for the synergistic mechanism when the stable electronic centrifugation (3d10) of Zn2+ was used. In this work, Zn2+ was facilely introduced in Fe-doped g-C3N4 (named xFe/yZn-CN). Compared with Fe-CN, the rate constant of the tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) degradation increased from 0.0505 to 0.0662 min-1 for 4Fe/1Zn-CN. The catalytic performance was more outstanding than those of similar catalysts reported. The catalytic mechanism was proposed. With the introduction of Zn2+ in 4Fe/1Zn-CN, the atomic percent of Fe (Fe2+ and Fe3+) and the molar ratio of Fe2+ to Fe3+ at the catalyst's surface increased, where Fe2+ and Fe3+ were the active sites for adsorption and degradation. In addition, the band gap of 4Fe/1Zn-CN decreased, leading to enhanced electron transfer and conversion from Fe3+ to Fe2+. These changes resulted in the excellent catalytic performance of 4Fe/1Zn-CN. Radicals •OH, •O2-, and 1O2 formed in the reaction and took different actions under various pH values. 4Fe/1Zn-CN exhibited excellent stability after five cycles under the same conditions. These results may give a strategy for synthesizing Fenton-like catalysts.

Insights into the complexation and oxidation of quercetin and luteolin in aqueous solutions in presence of selected metal cations

Flavonoids are natural antioxidants that can be used for the chelation of metal ions to treat metal toxicity. Ideal chelators should form stable metal complexes and be resistant to oxidative degradation reactions in aqueous solutions at physiological conditions (pH 7.4 and 37 °C). In this work, the complexation and oxidation of quercetin and luteolin with selected metal cations (i.e. Cr(III), Mn(II), Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and Al(III)) in aqueous solutions at pH 4 and 7.4 is discussed. Using UV–Vis, RP-UHPLC-PDA-MS, ESI-MS and 1H NMR, information about the complexing ability, stoichiometry, and the preferred metal binding sites was obtained. At pH 7.4, all metal ions were complexed by luteolin and quercetin, whereas at pH 4 both flavonoids only formed complexes with the trivalent metal cations (i.e. Cr(III), Fe(III), and Al(III)). No clear preference for any of the complexation sites was observed for quercetin and luteolin. UV–Vis and RP-UHPLC-PDA-MS showed that, at pH 7.4, chelation of quercetin was followed by metal-mediated oxidation resulting in degradation of quercetin. On the contrary, luteolin complexes with metal cations were stable and no oxidative degradation of luteolin was observed. The oxidative degradation pathway of quercetin was investigated by incubation in H218O, which showed that the oxidation occurs via both oxygenation and hydroxylation mechanisms, the latter being the preferred pathway for the trivalent metal ions.Our results indicate that luteolin is a more suitable chelating agent of Al(III) and first-row transition metal cations due to its higher oxidative stability and its ability to form stable complexes in aqueous solutions at pH 7.4.

CH Activation by a Heavy Metal Cation: Production of H2 from the Reaction of Acetylene with C4H4-Os(+) in Gas phase

While first-row transition metal cations, notably Fe(+), catalyze the gas-phase conversion of acetylene to benzene, a distinct path is chosen in systems with Os, Ir, and Rh cations. Rather than losing the metal cation M(+) from the benzene–M(+) complex, as is observed for the Fe(+) system, the heavy metal ions activate CH bonds. The landmark system C4H4-Os(+) reacts with acetylene to produce C6H4-Os(+) and dihydrogen. Following our work on isomers of the form C2nH2n-Fe(+), we show by DFT modeling that the CH bonds of the metalla-7-cycle structure, C6H6-Os(+), are activated and define the gas-phase reaction path by which H2 is produced. The landmark structures on the network of reaction paths can be used as a basis for the discussion of reactions in which a single Os atom on an inert surface can assist reactions of hydrocarbons.

Tailorable Topologies for Selectively Controlling Crystals of Expanded Prussian Blue Analogues

Chemical manipulations of Prussian blues and Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) beyond first-row transition-metal cations have remained quite preliminary to this day. The presented report demonstrates ...

First-Row Transition-Metal Cations (Co2+ , Ni2+ , Mn2+ , Fe2+ ) and Graphene (Oxide) Composites: From Structural Properties to Electrochemical Applications.

Composites of graphene (oxide) (GO) and first-row transition-metal cations (Co2+ , Ni2+ , Mn2+ , Fe2+ ) are prepared by mixing GO and aqueous metal salt solutions. The amount of metal cation bound to GO nanosheets is calculated by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the possible binding sites of the metals are investigated by means of attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements. Electrodes loaded with the metal/GO composites are prepared by a simple drop-casting technique without any binders or conductive additives. The effect of electrochemical reduction on the structure of the composite electrodes is investigated by Raman spectroscopy, XPS, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). A detailed electrochemical characterization is performed for the utilization of the composite electrodes for electrochemical capacitors and possible oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and rotating disk electrode measurements. The highest areal capacitance is achieved with the as-deposited Fe/GO composite (38.7 mF cm-2 at 20 mV s-1 ). In the cyclic stability measurements, rCo/GO, rNi/GO, rMn/GO, and rFe/GO exhibit a capacitance retention of 44, 1.1, 73, and 87 % after 3000 cycles of CV at 100 mV s-1 , respectively.

Catalytic descriptors and electronic properties of single-site catalysts for ethene dimerization to 1-butene

Six first-row transition metal cations (Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) were evaluated as catalysts for ethene dimerization to 1-butene. This is an important reaction in the chemistry of CC bond formation and in the conversion of natural gas to higher hydrocarbons. Two related classes of transition metal cation catalysts were investigated: 1) single transition metal cations supported on zirconium oxide nodes of the metal–organic framework NU-1000 and 2) small metal hydroxide clusters with two metal atoms (M2) that could be grown by atomic layer deposition on a support exhibiting isolated hydroxyl groups. Using scaling relations, the free energies of co-adsorbed hydrogen and ethene (i.e., (H/C2H4)*) and adsorbed ethyl (i.e., C2H5*) were identified as descriptors for ethene dimerization catalysis. Using degree of rate control analysis, it was determined that the rate controlling steps are either ethene insertion (CC bond forming) or β-hydride elimination (CH bond breaking), depending on the metal. Using degree of catalyst control analysis, it was determined that activity on all the catalysts studied could be improved by tuning the free energy of C2H5*.

A DFT Study of Structural and Bonding Properties of Complexes Obtained from First-Row Transition Metal Chelation by 3-Alkyl-4-phenylacetylamino-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-one and Its Derivatives.

Density functional calculations were used to explore the complexation of 3-alkyl-4-phenylacetylamino-4,5-dihydro-1h-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (ADPHT) derivatives by first-row transition metal cations. Neutral ADPHT ligand and mono deprotonated ligands have been used. Geometry optimizations have been performed in gas-phase and solution-phase (water, benzene, and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)) with B3LYP/Mixed I (LanL2DZ for metal atom and 6-31+G(d,p) for C, N, O, and H atoms) and with B3LYP/Mixed II (6-31G(d) for metal atom and 6-31+G(d,p) for C, N, O, and H atoms) especially in the gas-phase. Single points have also been carried out at CCSD(T) level. The B3LYP/Mixed I method was used to calculate thermodynamic energies (energies, enthalpies, and Gibb energies) of the formation of the complexes analyzed. The B3LYP/Mixed I complexation energies in the gas phase are therefore compared to those obtained using B3LYP/Mixed II and CCSD(T) calculations. Our results pointed out that the deprotonation of the ligand increases the binding affinity independently of the metal cation used. The topological parameters yielded from Quantum Theory of Atom in Molecules (QTAIM) indicate that metal-ligand bonds are partly covalent. The significant reduction of the proton affinity (PA) observed when passing from ligands to complexes in gas-phase confirms the notable enhancement of antioxidant activities of neutral ligands.

Ab Initio Characterization of the Electrostatic Complexes Formed by H2 Molecule and Cr(+), Mn(+), Cu(+), and Zn(+) Cations.

Equilibrium structures, dissociation energies, and rovibrational energy levels of the electrostatic complexes formed by molecular hydrogen and first-row S-state transition metal cations Cr(+), Mn(+), Cu(+), and Zn(+) are investigated ab initio. Extensive testing of the CCSD(T)-based approaches for equilibrium structures provides an optimal scheme for the potential energy surface calculations. These surfaces are calculated in two dimensions by keeping the H-H internuclear distance fixed at its equilibrium value in the complex. Subsequent variational calculations of the rovibrational energy levels permits direct comparison with data obtained from equilibrium thermochemical and spectroscopic measurements. Overall accuracy within 2-3% is achieved. Theoretical results are used to examine trends in hydrogen activation, vibrational anharmonicity, and rotational structure along the sequence of four electrostatic complexes covering the range from a relatively floppy van der Waals system (Mn(+)···H2) to an almost a rigid molecular ion (Cu(+)···H2).

Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry: The design of a new high-resolution ion mobility instrument with applications toward electronic-state characterization of first-row transition metal cations

The design of an instrument that couples a 2-m-long, high-resolution ion mobility drift tube with a quadrupole mass spectrometer is described. The system has been designed to be capable of separating/resolving ionic species having collision cross sections that differ by approximately 1%. Ion funnels are positioned at both the entrance and exit of the drift tube to maximize ion transmission into and out of the drift region of the system. The quadrupole mass analyzer has a mass range of m/z=1–500. To characterize the performance of the instrument, the reduced mobilities for both the ground-state and electronic excited-state configurations of the first-row transition metal cations have been measured. The results obtained are compared to reduced mobilities previously reported. In all cases, ions were generated using pulsed-laser vaporization of metal targets. The reduced mobility of Sc+ is presented here for the first time. A discussion of the relative merits of short and long drift–length mobility instruments is included, as well as an examination of the accuracy expected in the present instrument.

Square-antiprismatic eight-coordinate complexes of divalent first-row transition metal cations: a density functional theory exploration of the electronic-structural landscape.

Density functional theory (in the form of the PW91, BP86, OLYP, and B3LYP exchange-correlation functionals) has been used to map out the low-energy states of a series of eight-coordinate square-antiprismatic (D2d) first-row transition metal complexes, involving Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II), along with a pair of tetradentate N4 ligands. Of the five complexes, the Mn(II) and Fe(II) complexes have been synthesized and characterized structurally and spectroscopically, whereas the other three are as yet unknown. Each N4 ligand consists of a pair of terminal imidazole units linked by an o-phenylenediimine unit. The imidazole units are the strongest ligands in these complexes and dictate the spatial disposition of the metal three-dimensional orbitals. Thus, the dx(2)-y(2) orbital, whose lobes point directly at the coordinating imidazole nitrogens, has the highest orbital energy among the five d orbitals, whereas the dxy orbital has the lowest orbital energy. In general, the following orbital ordering (in order of increasing orbital energy) was found to be operative: dxy < dxz = dyz ≤ dz(2) < dx(2)-y(2). The square-antiprism geometry does not lead to large energy gaps between the d orbitals, which leads to an S = 2 ground state for the Fe(II) complex. Nevertheless, the dxy orbital has significantly lower energy relative to that of the dxz and dyz orbitals. Accordingly, the ground state of the Fe(II) complex corresponds unambiguously to a dxy(2)dxz(1)dyz(1)dz(2)(1)dx(2)-y(2)(1) electronic configuration. Unsurprisingly, the Mn(II) complex has an S = 5/2 ground state and no low-energy d-d excited states within 1.0 eV of the ground state. The Co(II) complex, on the other hand, has both a low-lying S = 1/2 state and multiple low-energy S = 3/2 states. Very long metal-nitrogen bonds are predicted for the Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes; these bonds may be too fragile to survive in solution or in the solid state, and the complexes may therefore not be isolable. Overall, the different exchange-correlation functionals provided a qualitatively consistent and plausible picture of the low-energy d-d excited states of the complexes.

Influence of the d orbital occupation on the structures and sequential binding energies of pyridine to the late first-row divalent transition metal cations: a DFT study.

The ground-state structures and sequential binding energies of the late first-row divalent transition metal cations to pyridine (Pyr) are determined using density functional theory (DFT) methods. Five late first-row transition metal cations in their +2 oxidation states are examined including: Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+). Calculations at B3LYP, BHandHLYP, and M06 levels of theory using 6-31G* and 6-311+G(2d,2p) basis sets are employed to determine the structures and theoretical estimates for the sequential binding energies of the M(2+)(Pyr)x complexes, where x = 1-6, respectively. Structures of the Ca(2+)(Pyr)x complexes are compared to those for the M(2+)(Pyr)x complexes of Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) to further assess the effects of the d-orbital occupation on the preferred binding geometries. The B3LYP, BHandHLYP, and M06 levels of theory yield very similar geometries for the analogous M(2+)(Pyr)x complexes. The overall trends in the sequential BDEs for all five metal cations at all three levels of theory examined are highly parallel, and are determined by a balance of the effects of the valence electronic configuration and hybridization of the metal cation, but are also influenced by repulsive ligand-ligand interactions. Present results for the M(2+)(Pyr)x complexes are compared to the analogous complexes of the late first-row monovalent transition metal cations, Co(+), Ni(+), Cu(+), and Zn(+) previously investigated to assess the effect of the charge/oxidation state on the structures and sequential binding energies. Trends in the sequential binding energies of the M(2+)(Pyr)x complexes are also compared to the analogous M(2+)(water)x, M(2+)(imidazole)x, M(2+)(2,2'-bipyridine)x, and M(2+)(1,10-phenanthroline)x complexes.

Transition metal exchanged β zeolites: Characterization of the metal state and catalytic application in the methanol conversion to hydrocarbons

Various first-row transition metal cations (Cr3+, Mn2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+) have been introduced to zeolite beta using ion exchange procedures. Both aluminum and transition metal sites were studied by UV–Vis spectroscopy, XPS and 27Al NMR. Generally, ion exchange favored the incorporation of Al defects into the zeolite framework. The effect of the divalent and trivalent cations on the final zeolite beta structure was found to be considerably different. While divalent cations were mainly exchanged for Bronsted acid sites after calcination, trivalent cations such as Fe3+ were mostly transformed into oxide-like species whilst Cr3+ species were oxidized to Cr6+ species. Their surface properties were quite distinct since only divalent cations generated strong Lewis acid sites, even though the Brönsted acidity decreased in all cases. Their catalytic performance was evaluated in the transformation of methanol to hydrocarbons. Various metal species, i.e., Cr6+, Mn2+, Fe3+ and Zn2+ were found to act as promoters of polymerization or aromatization reactions. In particular, Cr species were found to enhance the catalytic activity in the conversion of methanol and dimethyl ether into higher order hydrocarbons.

Energy-Resolved Collision-Induced Dissociation Studies of 1,10-Phenanthroline Complexes of the Late First-Row Divalent Transition Metal Cations: Determination of the Third Sequential Binding Energies

The third sequential binding energies of the late first-row divalent transition metal cations to 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) are determined by energy-resolved collision-induced dissociation (CID) techniques using a guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometer. Five late first-row transition metal cations in their +2 oxidation states are examined including: Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+). The kinetic energy dependent CID cross sections for loss of an intact Phen ligand from the M(2+)(Phen)3 complexes are modeled to obtain 0 and 298 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs) after accounting for the effects of the internal energy of the complexes, multiple ion-neutral collisions, and unimolecular decay rates. Electronic structure theory calculations at the B3LYP, BHandHLYP, and M06 levels of theory are employed to determine the structures and theoretical estimates for the first, second, and third sequential BDEs of the M(2+)(Phen)x complexes. B3LYP was found to deliver results that are most consistent with the measured values. Periodic trends in the binding of these complexes are examined and compared to the analogous complexes to the late first-row monovalent transition metal cations, Co(+), Ni(+), Cu(+), and Zn(+), previously investigated.

Computational study of the spin-state energies and UV-Visspectra of bis(1,4,7-triazacyclononane) complexes of some first-row transition metal cations

We report here computed spin-state energies and UV-Vis spectra for several transition metal complexes with a triazacyclononane ligand. Our results show that the spin ground-state is correctly obtained with either OPBE or SSB-D, except for the high-spin ground-state of the Co(ii) complex that was properly described only by SSB-D. The UV-Vis spectra from TD-DFT reproduce in general rather well the experimental spectra, but in cases of the Cr(III) and Co(II) complexes it clearly failed. Better results for the UV-Vis spectra have been obtained by using Ligand Field DFT.

Syntheses, structures of N‐(substituted)‐2‐aza‐[3]‐ferrocenophanes and their application as redox sensor for Cu2+ ion

Rigid N‐(substituted)‐2‐aza‐[3]‐ferrocenophanes L1 and L2 were easily synthesized from 1,1 ‐dicarboxyaldehydeferrocene and the corresponding amines. Ligands L1 and L2 were characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography. The coordination abilities of L1 and L2 with metal ions such as Cu2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry. The electrochemical shift (ΔE1/2) of 125 mV was observed in the presence of Cu2+ ion, while no significant shift of the Fc/Fc + couple was observed when Mg2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Cd2+ metal ions were added to the solution of L1 in the mixture of MeOH and H2O. Moreover, the extent of the anodic shift of redox potentials was approximately equal to that induced by Cu2+ alone when a mixture of Cu2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Pb2+ and Cd2+ was added to a solution of L1. Ligand L1 was proved to selectively sense Cu2+ in the presence of large, excessive first‐row transition and late‐transition metal cations. The coordination model was proposed from the results of controlled experiments and quantum calculations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Chemical bonding in supermolecular flowers

We report here a systematic study on the ability of molecular cages to bind (transition) metals. Starting from the superferrocenophane we investigate the incorporation of first-row transition metal (Sc-Zn) and alkaline-earth metal (Mg, Ca) double cations into these supermetallocenophane (super[5]phane) cages, and compare them with the corresponding metallocenes (Inorg. Chim. Acta, 2007, 360, 179). Moreover, we also investigate the binding of neutral and double-cationic metals inside supermetallocyclophane (super[6]phane) cages. The heterolytic and homolytic associations show preferences for different metals, and new metal-containing cages are proposed that should be viable candidates for synthesis.

Mechanistic Insight into the Gas-Phase Reactions of Methylamine with Ground State Co+(3F) and Ni+(2D)

The gas-phase reaction mechanisms of methylamine (MA) with the ground-state Co(+)((3)F) and Ni(+)((2)D) are theoretically investigated using density functional theory at both the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) levels. The reactions for hydride abstraction and dehydrogenation are analyzed in terms of the topology of potential energy surfaces (PESs). Co(+) and Ni(+) perform similar roles along the isomerization processes to the final products. Hydride abstraction takes place via the key species of metal cation-methyl-H intermediate, followed by a charge transfer process before the direct dissociation of CH(2)NH(2)(+)···MH (M = Co, Ni). The enthalpies of reaction, stability of metal cation-methyl-H species, and competition between different channels account for the sequence of the hydride abstraction products: CoH < NiH < CuH. The most competitive dehydrogenation route occurs through a stepwise reaction, consisting of initial C-H activation, amino-H shift, and direct dissociation of the precursor CH(2)NHM(+)···H(2). This theoretical work sheds new light on the experimental observations and provides fundamental understanding of the reaction mechanisms of amine prototype with late first-row transition metal cations.

On the Bonding of First-Row Transition Metal Cations to Guanine and Adenine Nucleobases

The binding of first-row transition metal monocations (Sc+-Cu+) to N7 of guanine and N7 or N3 of adenine nucleobases has been analyzed using the hybrid B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) method. The nature of the bonding is mainly electrostatic, the electronic ground state being mainly determined by metal-ligand repulsion. M+-guanine binding energies are 18-27 kcal/mol larger than those of M+-adenine, the difference decreasing along the row. Decomposition analysis shows that differences between guanine and adenine mainly arise from Pauli repulsion and the deformation terms, which are larger for adenine. Metal cation affinity values at this level of calculation are in very good agreement with experimental data obtained by Rodgers et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 2678) for adenine nucleobases.

Electronic Structure of the [MNH2]+ (M = Sc−Cu) Complexes

B3LYP geometry optimizations for the [MNH2]+ complexes of the first-row transition metal cations (Sc+-Cu+) were performed. Without any exception the ground states of these unsaturated amide complexes were calculated to possess planar geometries. CASPT2 binding energies that were corrected for zero-point energies and including relativistic effects show a qualitative trend across the series that closely resembles the experimental observations. The electronic structures for the complexes of the early and middle transition metal cations (Sc+-Co+) differ from the electronic structures derived for the complexes of the late transition metal cations (Ni+ and Cu+). For the former complexes the relative higher position of the 3d orbitals above the singly occupied 2p(pi) HOMO of the uncoordinated NH2 induces an electron transfer from the 3d shell to 2p(pi). The stabilization of the 3d orbitals from the left to the right along the first-row transition metal series causes these orbitals to become situated below the HOMO of the NH2 ligand for Ni+ and Cu+, preventing a transfer from occurring in the [MNH2]+ complexes of these metal cations. Analysis of the low-lying states of the amide complexes revealed a rather unique characteristic of their electronic structures that was found across the entire series. Rather exceptionally for the whole of chemistry, pi-type interactions were calculated to be stronger than the corresponding sigma-type interactions. The origin of this extraordinary behavior can be ascribed to the low-lying sp2 lone pair orbital of the NH2 ligand with respect to the 3d level.