Quintet Ground State Research Articles

Toward New Horizons in Verdazyl-Nitroxide High-Spin Systems: Thermally Robust Tetraradical with Quintet Ground State.

High-spin organic tetraradicals with significant intramolecular exchange interactions have high potential for advanced technological applications and fundamental research, but examples reported to date exhibit limited stability and processability. In this work, we designed the first tetraradical based on an oxoverdazyl core and nitronyl nitroxide radicals and successfully synthesized it using a palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of an oxoverdazyl radical bearing three iodo-phenylene moieties with a gold(I) nitronyl nitroxide-2-ide complex in the presence of a recently developed efficient catalytic system. The molecular and crystal structures of the tetraradical were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The tetraradical possesses good thermal stability with decomposition onset at ∼125 °C in an inert atmosphere; in a toluene solution upon prolonged heating at 90 °C in air, no decomposition was observed. The resulting unique verdazyl-nitroxide conjugate was thoroughly studied using a range of experimental and theoretical techniques, such as SQUID magnetometry of polycrystalline powders, EPR spectroscopy in various matrices, cyclic voltammetry, and high-level quantum chemical calculations. All collected data confirm the high thermal stability of the resulting tetraradical and quintet multiplicity of its ground state, which makes the synthesis of this important paramagnet a new milestone in the field of creating high-spin systems.

Understanding Antiferromagnetic and Ligand Field Effects on Spin Crossover in a Triple-Decker Dimeric Cr(II) Complex.

Two possible explanations for the temperature dependence of spin-crossover (SCO) behavior in the dimeric triple-decker Cr(II) complex ([(η5-C5Me5)Cr(μ2:η5-P5)Cr(η5-C5Me5)]+) have been offered. One invokes variations in antiferromagnetic interactions between the two Cr(II) ions, whereas the other posits the development of a strong ligand-field effect favoring the low-spin ground state. We perform multireference electronic structure calculations based on the multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory to resolve these effects. We find quintet, triplet, and singlet electronic ground states, respectively, for the experimental geometries at high, intermediate, and low temperatures. The ground-state transition from quintet to triplet at an intermediate temperature derives from increased antiferromagnetic interactions between the two Cr(II) ions. By contrast, the ground-state transition from triplet to singlet at low temperature can be attributed to increased ligand-field effects, which dominate with continued variations in antiferromagnetic coupling. This study provides quantitative detail for the degree to which these two effects can act in concert for the observed SCO behavior in this complex and others subject to temperature-dependent variations in geometry.

On-Surface Synthesis and Characterization of a High-Spin Aza-[5]-Triangulene.

Triangulenes are open-shell triangular graphene flakes with total spin increasing with their size. In the last years, onsurface- synthesis strategies have permitted fabricating and engineering triangulenes of various sizes and structures with atomic precision. However, direct proof of the increasing total spin with their size remains elusive. In this work, we report the combined in-solution and on-surface synthesis of a large nitrogen-doped triangulene (aza-[5]-triangulene) and the detection of its high spin ground state on a Au(111) surface. Bond-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy images uncovered radical states distributed along the zigzag edges, which were detected as weak zero-bias resonances in scanning tunneling spectra. These spectral features reveal the partial Kondo screening of a high spin state. Through a combination of several simulation tools, we find that the observed distribution of radical states is explained by a quintet ground state (S = 2), instead of the expected quartet state (S = 3/2), confirming the positively charged state of the molecule on the surface.We further provide a qualitative description of the change of (anti)aromaticity introduced by N-substitution, and its role in the charge stabilization on a surface, resulting in a S = 2 aza-[5]-triangulene on Au(111).

On‐Surface Synthesis and Characterization of a High‐Spin Aza‐[5]‐Triangulene

AbstractTriangulenes are a class of open‐shell triangular graphene flakes with total spin increasing with their size. In the last years, on‐surface‐synthesis strategies have permitted fabricating and engineering triangulenes of various sizes and structures with atomic precision. However, direct proof of the increasing total spin with their size remains elusive. In this work, we report the combined in‐solution and on‐surface synthesis of a large nitrogen‐doped triangulene (aza‐[5]‐triangulene) on a Au(111) surface, and the detection of its high‐spin ground state. Bond‐resolved scanning tunneling microscopy images uncovered radical states distributed along the zigzag edges, which were detected as weak zero‐bias resonances in scanning tunneling spectra. These spectral features reveal the partial Kondo screening of a high‐spin state. Through a combination of several simulation tools, we find that the observed distribution of radical states is explained by a quintet ground state (S=2), instead of the quartet state (S=3/2) expected for the neutral species. This confirms that electron transfer to the metal substrate raises the spin of the ground state. We further provide a qualitative description of the change of (anti)aromaticity introduced by N‐substitution, and its role in the charge stabilization on a surface, resulting in an S=2 aza‐triangulene on Au(111).

Unraveling the Spin-State Energetics of FeN4 Complexes with Ab Initio Methods.

A systematic analysis was conducted to explore the spin-state energetics of a series of 19 FeN4 complexes. The performance of a large number of multireference methods was assessed, highlighting the significant challenges associated with accurately describing the spin-state energetics of FeN4 complexes. Most multireference methods were found to be susceptible to errors originating from the reference CASSCF wavefunction, leading to an overstabilization of high-spin states. Nonetheless, a few multireference methods, namely, CASPT2/CC, DSRG-MRPT3, and LDSRG(2), demonstrated promising performance compared to the benchmark CCSD(T) method. Furthermore, our study revealed that FeN4 complexes having a quintet ground state are exceedingly rare. Accordingly, only one specific model (Fe(L2)) and one synthesized complex (Fe(OTBP)) have the quintet ground state among the studied complexes. This scarcity of quintet FeN4 complexes highlights the unique nature of these systems and raises intriguing questions regarding the factors influencing spin states, such as the size of the macrocycle cavity, the introduction of substituents, or the induction of out-of-plane deformation.

Study on the growth behavior and photoelectron spectroscopy of neodymium-doped silicon nanoclusters NdSin0/- (n = 8-20) with a double-hybrid density functional theory.

Structural evolution, magnetic moment, and thermochemical and spectral properties of NdSin0/- (n = 8-20) nanoclusters were studied. Optimized structures for NdSin demonstrated that the configuration with quintet ground state prefers Nd-substituted for a Si of the most stable Sin + 1 (n = 8-11) structure to Nd-linked configuration with Si9 tricapped trigonal prism subcluster (n = 12-19). Finally, the configuration prefers to Nd-encapsulated into Si cage framework (n = 20). For anion, the evolution at the quartet state prefers Nd-linked structure for n = 8-19 (excluded 9), and prefers Nd-encapsulated structure of n = 20. The spectral information including electron affinity, vertical detachment energy, and simulated photoelectron spectroscopy were also observed. The 4f electrons of Nd atom in NdSin with n = 8-10 hardly participate in bonding, but take part in remaining neutral clusters and all anionic NdSin- clusters. The calculations of average bond energy, HOMO-LUMO gap, and chemical bonding analyses reveal that NdSi20- possesses perfect thermodynamic and ideal chemical stability, making it as the most appropriate constitutional units for novel multi-functional semiconductors.

Formation and Characterization of a BeOBeC Multiple Radical Featuring a Quartet Carbyne Moiety

AbstractThrough reaction of beryllium dimers with carbon monoxide, a carbonyl complex BeBeCO is formed in solid neon. Upon visible light excitation, the BeBeCO complex rearranges to a BeCOBe isomer, which further isomerizes to a low‐energy BeOBeC species under UV‐visible light excitation. These species are identified on the basis of infrared absorption spectroscopy with isotopic substitutions and quantum chemical studies. The BeOBeC molecule is characterized to be a multiple radical species having an electronic quintet ground state featuring an unusual quartet carbyne unit with three unpaired electrons on the carbon center. Bonding analysis indicates that the strong Pauli repulsion between carbon 2s lone pair electrons and the σ electrons of the BeOBe fragment significantly weakens the Be−C bonding and destabilizes the triplet state of the BeOBeC radical with a doublet carbyne unit. The three‐center π‐bonding of BeOBe is also found to play a role in stabilizing the quartet carbyne.

Formation and Characterization of a BeOBeC Multiple Radical Featuring a Quartet Carbyne Moiety.

Through reaction of beryllium dimers with carbon monoxide, a carbonyl complex BeBeCO is formed in solid neon. Upon visible light excitation, the BeBeCO complex rearranges to a BeCOBe isomer, which further isomerizes to a low-energy BeOBeC species under UV-visible light excitation. These species are identified on the basis of infrared absorption spectroscopy with isotopic substitutions and quantum chemical studies. The BeOBeC molecule is characterized to be a multiple radical species having an electronic quintet ground state featuring an unusual quartet carbyne unit with three unpaired electrons on the carbon center. Bonding analysis indicates that the strong Pauli repulsion between carbon 2s lone pair electrons and the σ electrons of the BeOBe fragment significantly weakens the Be-C bonding and destabilizes the triplet state of the BeOBeC radical with a doublet carbyne unit. The three-center π-bonding of BeOBe is also found to play a role in stabilizing the quartet carbyne.

Corrigendum: An Isolated Molecule of Iron(II) Phthalocyanin Exhibits Quintet Ground-State: A Nexus between Theory and Experiment.

Corrigendum: An Isolated Molecule of Iron(II) Phthalocyanin Exhibits Quintet Ground-State: A Nexus between Theory and Experiment.

Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory for Iron Porphyrin with CAS, RAS, and DMRG Active Spaces.

Porphyrins are present in many metalloproteins, and they are also important components of a variety of nonbiological functional materials. Furthermore, they are representative of the kind of large, strongly correlated system that is especially difficult for accurate calculations. For example, predicting the order of their spin states has been challenging. Here we study the energetic order of four states (one singlet, two triplets, and one quintet) of iron porphyrin, FeP, by the multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT). Five active space prescriptions, namely, CAS(8, 6), CAS(8, 11), CAS(16, 15), RAS(34,2,2;13,6,16), and DMRG(34, 35), are used to obtain the kinetic energy, density, and on-top density. Although the prediction of which spin state of FeP is the ground state depends on the selection of the active space when one uses multireference second-order perturbation theory and such calculations lead incorrectly to a quintet ground state with the largest studied active space, all five active spaces correctly lead to a triplet ground state when one uses MC-PDFT. We conclude that the (34,35) active space is large enough to give a qualitatively correct description of the orbital space and configuration space such that one obtains the correct spin state prediction when the external correlation energy is added accurately in a post-SCF step. We also conclude that MC-PDFT can provide an efficient and accurate approach to treat the electron correlation in large, strongly correlated systems with the complexity of iron porphyrin.

Theoretical study on the excited state decay properties of iron(ii) polypyridine complexes substituted by bromine and chlorine.

Transition metal iron(ii) polypyridyl complexes with quintet ground states were deeply investigated by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Compared with the parent complex [Fe(tpy)2]2+ (tpy = 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine), the ground states of the complexes substituted by halogen atoms changed from singlet states to quintet states with rare high spin excited state lifetimes. The substituted complex [Fe(dbtpy)2]2+ (1) results in a high spin metal–ligand charge transfer lifetime of 17.4 ps, which is 1.4 ps longer than that of [Fe(dctpy)2]2+ (2) with the substitution of chlorine atoms. The reason for this is explored by a combination of electronic structures, absorption spectra, extended transition state coupled with natural orbitals for chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) studies and potential energy curves (PECs). The distortion of 1 in the angles and dihedrals of the ligands is slightly larger than that in 2, although the average metal–ligand bond lengths of the latter are larger. The twisted octahedron decreases the interactions between the d orbitals of iron(ii) and the n/π orbitals of the ligands. Compared with 2, the enlarged energy gaps among the different PECs of 1 and the increased energy crossing points caused by the larger distortion result in the increase of its excited state lifetime. The different pairwise orbital interaction contributions between the metal center and the ligands in their singlet states are qualitatively estimated by ETS-NOCV. The results show that the substitution of bromine atoms will decrease the electrostatic attraction between the metal and ligands but not significantly impact the orbital interactions.

How to understand very weak Cr-Cr double bonds and negative spin populations in trinuclear Cr complexes: theoretical insight.

Trinuclear Cr(ii) complex [Cr3(dpa)4Cl2] 1 (Hdpa = dipyridylamine) has two Cr-Cr double bonds linked with each other. DMRG-CASPT2 calculations reproduced its symmetrical structure. The Cr-Cr effective bond order (EBO) was evaluated to be only 0.59 based on the density matrix based on localized orbitals from DMRG-CASSCF orbitals. The CASCI calculations showed a significantly large α-spin population on the terminal Cr atoms as expected but a significantly large β-spin population on the central Cr atom against expectations. The very small EBO and the presence of a large β-spin population are not consistent with the simple understanding that 1 has two Cr-Cr double bonds and a quintet ground state, which requests correct understanding of 1 from the viewpoint of chemical bond theory. Comparison of 1 with the allene molecule and allyl radical disclosed that the linked Cr-Cr bonds of 1 resembled the C-C bond of the allyl radical but completely differed from the linked C-C double bonds of allene despite the similar molecular structure. Its N3 analogue [Cr3(dpa)4(N3)2] 2 has non-symmetrical structure with shorter Cr1-Cr2 and longer Cr2-Cr3 bonds unlike 1, indicating that 2 is a valence tautomer of 1. DMRG-CASPT2 could reproduce its non-symmetrical structure but DFT/B3PW91 could not. In 2, the EBO is 0.95 for the shorter Cr1-Cr2 bond and 0.47 for the longer Cr2-Cr3 one. The terminal Cr3 has a very large α spin population, and the other terminal Cr1 has a somewhat large α spin population, but the central Cr2 has a considerably large β spin population. These results indicate that the Cr1-Cr2 bond conjugates with the Cr2-Cr3 bond, which is inconsistent with the simple understanding that 2 has a quadruple bond between Cr1 and Cr2 and no bond between Cr2 and Cr3. The symmetrical structure has a stronger Cr-X coordinate bond (X = Cl or N3) but less stable Cr3 core than does the non-symmetrical one. The relative stabilities of the symmetrical and the non-symmetrical structures are determined by the balance between stabilization energies from the Cr3 core and the Cr-X coordinate bond. All these findings show that electronic structures and Cr-Cr bonds of 1 and 2 are interesting from the viewpoint of molecular science.

Spin state solvomorphism in a series of rare S = 1 manganese(iii) complexes.

Structural, magnetic and spectroscopic data of four complex salts, [Mn(napsal2323)]NTf2, 1,[Mn(napsal2323)]ClO4, 2, [Mn(napsal2323)]BF4, 3 and [Mn(napsal2323)]NO3, 4, of the [Mn(napsal2323)]+ complex cation indicate that the Mn3+ ion is stabilized in the rare S = 1 spin triplet form in this ligand sphere. Zero-field splitting values of D = +19.6 cm-1 and |E| = 2.02 cm-1 for complex 1 were obtained by High Field Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (HFEPR) measurements conducted over a range of frequencies. Structural and magnetic data also indicate that co-crystallization of complexes 2 and 3 with 0.5 equivalents of ethanol yields the high spin S = 2 forms of the perchlorate and tetrafluoroborate solvates [Mn(napsal2323)]ClO4·0.5(C2H5OH), 2·0.5EtOH and [Mn(napsal2323)]BF4·0.5(C2H5OH), 3·0.5EtOH.

Low-energy excitations in helium-like dimer within an exact diagonalization approach

The non-relativistic quantum-mechanical problem on bound states of four interacting spinless electrons moving in the Coulomb field of two attractive point centers with Z0=2 spaced at fixed distance R0 (4He2 dimer within Born–Oppenheimer–Heitler–London approximation) has been solved rigorously through exact diagonalization (expansion on truncated orthonormalized basis) method. The four-spin-conditioned relativistic corrections (of order ∼1/c2) to the ground state level of the dimer have been calculated with exact diagonalization on spin cluster, the spectrum and eigenvectors of the spin problem have been obtained. It is shown that pair spin coupling is antiferromagnetic with exchange constant of 12 K (it provides antisymmetry of the spin-singlet ground-state wave function for isolated 4He atom with two fermions coupled within the unitary spatially symmetric shell), but within four-electron shell of 4He2 dimer this fact yields the quintet ground state of the four-spin cluster totally antisymmetric relative to pair permutations. The exchange within the interatomic bond depends on the interatomic distance, so that there is a coupling between spin and phonon degrees of freedom which leads to renormalization of phonon spectrum in condensed phase as compared to the corresponding spinless medium. This effect can be interpreted as a direct analog of translation-rotation interaction in molecular cryocrystals.

Cover Feature: An Isolated Molecule of Iron(II) Phthalocyanin Exhibits Quintet Ground‐State: A Nexus between Theory and Experiment (Chem. Eur. J. 51/2018)

Cover Feature: An Isolated Molecule of Iron(II) Phthalocyanin Exhibits Quintet Ground‐State: A Nexus between Theory and Experiment (Chem. Eur. J. 51/2018)

Low-Valent, High-Spin Chromium-Catalyzed Cleavage of Aromatic Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds at Room Temperature: A Combined Experimental and Theoretical Study.

The cleavage of aromatic carbon-nitrogen bonds catalyzed by transition metals is of high synthetic interest because such bonds are common in organic chemistry. However, few metal catalysts can be used to selectively break C(aryl)-N bonds in electronically neutral molecules. We report here the first low-valent, high-spin chromium-catalyzed cleavage of C(aryl)-N bonds in electronically neutral aniline derivatives at room temperature. By using simple and inexpensive chromium(II) chloride as precatalyst, accompanied by an imino auxiliary, the selective arylative and alkylative C-C coupling of C(aryl)-N bonds can be achieved. Crossover experiments indicate that a low-valent chromium species, formed in situ by reduction of CrCl2 with Grignard reagent, is responsible for the catalytic cleavage of C(aryl)-N bonds. DFT calculations show that facile insertion of the C(aryl)-N bond by chromium(0) can take place in a high-spin quintet (S = 2) ground state, whereas the lower-spin singlet (S = 0) and triplet (S = 1) states are inaccessible in energy. It was found that both donation of the sole paired d electrons in the d6 shell of high-spin chromium(0) to the antibonding orbital of the C(aryl)-N bond and the nitrogen ligating interaction to the metal center with its lone pair play important roles in the cleavage of the C(aryl)-N bond by the zerovalent chromium species.

Remarkable Magnetic Coupling Interactions in Multi-Beryllium-Expanded Small Graphene-like Molecules with Well-Defined Polyradical Characters

Multi-beryllium-expanded small graphene-like molecules including oligoacenes (mBe-nA) and graphene patches (mBe-GP) are computationally designed through introducing two or three Be atoms into the specific benzenoid rings of the graphene-like molecules, leading to replacement of some C–C bonds by the C–Be–C linkages with elongated C···C distances of about 3.3 Å in them. As a result, the elongation of the C···C bonds and insertion of more Be atoms make the two radical moieties in each molecule relatively separated and their interaction relatively weak. Both density functional theory and CASSCF calculations indicate that all these multi-Be-expanded graphene-like molecules exhibit well-defined polyradical characters: an open-shell singlet diradical for all mBe-nA and an open-shell singlet diradical or quintet tetraradical for mBe-GP depending on the Be-insertion patterns of the patches. The main findings in this work are that (i) a switching from the parent graphene-like closed-shell molecules (e.g., linear oligoacenes and graphene patches) to the open-shell singlet (diradical) or quintet (tetraradical) ground states can be realized by introducing Be as linkers into the graphene-like molecules; (ii) more importantly, the spin-coupling interactions of such mBe-nA and mBe-GP are remarkably large; and (iii) in these Be-modified molecules the Be–C bonds exhibit considerable covalent character and the Be···Be distances are 2.67–2.84 Å, implying weak Be(s2)···Be(s2) metallophilic interaction. This work would open a new perspective for the rational design of perfect and stable singlet diradicals or polyradicals with large spin-coupling constants on the basis of small closed-shell graphene-like molecules by multimetal incorporation and also encourage experimentalists to pursue and realize these interesting structures with enhanced magnetic properties in the future.

A Synthetically Tunable System To Control MLCT Excited-State Lifetimes and Spin States in Iron(II) Polypyridines.

2,2':6',2″-Terpyridyl (tpy) ligands modified by fluorine (dftpy), chlorine (dctpy), or bromine (dbtpy) substitution at the 6- and 6″-positions are used to synthesize a series of bis-homoleptic Fe(II) complexes. Two of these species, [Fe(dctpy)2]2+ and [Fe(dbtpy)2]2+, which incorporate the larger dctpy and dbtpy ligands, assume a high-spin quintet ground state due to substituent-induced intramolecular strain. The smaller fluorine atoms in [Fe(dftpy)2]2+ enable spin crossover with a T1/2 of 220 K and a mixture of low-spin (singlet) and high-spin (quintet) populations at room temperature. Taking advantage of this equilibrium, dynamics originating from either the singlet or quintet manifold can be explored using variable wavelength laser excitation. Pumping at 530 nm leads to ultrafast nonradiative relaxation from the singlet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (1MLCT) excited state into a quintet metal centered state (5MC) as has been observed for prototypical low-spin Fe(II) polypyridine complexes such as [Fe(tpy)2]2+. On the other hand, pumping at 400 nm excites the molecule into the quintet manifold (5MLCT ← 5MC) and leads to the observation of a greatly increased MLCT lifetime of 14.0 ps. Importantly, this measurement enables an exploration of how the lifetime of the 5MLCT (or 7MLCT, in the event of intersystem crossing) responds to the structural modifications of the series as a whole. We find that increasing the amount of steric strain serves to extend the lifetime of the 5,7MLCT from 14.0 ps for [Fe(dftpy)2]2+ to the largest known value at 17.4 ps for [Fe(dbtpy)2]2+. These data support the design hypothesis wherein interligand steric interactions are employed to limit conformational dynamics and/or alter relative state energies, thereby slowing nonradiative loss of charge-transfer energy.

Spin-forbidden CO binding to iron–sulfur cluster-free hydrogenase: A density functional study

Spin-forbidden CO binding to the iron–sulfur cluster-free hydrogenase (Hmd) is studied by the DFT calculation. The result shows that the surface of the triplet causes a PHmd–CO minimum and that 3,5MECP is the lowest energy path to PHmd–CO. It is found that this CO binding involves a low barrier of 0.931 kcal/mol because of the need to change from a bound triplet state to the Hmd quintet ground state.

Insights into the Mechanism of Aromatic Ring Cleavage of Noncatecholic Compound 2-Aminophenol by Aminophenol Dioxygenase: A Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Study

2-Aminophenol 1,6-dioxygenase (APD) is an extradiol dioxygenase responsible for the ring cleavage of 2-aminophenol (2AP) at the position ortho to the hydroxyl substituent. To elucidate the reaction mechanism, we conducted quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) calculations. The mode of binding of the substrate (monodentate or bidentate) to the iron center was found to have a crucial role in dioxygen activation. The Fe–O2 adducts with 2AP bound bidentately has a quintet ground state having a FeIII–superoxo character, while the Fe–O2 adducts with a monodentately bound substrate has been characterized as a substrate radical–FeII–superoxide. Unlike other extradiol dioxygenases that cleave catechol analogues using the superoxo moiety of the Fe–O2 adducts to attack the substrate, we found here an FeII–O(H)O intermediate formed through two sequential proton-coupled electron transfer steps from the initial FeIII–superoxo species is responsible for the attack. Importantly, the second-sphere His195 residue...