Nabanita Kundu

Reporting a unique example of electronic bistability observed in the form of valence tautomerism with a copper(II) helicate of a redox-active nitrogenous heterocyclic ligand.

Valence tautomeric compounds involving nondixolene-type ligands are rare. The triple-helicate copper(II) complex [Cu(II)(2)(L)(3)](ClO(4))(4)·3CH(3)CN (1) containing a redox-active N-heterocyclic ligand (L) has been prepared and displays VT equilibrium in solution, as established by electronic spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry carried out at variable temperatures. The process involves intramolecular transfer of an electron from one of the L ligands to a copper(II) center, leading to the oxidation of L to an L(•+) radical with concomitant reduction of the Cu(II) center to Cu(I), as shown by the equilibrium [Cu(II)Cu(I)L(•+)L(2)](4+) ⇄ [Cu(II)(2)L(3)](4+).

Vanadium-Induced Nucleophilic IPSO Substitutions in a Coordinated Tetrachlorosemiquinone Ring: Formation of the Chloranilate Anion as a Bridging Ligand

In basic media, the coordinated semiquinone radical in the spin-coupled [(bipy)ClV(IV)O(TCSQ)] 1 (HTCSQ = tetrachlorosemiquinone) undergoes nucleophilic ipso substitution (OH- for Cl-) to generate the chloranilate anion (CA(2-)) that bridges the vanadium(IV) centers, forming a binuclear compound [(bipy)ClV(IV)O(CA)OV(IV)Cl(bipy)] 2.