title: The electronic structure of the isoelectronic, square-planar complexes [FeII(L)2]2- and [CoIII(L Bu)2]- (L2- and (L Bu)2-=benzene-1,2-dithiolates): an experimental and density functional theoretical study.
abstract: The electronic structures of two formally isoelectronic transition-metal dithiolato complexes [Fe(L)2]2- (1) and [Co(L Bu)2]1- (2) both possessing a spin triplet ground state (St=1) have been investigated by various spectroscopic and density functional methods; H2L Bu represents the pro-ligand 3,5-di-tert-butylbenzene-1,2-dithiol and H2L is the corresponding unsubstituted benzene-1,2-dithiol. An axial zero-field splitting (D) of +32 cm(-1) for 2 has been measured independently by SQUID magnetometry, far-infrared absorption, and variable-temperature and variable-field (VTVH) magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopies. A similar D value of +28 cm(-1) is obtained for 1 on the basis of VTVH SQUID measurements. The absorption spectra of 1 and 2 are found, however, to be very different. Complex 1 is light yellow in color with no intense transition in the visible region, whereas 2 is deep blue. DFT calculations establish that the electronic structures of the [Fe(L)2](2-) and [Co(L)2]1- anions are very different and explain the observed differences in their absorption spectra. On the basis of these spectroscopic and theoretical analyses, 1 is best described as containing an intermediate spin FeII ion, whereas for the corresponding cobalt complex, oxidation states describing a d6 (CoIII) or d7 (CoII) electron configuration cannot be unambiguously assigned. The physical origin of the large zero-field splitting in both 1 and 2 is found to be due to the presence of low-energy spin-conserved d-d excitations which lead to a large Dzz through efficient spin-orbit coupling. Differential covalency effects appear to be of limited importance for this property.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Bioanorganische Chemie, Stiftstrasse 34-36, D-45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
authors.forename: Kallol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Ameerunisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Begum
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weyhermüller
authors.forename: Stergios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piligkos
authors.forename: Joris
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Slageren
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Neese
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wieghardt