Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.139, No.42, 15232-15238, 2017
Hetero Cu(III) Pd(II) Complex of a Dibenzo[g,p]chrysene-Fused Bisdicarbacorrole with Stable Organic Radical Character
Bis-dicarbacorrole (bis-H-3) with two adj-CCNN subunits was synthesized by incorporating a dibenzo[g,p]chrysene moiety into the macrocyclic structure. The two trianionic cores in bis-H-3 can stabilize two Cu(III) ions (bis-Cu) or concurrently a Cu(III) cation and a Pd(II) ion in the form of a hetero bis-metal complex (mix-Cu/Pd). As prepared, mix-Cu/Pd displays organic pi radical character, as confirmed by various techniques, including electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, femtosecond transient absorption measurements, and DFT calculations. Radical formation is ascribed to one-electron transfer from the dicarbacorrole backbone to the Pd center allowing the d(8) Pd(II) center to be accommodated in a square planner coordination geometry. Nucleus-independent chemical shift and anisotropy of the induced current density calculations provide support for the conclusion that bis-H-3 and bis-Cu both display antiaromatic character and contain two formally 16 pi-electron dicarbacorrole subunits. On this basis, we suggest that mix-Cu/Pd is best considered as containing a fused 15 pi-electron nonaromatic radical subunit and a 16 pi-electron antiaromatic subunit. The spectroscopic observations are consistent with these