Photoinduced Isomerization of [N2]2- in a Bimetallic Lutetium Complex

Mingbin Yuan, Andrew J. McNeece, Ekaterina A. Dolgopolova, Laura Wolfsberg, Eric G. Bowes, Enrique R. Batista, Ping Yang, Alexander S. Filatov, Benjamin L. Davis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The first lanthanide dinitrogen photoswitch [(C5Me4H)2(THF)Lu]2(μ-η22-N2), 1, is reported. 1 is a unique example of controlled isomerization between side-on and end-on coordination modes of [N2]2- in a bimetallic lutetium dinitrogen complex that results in photochromism. Near-infrared light (NIR) was used to promote this effect, as evidenced by single X-ray diffraction (XRD) connectivity and Raman data, generating the [N2]2- end-on bound isomer, [(C5Me4H)2(THF)Lu]2(μ-η11-N2), 2. Although different ligands and coordinating solvents were studied to replicate and control the optical properties in 1/2, only the original configuration with C5Me4H ligands and THF as the coordinating solvent worked. Supported by the first-principles calculations, the electronic structures along with the mechanistic details of the side-on to end-on isomerization were unraveled. Preliminary reactivity studies show that 2 formed with NIR light reacts with anthracene, generating dihydroanthracene and anthracene dimers, indicating new redox reaction pathways.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)31074-31084
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of the American Chemical Society
Volume146
Issue number45
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 13 2024

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