pi-Acceptor effects are often used to account for the unusual high lability of [Pt(terpy)L]((2)(-)(n)+) (terpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine) complexes. To gain further insight into this phenomenon, the pi-acceptor effect was varied systematically by studying the lability of [Pt(diethylenetriamine)OH(2)](2+) (aaa), [Pt(2,6-bis-aminomethylpyridine)OH(2)](2+) (apa), [Pt(N-(pyridyl-2-methyl)-1,2-diamino-ethane)OH(2)](2+) (aap), [Pt(bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine)OH(2)](2+) (pap), [Pt(2,2'-bipyridine)(NH(3))(OH(2))](2+) (app), and [Pt(terpy)OH(2)](2+) (ppp). The crystal structure of the apa precursor [Pt(2,6-bis-aminomethylpyridine)Cl]Cl.H(2)O was determined. The substitution of water by a series of nucleophiles, viz. thiourea, N,N-dimethylthiourea, N,N,N',N'-tetramethylthiourea, I(-), and SCN(-), was studied under pseudo-first-order conditions as a function of concentration, pH, temperature, and pressure, using stopped-flow techniques. The data enable an overall comparison of the substitution behavior of these complexes, emphasizing the role played by the kinetic cis and trans pi-acceptor effects. The results indicate that the cis pi-acceptor effect is larger than the trans pi-acceptor effect, and that the pi-acceptor effects are multiplicative. DFT calculations at the B3LYP/LACVP level of theory show that, by the addition of pi-acceptor ligands to the metal, the positive charge on the metal center increases, and the energy separation of the frontier molecular orbitals (E(LUMO) - E(HOMO)) of the ground state Pt(II) complexes decreases. The calculations collectively support the experimentally observed additional increase in reactivity when two pi-accepting rings are adjacent to each other (app and ppp), which is ascribed to "electronic communication" between the pyridine rings. The results furthermore indicate that the pK(a) value of the platinum bound water molecule is controlled by the pi-accepting nature of the chelate system and reflects the electron density around the metal center. This in turn controls the rate of the associative substitution reaction and was analyzed using the Hammett equation.

The substitution kinetics of the complexes [Pt(N-N-C)Cl] (N-N-CH = 6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine), [Pt(N-C-N)Cl] (N-CH-N = 1,3-di(2-pyridyl)benzene), and [Pt(N-N-N)Cl]Cl (N-N-N = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine) with the nucleophiles Br(-), I(-), and, for the first two complexes, also thiourea, N,N-dimethylthiourea, and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylthiourea, have been studied in methanol as solvent. In case of the thioureas, the activation parameters DeltaH, DeltaS, and DeltaV were also determined from the temperature and pressure dependence of the reactions. Two crystal structures of [Pt(N-N-C)Cl] were determined (yellow and red polymorphs); the intense red color of the latter polymorph results from Pt-Pt interactions (Pt-Pt distance = 3.366 A). The data enable an analysis of the cis and trans effects and the influence of the strong sigma-donor carbon in the presence of an electron withdrawing pi-acceptor ligand backbone. The results indicate that the intrinsic reactivity is enhanced greatly by the labilizing effect of the trans carbon donor, but the nucleophilic discrimination is dramatically reduced due to the decrease in electrophilicity on the metal center. However, although the electron withdrawing pi-acceptor effect is partly counteracted by the sigma-donor effect, the complex still benefits from a higher nucleophilic discrimination than in the comparable Pt(II) trans carbon donor complexes, where no or fewer pi-acceptors are present. In the case of the cis carbon donor complex, the intrinsic reactivity remains unchanged, but the nucleophilic discrimination is reduced and leads to a reduced reactivity of the [Pt(N-N-C)Cl] complex in comparison to [Pt(N-N-N)Cl]Cl. On the basis of these results, a more detailed treatment of the nature of the cis effect is offered.

Four complexes of the type [Pt(N-N-X)Cl](X = N or C) were tailor synthesized for mechanistic studies in methanol. The terdentate ligands included terpy, 4'-Ph-terpy, 4'-(2"-CF(3)-Ph)-terpy, and 4'-(2"'-CF(3)-Ph)-6-Ph-2,2'-bipy. The rate of substitution of the chloro ligand by thiourea, N,N'-dimethylthiourea, and N,N,N',N'-tetramethylthiourea was studied as a function of nucleophile concentration, temperature and pressure by using a stopped-flow technique. The observed pseudo-first-order rate constants for the substitution reactions obeyed the simple rate law k(obs) = k(2)[Nu]. Second-order kinetics and negative activation entropies and volumes support an associative substitution mechanism. At 298 K, the values of the second-order rate constant show a slight dependence on the nature of the moiety attached to the terpy ligand. Changing from a nitrogen sigma-donor to a carbon sigma-donor in the cis position, results in a deceleration of the substitution rate. The results suggest that the Pt-C bond in the cis position activates the metal centre in a different way than in the trans position.

A series of dinuclear Pt(II) complexes of the type [Pt2(N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)diamine(H2O)2]4+ were synthesized. Acid-base titrations, and concentration and temperature dependent stopped-flow measurements of the reaction with chloride were performed to study the thermodynamic and kinetic behaviour of the dinuclear bridged complexes. The results indicate that there is a clear interaction between the two Pt(II) centres, which becomes weaker as the aliphatic chain increases in length. From a certain chain length onwards, the Pt(II) centres become independent of each other and exhibit identical thermodynamic and kinetic properties. The experimental results are discussed in reference to structures obtained by DFT (BP86/LACVP*) calculations.

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