A series of catecholatoiron(III) complexes, [Fe(III)L(4Cl-cat)]BPh4 (L = (4-MeO)2TPA (1), TPA (2), (4-Cl)2TPA (3), (4-NO2)TPA (4), (4-NO2)2TPA (5); TPA = tris(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amine; 4Cl-cat = 4-chlorocatecholate), have been characterized by magnetic susceptibility measurements and EPR, 1H NMR, and UV-vis-NIR spectroscopies to clarify the correlation of the spin delocalization on the catecholate ligand with the O2 reactivity as well as the spin-state dependence of the O2 reactivity. EPR spectra in frozen CH3CN at 123 K clearly showed that introduction of electron-withdrawing groups effectively shifts the spin equilibrium from a high-spin to a low-spin state. The effective magnetic moments determined by the Evans method in a CH3CN solution showed that 5 contains 36% of low-spin species at 243 K, while 1-4 are predominantly in a high-spin state. Evaluation of spin delocalization on the 4Cl-cat ligand by paramagnetic 1H NMR shifts revealed that the semiquinonatoiron(II) character is more significant in the low-spin species than in the high-spin species. The logarithm of the reaction rate constant is linearly correlated with the energy gap between the catecholatoiron(III) and semiquinonatoiron(II) states for the high-spin complexes 1-3, although complexes 4 and 5 deviate negatively from linearity. The lower reactivity of the low-spin complex, despite its higher spin density on the catecholate ligand compared with the high-spin analogues, suggests the involvement of the iron(III) center, rather than the catecholate ligand, in the reaction with O2.

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Introduction of electron-withdrawing groups on co-ligands effectively raises the spin crossover temperature of catecholatoiron(III) complexes and induces a significant amount of the low spin species in solution even at around room temperature.