[1]Cl 2 in an aqueous solution changes from colorless either to purple or to yellow-green depending on the pH of the solution. The purple solution gave a neutral complex 2 and the yellow-green solution yielded [2 2 ]Cl 2Á 6H 2 O. In the latter complex, the monocation, [2] þ , dimerizes forming a weak Pt-Pt bond [3.0109(4) Å ] with no bridging ligands. The spectroscopy of [1]Cl 2 in the buffer solutions shows that the complex 2 is formed in the range of pH 4.6-5.8, while the complex [2] þ is generated in the range of pH 2.1-4.5. These results indicate that the one-electron redox process of [2] þ /2 depends on the pH of the solution. By adjusting the pH of the solution by adding acid or base, it is possible to reversibly control this redox process. This behavior is a kind of pH-dependent chromism because of their color being different. 2À;1À;0 , functions as the non-innocent ligand, whereas the parent o-phenylenediamine, H 2 L, acts as an innocent ligand. 3 We focus again on the metal complexes having the noninnocent o-semibenzoquinonediimine, because its undeprotonated, innocent o-phenylenediamine forms metal complexes.
3So far, some o-phenylenediamine metal complexes have been synthesized and structurally characterized. 5 The existence of the metal complexes with the innocent parent ligand is different from cases of the dioxolene and dithiolene compounds. Sharma et al. 6 have recently reported the synthesis of the bis(o-phenylenediamine)platinum(II) complex, [Pt(H 2 L) 2 ]Cl 2 , isolated as a black powder. The black color is, however, inconsistent with the general observation that most tetraamineplatinum(II) complexes are colorless to pale-yellow. The color of the solid suggests the presence of impurities, although the authors have pointed nothing out. In our study, colorless plate-like singlehave been successfully obtained by careful recrystallization. The colorless crystals are soluble in water and its solution is colorless. Interestingly, the color of the aqueous solution changes gradually from colorless to either purple or yellow-green depending on the pH of the solution.In this paper, we demonstrate that the pH-dependent colorchange behavior is ascribed to the deprotonation and oxidation of [1]Cl 2 : that is, the formation of either [Pt(L) 2 ] (2) or its oneelectron-oxidized species, [Pt(L) 2 ] þ (2 þ ), depending on the pH of the solution, where L denotes the o-semibenzoquinonediimine monoanion or neutral o-benzoquinonediimine. We also show that the one-electron redox process of [2] þ /2 depends on the pH of the solution. In the crystal, the monocations