Relatively minor perturbations caused by Cp ring
substituents in a series of mixed-valence
biferrocenium cations have pronounced effects on the electronic
structure and rate of
intramolecular electron transfer. The X-ray structures of
1‘,2‘,1‘‘‘,2‘‘‘-tetrapropylbiferrocene,
1‘,2‘,1‘‘‘,2‘‘‘-tetrabenzylbiferrocene,
1‘,3‘,1‘‘‘,3‘‘‘-tetrapropylbiferrocene,
1‘,3‘,1‘‘‘,3‘‘‘-tetrabenzylbiferrocene, and their corresponding mixed-valence biferrocenium
triiodide salts have been
determined at 298 K. The rates of intramolecular electron transfer
in the mixed-valence
cations were estimated by variable-temperature 57Fe
Mössbauer spectroscopy (time scale
∼107 s-1). The features in
all of the 80 K spectra include two doublets, one with a
quadrupole
splitting (ΔE
Q) of ∼2 mm
s-1 (Fe(II) site) and the other with
ΔE
Q = ∼0.6 mm
s-1 (Fe(III)
site). This pattern of two doublets is expected for a
mixed-valence biferrocenium cation
which is valence-trapped on the time scale of the Mössbauer
experiment (electron-transfer
rate < ∼107 s-1 in the solid
state). Increasing the sample temperature in
1‘,2‘,1‘‘‘,2‘‘‘-tetrapropylbiferrocenium triiodide,
1‘,2‘,1‘‘‘,2‘‘‘-tetrabenzylbiferrocenium triiodide, and
1‘,3‘,1‘‘‘,3‘‘‘-tetrabenzylbiferrocenium triiodide causes the two
doublets to move together with
no discernible line broadening, eventually becoming a single
“average-valence” doublet at
temperatures of 295, 265, and 190 K, respectively. In the case of
1‘,3‘,1‘‘‘,3‘‘‘-tetrapropylbiferrocenium triiodide, the two doublets at low temperatures do not
coalesce into an average-valence doublet at 300 K (electron-transfer rate < ∼10
s-1 at 300 K). Thus, the
micromodification of the relative positions of the alkyl substituents
and the nature of the
alkyl substituents has a dramatic influence on the rate of
intramolecular electron transfer.
The deviations of the Cp rings from the parallel position
correlate quite well with the
Mössbauer critical temperature for electronic
delocalization−localization in mixed-valence
cations. Qualitatively, we suggest that the metal nonbonding
orbitals
(d
x
2
-
y
2
,
d
xy
) start to
interact with the ligand π orbitals as the Cp rings tilt from the
parallel position. On the
basis of the density functional calculations, a theoretical explanation
of the influence of
bending back the Cp rings on the electron-transfer rates is presented.
The electrochemical
measurements, IR data, and near-IR spectra for these mixed-valence
biferrocenium cations
are also presented.