Cationic group 4 metallocene complexes
with pendant imine and pyridine
donor groups were prepared as stable crystalline [B(C6F5)4]− salts either by protonation
of the intramolecularly bound ketimide moiety in neutral complexes
[(η5-C5Me5){η5-C5H4CMe2CMe2C(R)N-κN}MCl] (M = Ti, Zr, Hf; R = t-Bu, Ph) by
PhNMe2H+[B(C6F5)4]− to give [(η5-C5Me5){η5-C5H4CMe2CMe2C(R)NH-κN}MCl]+[B(C6F5)4]− or by chloride ligand abstraction from the complexes [(η5-C5Me5)(η5-C5H4CMe2CH2C5H4N)MCl2] (M = Ti, Zr) by Li[B(C6F5)4]·2.5Et2O to give [(η5-C5Me5)(η5-C5H4CMe2CH2C5H4N-κN)MCl]+[B(C6F5)4]−. Solid state structures of the new compounds
were established by X-ray diffraction analysis, and their electrochemical
behavior was studied by cyclic voltammetry. The cationic complexes
of Zr and Hf, compared to the corresponding neutral species, exhibited
significantly enhanced luminescence predominantly from triplet ligand-to-metal
(3LMCT) excited states with lifetimes up to 62 μs
and quantum yields up to 58% in the solid state. DFT calculations
were performed to explain the structural features and optical and
electrochemical properties of the complexes.