Oxalate-bridged complexes of dimolybdenum and ditungsten supported by pivalate ligands: ((t)BuCO(2))(3)M(2)(mu-O(2)CCO(2))M(2)(O(2)C(t)Bu)(3). Correlation of the solid-state, molecular, and electronic structures with Raman, resonance Raman, and electronic spectral data.

The compounds ((t)BuCO(2))(3)M(2)(mu-O(2)CCO(2))M(2)(O(2)C(t)Bu)(3) (M(4)OXA), where M = Mo or W, are shown by analysis of powder X-ray diffraction data to have extended lattice structures wherein oxygen atoms from the oxalate and pivalate ligands of one M(4)OXA molecule are linked to metal atoms of neighboring molecules. Raman, resonance Raman, electronic absorption (2-325 K in 2-MeTHF), and emission spectra are reported, together with corresponding spectra of the mu-O(2)(13)C(13)CO(2) isotopomers. To aid in the assignment, the Raman spectra of K(2)C(2)O(4).H(2)O and K(2)(13)C(2)O(4).H(2)O have also been recorded. The visible region of the electronic spectra is dominated by intense, fully allowed MLCT transitions, M(2) delta to oxalate pi*, which show pronounced thermochromism and extensive vibronic progressions associated with the oxalate ligand at low temperatures. With excitation into these charge-transfer bands, strong resonance enhancement is seen for Raman bands assigned to the oxalate nu(1)(a(g)) and, to a lesser extent, nu(2)(a(g)) modes. Electronic structure calculations for the model compounds (HCO(2))(3)M(2)(mu-O(2)CCO(2))M(2)(O(2)CH)(3), employing density functional theory (gradient corrected and time-dependent) with the Gaussian 98 and ADF 2000 packages, predict the planar oxalate D(2h) configuration to be favored, which maximizes M(2) delta to oxalate pi* back-bonding, and indicate low barriers (<8 kcal mol(-1)) to rotation about the oxalate C-C bonds.