Protonation of an oxo-bridged diiron unit gives two different iron centers: synthesis and structure of a new class of diiron(III)-μ-hydroxo bisporphyrins and the control of spin states by using counterions.

Reported herein is a hitherto unknown family of diiron(III)-μ-hydroxo bisporphyrins in which two different spin states of Fe are stabilized in a single molecular framework, although both cores have identical molecular structures. Protonation of the oxo-bridged dimer (2) by using strong Brønsted acids, such as HI, HBF(4), and HClO(4), produce red μ-hydroxo complexes with I(3)(-) (3), BF(4)(-) (4), and ClO(4)(-) (5) counterions, respectively. The X-ray structure of the molecule reveals that the Fe-O bond length increases on going from the μ-oxo to the hydroxo complex, whereas the Fe-O(H)-Fe unit becomes more bent, which results in the smallest known Fe-O(H)-Fe angles of 142.5(2) and 141.2(1)° for 3 and 5, respectively. In contrast, the Fe-O(H)-Fe angle remains unaltered in 4 from the corresponding μ-oxo complex. The close approach of two rings in a molecule results in unequal core deformations in 3 and 4, whereas the cores are deformed almost equally but to a lesser extent in 5. Although 3 was found to have nearly high-spin and admixed intermediate Fe spin states in cores I and II, respectively, two admixed intermediate spin states were observed in 4. Even though the cores have identical chemical structures, crucial bond parameters, such as the Fe-N(p), Fe-O, and Fe⋅⋅⋅Ct(p) bond lengths and the ring deformations, are all different between the two Fe(III) centers in 3 and 4, which leads to an eventual stabilization of two different spin states of Fe in each molecule. In contrast, the two Fe centers in 5 are equivalent and assigned to high and intermediate spin states in the solid and solution states, respectively. The spin states are thus found to be dependent on the counterions and can also be reversibly interconverted. Upon protonation, the strong antiferromagnetic coupling in the μ-oxo dimer (J, -126.6 cm(-1)) is attenuated to almost zero in the μ-hydroxo complex with the I(3)(-) counterion, whereas the values of J are -36 and -42 cm(-1), respectively, for complexes with BF(4)(-) and ClO(4)(-) counterions.