Resonance Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance, and density functional theory calculations of a phenolate-bound iron porphyrin complex: electrostatic versus covalent contribution to bonding.

Resonance Raman (rR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of a phenolate-bound iron porphyrin complex are reported. The complex is found to exist in a five-coordinate high-spin state in a noncoordinating solvent and in a six-coordinate low-spin state in a coordinating solvent. The vibrations originating from the iron phenolate-bound chromophores reproduced those reported for heme tyrosine active sites in nature. The EPR parameters and iron-pyrrole (Fe-Npyr) vibrations of phenolate, thiolate, and imidazole ligated iron porphyrin complexes indicate that the phenolate axial ligand acts as a π anisotropic ligand, which is more covalent than a neutral imidazole ligand but less covalent than a thiolate axial ligand. While the Fe(III/II) potential of the phenolate compound in a noncoordinating solvent is 500 mV more negative than that of the imidazole-bound complex, it is also 110 mV more negative than that of the thiolate-bound complex. DFT calculations reproduce the geometry and vibrational frequencies and show that while both phenolate and thiolate axial ligands bear π and σ interaction with the ferric center, the former is significantly less covalent than the thiolate. The higher covalency of the thiolate ligand is responsible for the lower Fe-Npyr vibration and higher V/λ (from EPR) of the thiolate-bound complexes relative to those of the phenolate-bound complex, whereas the greater electrostatic stabilization of the Fe(III)-OPh bond is responsible for lowering the Fe(III/II) E° of the phenolate-bound complex relative to that of the thiolate-bound complex in a medium having a reasonable dielectric constant.