π-arene/cation structure and bonding. Solvation versus ligand binding in iron(III) tetraphenylporphyrin complexes of benzene, toluene, p-xylene, and [60]fullerene

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja9910816

Benzene, toluene, p-xylene, and [60]fullerene are shown to be weak ligands to a hard metal such as iron(III) in Fe(TPP)⁺ cation (TPP = tetraphenylporphyrinate). X-ray crystal structures of [Fe(TPP)-(C₆H₆)][CB₁₁H₆Br ₆]·3.5C₆H₆ (1), [Fe(TPP)(C₇H₈)][CB₁₁H₆Cl ₆]·2C₇H₈ (2), [Fe(TPP)(C₈H₁₀)][Ag(CB₁₁H₆Br ₆)₂]· arene (3), and [Fe(TPP)(C₆₀)] [F₂₀-BPh₄]·2.5dichlorobenzene (4) show distinctively short Fe...C contacts, in the range 2.65-2.95 A, which distinguish ligation from π - π cocrystallized solvation. Dihedral angles between the arene and metalloporphyrin planes are also diagnostic of ligand versus solvate roles. The essential features of the arene coordination can be faithfully reproduced using density functional theory. In contrast to alkali metal cation/π-arene interactions, a component of the covalent bonding can be recognized. In a broader context, this study suggests that solvents such as benzene should always be viewed as potential ligands in the presence of coordinatively unsaturated cations. The common use in supramolecular chemistry of the term noncovalent to describe entities with metal - ligand bonds is viewed as misleading.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/ja9910816

8466
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 8466-8474
π-Arene/Cation Structure and Bonding. Solvation versus Ligand
Binding in Iron(III) Tetraphenylporphyrin Complexes of Benzene,
Toluene, p-Xylene, and [60]Fullerene
Daniel R. Evans,†,§ Nathanael L. P. Fackler,†, Zuowei Xie,†,| Clifton E. F. Rickard,‡
Peter D. W. Boyd,*,‡ and Christopher A. Reed*,†
Contribution from the Departments of Chemistry, UniVersity of California,
RiVerside, California 92521-0403, and The UniVersity of Auckland, PriVate Bag,
Auckland, New Zealand
ReceiVed April 5, 1999. ReVised Manuscript ReceiVed June 11, 1999
Abstract: Benzene, toluene, p-xylene, and [60]fullerene are shown to be weak ligands to a hard metal such as
iron(III) in Fe(TPP)+ cation (TPP ) tetraphenylporphyrinate). X-ray crystal structures of [Fe(TPP)-
(C6H6)][CB11H6Br6]‚3.5C6H6 (1), [Fe(TPP)(C7H8)][CB11H6Cl6]‚2C7H8 (2), [Fe(TPP)(C8H10)][Ag(CB11H6Br6)2]‚
arene (3), and [Fe(TPP)(C60)][F20-BPh4]‚2.5dichlorobenzene (4) show distinctively short Fe‚‚‚C contacts, in
the range 2.65-2.95 Å, which distinguish ligation from π-π cocrystallized solvation. Dihedral angles between
the arene and metalloporphyrin planes are also diagnostic of ligand versus solvate roles. The essential features
of the arene coordination can be faithfully reproduced using density functional theory. In contrast to alkali
metal cation/π-arene interactions, a component of the covalent bonding can be recognized. In a broader context,
this study suggests that solvents such as benzene should always be viewed as potential ligands in the presence
of coordinatively unsaturated cations. The common use in supramolecular chemistry of the term “noncovalent”
to describe entities with metal-ligand bonds is viewed as misleading.
Introduction
not easily recognized in nonpolar arenes because they are
disguised as quadrupoles,8 are important in defining the
structures of π-π interactions. Particular success has been
encountered with porphyrins.9 In the π interactions of arenes
with soft, main group metals such as Ag+ and Tl+, some degree
of covalent bonding must be important,10,11 although the
interaction remains relatively weak. The π complexation of
arenes to phosphoazonium cations raises questions of electro-
static versus covalent contributions.12 In the π complexation of
electrophiles such as NO+ to arenes, a charge-transfer interaction
(i.e., covalence) is clearly an important component of the
bonding.13 In transition metal chemistry, η2 π complexes of
arenes to metals with partially filled d orbitals, e.g., Os(NH3)5-
(arene)2+, can have strong covalent bonding.14 In organic
chemistry, electrophiles can show strong covalent bonding to
arenes in σ complexes (so-called Wheland intermediates),15
although in the case of R3Si(toluene)+ and (C6F5)3Al(toluene),
it has been suggested that these structure should be viewed as
points on a continuum of hybrid structures between (strong) σ
and (weaker) π ideals.16-18 Weak carbocation-π interactions
have very recently received theoretical attention.19
The combination of modern theory and experiment is
beginning to illuminate which fundamental forces are involved
in the various classes of weak interactions of arenes with
molecules and ions. Supramolecular chemistry,1 crystal engi-
neering,2,3 protein structure,4 enzymatic catalysis,5 and organo-
metallic catalysis6 are some of the fields that will profit from a
better understanding of these interactions.
The electron-rich nature of an arene HOMO lends itself to
van der Waals, electrostatic, and covalent (donor) interactions.
In the weak π bonding of arenes with hard metal cations,
electrostatic forces typically predominate.5 For example, ap-
proximately 60% of the binding energy of benzene to Na+ is
estimated to be electrostatic.7 Induced dipoles are believed to
be next most important. In the most well known of all weak
arene interactions, face-to-face π-π stacking or solvation, it is
becoming clear that van der Waals forces alone do not account
for their wide existence. Attractive σ-π electrostatic forces,
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
chris.reed@ucr.edu and pdw.boyd@auckland.ac.nz.
† University of California, Riverside.
‡ The University of Auckland.
(8) Williams, J. H. Acc. Chem. Res. 1993, 26, 593.
(9) Hunter, C. A.; Sanders, J. K. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 5525.
(10) Schmidbauer, H. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1985, 24, 893.
(11) Basch, H. Inorg. Chim. Acta 1996, 242, 191.
(12) Burford, N.; Clyburne, J. A. C.; Bakshi, P. K.; Cameron, T. S.
Organometallics 1995, 14, 1578.
§ Present address: University of Maryland.
Present address: Nebraska Wesleyan University.
| Present address: Chinese University of Hong Kong.
(1) Chem. Eur. J. 1998, 4, 1349-1383 (special issue on supramolecular
chemistry).
(2) Desiraju, G. R. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1995, 34, 2311.
(3) Scudder, M.; Dance, I. J. Chem. Soc., Dalton Trans. 1998, 3155.
(4) Burley, S. K.; Petsko, G. A. AdV. Protein Chem. 1988, 39, 125.
(5) Ma, J. C.; Dougherty, D. A. Chem. ReV. 1997, 97, 1303.
(6) Eisch, J. J.; Pombrik, S. I.; Zheng, G.-X. Organometallics 1993, 12,
3856.
(13) Kim, E. K.; Kochi, J. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 4962.
(14) Harmon, W. D.; Taube, H. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 1883.
(15) (a) Reed, C. A.; Fackler, N. L. P.; Kim, K.-C.; Stasko, D.; Evans,
D. R.; Boyd, P. D. W.; Rickard, C. E. F. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121,
6314. (b) Rathore, R.; Hecht, J.; Kochi, J. K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120,
13278.
(7) Mecozzi, S.; West, A. P., Jr.; Dougherty, D. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1996, 118, 2307.
(16) Reed, C. A.; Xie, Z.; Bau, R.; Benesi, A. Science 1993, 262, 402.
(17) Reed, C. A. Acc. Chem. Res. 1998, 31, 325.
10.1021/ja9910816 CCC: $18.00 © 1999 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 09/03/1999

π-Arene/Cation Structure and Bonding
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999 8467
In a recent X-ray crystal structure, the first to apparently
contain the long sought “free” Fe(TPP)+ ion (TPP ) tetraphen-
ylporphinate),20 we observed a close interaction of an iron(III)
porphyrin with a cocrystallized p-xylene molecule, derived from
the solvent. Some features of the structure were typical of π-π
solvation, but the short Fe‚‚‚Carene distance (2.89 Å) and the
canting of the arene plane relative to the porphyrin plane
(dihedral angle 13°) suggested the beginnings of η2 metal-
ligand covalent bonding. The structure was significantly different
from that of [Mn(TPP)(H2O)][SbF6]‚benzene, where the sol-
vating arene was nearly coplanar with the porphyrin and the
shortest Mn-C distance was 3.32 Å.21 This raised the question
of whether the arene in the iron complex was acting as a solvate
or a ligand (or both). A few further questions arise: How well
does molecular structure reflect the different bonding modes,
and are they distinct? Although such bonding is obviously very
weak, does it have a covalent component? If so, what are the
relative contributions of van der Waals, electrostatic, and
covalent bonding? In this paper, we explore these questions via
systematic X-ray structural investigations on new weak com-
plexes of Fe(TPP)+ with arenes and with C60, together with
calculations using nonlocal density functional theory.
Figure 1. Stereoscopic packing diagram for [Fe(TPP)(C6H6)][CB11H6-
Br6]‚3.5C6H6 (1).
Results and Discussion
Synthesis and Structure. Hexahalocarborane anions, CB11-
H6X6 (X ) Cl, Br), or their silver complex ions, [Ag(CB11-
-
Figure 2. Relationship of the two benzene molecules to the Fe(TPP)+
cation in 1.
H6X6)2]-, are very weakly coordinating anions with Lewis
basicities similar to those of common arenes.22 As a result, we
can expect solvents such as benzene and toluene to compete
with these anions for a vacant coordination site. In a labile
system such as Fe(TPP)Y (Y ) weakly coordinating anion),
the solution equilibrium of eq 1 can be biased to either side by
crystal forces during crystallization.
role is illustrated for benzene in the structure around the Fe-
(TPP)+ cation in 1 (see Figure 1). The relationship of the two
close-approaching benzene molecules to the cation suggests that
one is primarily a ligand, while the other is a solvate. For the
ligated benzene (top in Figure 2), the closest Fe‚‚‚C approach
is short (2.82 Å), and the Fe atom is 0.16 Å out of the mean
plane of the 24-atom porphyrin core toward it. The plane of
the benzene ring is canted by 14.4° with respect to the mean
porphyrin plane. The other benzene is farther away from the
iron atom (shortest Fe‚‚‚C ) 3.18 Å) and is canted by 31.1°
from the porphyrin plane. These features are similar to those
of the corresponding p-xylene structure,20 which also had one
close-approaching and one more distant arene. The occurrence
of guest molecules above and/or below the plane of four-
coordinate TPP complexes (i.e., the formation of clathrates) is
a highly conserved feature of tetraarylporphyrin lattices and is
driven by the difficulty of packing symmetrical bulky objects
efficiently.25
The corresponding structure with toluene is somewhat dif-
ferent. As shown in Figure 3, only one arene molecule is
incorporated within close proximity to the ferric ion. It clearly
takes a ligand role (shortest Fe‚‚‚C ) 2.71 Å), but instead of a
second solvating arene in the vicinity of the sixth coordination
site, the porphyrin adopts a slipped face-to-face relationship with
itself. This is a common structural motif for four- and five-
coordinate porphyrin complexes, and the mean interplanar
separation of 3.53 Å is typical.26
Fe(TPP)Y + arene h Fe(TPP)(arene)+ + Y-
(1)
By systematic variation of the anions, the nature of the arene
solvent, and crystallization conditions, it is possible to isolate
X-ray-quality single crystals of most of the possible combina-
tions of neutral and ionic complexes. The neutral compounds
Fe(TPP)(CB11H6Br6) and Fe(TPP)(Ag(CB11H6X6)2) will be
reported in a future publication,23 in connection with their
interesting magnetochemical properties.24 Crystals of the ionic
species with benzene in [Fe(TPP)(C6H6)][CB11H6Br6]‚3.5C6H6
(1) and with toluene in [Fe(TPP)(C7H8)][CB11H6Cl6]‚2C7H8 (2)
have been isolated from benzene and toluene solutions, respec-
tively. Their structures can be compared with those of the
previously isolated p-xylene-containing species [Fe(TPP)-
(C8H10)][Ag(CB11H6Br6)2]‚arene (3). In addition, we have
crystallized a fullerene adduct, [Fe(TPP)(C60)][F20-BPh4]‚
2.5dichlorobenzene (4), which shows a very short Fe‚‚‚C
contact.
Arene solvent interactions with Fe(TPP)+ seem to be neces-
sary for the crystallization of ionic rather than neutral complexes.
They apparently displace the coordinated anion and fill lattice
space to keep the anions and cations well separated. This dual
Table 1 compares the metric parameters for close-approaching
benzene, toluene, and p-xylene interactions with Fe(TPP)+ in
1, 2, and 3. In each case, the arene can be viewed as an η2
ligand. The average Fe-C distance increases in the nonho-
mologous order toluene < benzene < p-xylene, suggesting that
(18) Hair, G. S.; Cowley, A. H.; Jones, R. A.; McBurnett, B. G.; Voigt,
A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1999, 121, 4922.
(19) Miklis, P. C.; Ditchfield, R.; Spencer, T. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998,
120, 10482.
(20) Xie, Z.; Bau, R.; Reed, C. A. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl. 1994,
33, 2433.
(21) Williamson, M. M.; Hill, C. L. Inorg. Chem. 1987, 26, 4155.
(22) Reed, C. A. Acc. Chem. Res. 1998, 31, 133.
(23) Evans, D. E.; Reed, C. A. Submitted for publication.
(24) Reed, C. A.; Guiset, F. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1996, 118, 3281.
(25) Byrn, M. P.; Curtis, C. J.; Hsiou, Y.; Khan, S. I.; Sawin, P. A.;
Tendick, S. K.; Terzis, A.; Strouse, C. E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115,
9480.
(26) Scheidt, W. R.; Lee, Y. J. In Structure and Bonding; Springer-
Verlag: Berlin, 1987; p 1.

8468 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999
EVans et al.
using density functional theory. It has recently been shown that
this method gives the appropriate delocalized structures for the
porphyrin moiety,28-32 whereas Hartree-Fock theory leads to
structures corresponding to frozen resonance forms.33 The
calculations include electron correlation, which is an important
part of the description of the electronic structure of iron
porphyrins.34
(i) [Fe(porphine)]+. A full geometry optimization of the [Fe-
(porphine)]+ cation using nonlocal density functional methods
indicates that the lowest energy state for this system is the
intermediate spin state, S ) 3/2. The energies of the S ) 1/2 and
5
S ) /2 states lie 0.31 and 1.36 eV, respectively, above the
3
ground state. The computed geometry of the S ) /2 complex
has D4h symmetry. The iron atom sits in the plane of the
porphyrin ring. The Fe-N bond length of 1.96 Å is consistent
with expectations for an intermediate spin planar iron(III)
complex based on the spin state-structure correlations of
Figure 3. Stereoscopic packing diagram for [Fe(TPP)(C7H8)][CB11H6-
Cl6]‚2C7H8 (2).
Table 1. Summary of Structural Parameters for [Fe(TPP)(Arene)]+
in Complexes 1, 2, and 3 and for Fe(TPP)(C60)+ in 4
5
1
Scheidt and Reed.35 For the S ) /2 and S ) /2 structures, the
Fe-N distances are calculated to be 2.03 and 1.97 Å, respec-
tively. The other bond distances and angles agree well with
reported data for iron metalloporphyrins.28
benzene
2.817, 2.878 2.710, 2.927 2.948, 2.948 2.570, 2.690,
(av 2.85) (av 2.82) (av 2.95) 3.082, 3.143
1.975 (4) 1.974(4)
toluene
p-xylene
C60
Fe-C (Å)
Fe-Nav (Å) 1.959 (10) 1.974 (3)
(ii) [Fe(porphine)(benzene)]+. The molecular geometry of
[Fe(porphine)(benzene)]+ was optimized with the iron atom in
the intermediate S ) 3/2 spin state. The benzene molecule binds
to the iron atom in an η2 fashion, and, with no symmetry
restraints, the Fe-C distances are 2.81 and 2.76 Å. The overall
point group symmetry of the complex is close to Cs. Optimiza-
tion of the complex using a model with imposed Cs symmetry
gives a structure of insignificantly different energy (0.23 kcal/
mol). The iron atom lies 0.16 Å out of the mean plane of the
porphine toward the benzene carbon atoms, with an Fe-C
distance of 2.79 Å. The average Fe-N distance is 1.97 Å. The
benzene molecule is canted with respect to the porphine plane
by 14.8°. The benzene C-C bond η2 with respect to the iron
atom (1.392 Å) is lengthened relative to that calculated for
isolated benzene (1.381 Å). The binding energy of the benzene
molecule to the iron porphyrin cation was calculated to be -14.6
kcal/mol.
Fe‚‚‚CtPa (Å) 0.16
P24‚‚‚Arb 14.4°
0.15
0.07
12.6°
0.015
-
16.4°
a CtP ) Center of least-squares plane defined by the 24-atom
porphyrin core (P24). b Ar ) Least-squares plane defined by the six
carbon atoms of the ligated arene core.
the stronger electronic interactions expected for the more
electron-rich arenes are outweighed by steric effects once two
methyl groups are attached to the benzene. The average iron-
nitrogen distance in these complexes is 1.97 (1) Å. This is
comparable to the shortest reported value in an iron(III)
tetraphenylporphyrin complex, that of 1.961 (5) Å in the
carborane anion-coordinated species Fe(TPP)(CB11H12).27 The
shortness of the Fe-N distances reflects the weakness of the
arene interactions and suggests a very close approach to a “pure”
3
S ) /2 spin state expected for the bare Fe(TPP)+ cation, i.e.,
2
2
where there is complete depopulation of the antibonding dx -y
(iii) [Fe(porphine)(toluene)]+ and [Fe(porphine)(p-xy-
lene)]+. The molecular geometries of the toluene and p-xylene
complexes of iron porphine were calculated as above. In the
toluene complex, there are two possible η2 bonding situations.
One has the ortho and meta carbon atoms binding to the iron
atom, while the other, as found experimentally, has the meta
and para carbon atoms bound. Calculation shows that both
modes are possible and that only a 0.2 kcal/mol difference exists
between them, indicating the flatness of the arene-iron por-
phyrin potential surface. In the p-xylene complex, the C-C
bonds to the methyl groups lie parallel to an N-Fe-N vector,
and the ortho and meta carbon atoms are bound to the iron atom
in an η2 mode (Figure 5). This is the same as what is observed
experimentally. In both the toluene and xylene cases, the
dimensions of the iron porphyrin moiety and the orientation of
the arene are similar to those calculated for the [Fe(TPP)-
(benzene)]+ cation.
orbital, whose lobes are directed along the Fe-N bonds.23 Fe-
(TPP)(CB11H12) has been analyzed in terms of an admixed S )
5
3
3/2, /2 spin state, with 92% S ) /2 contribution.27
The small size of the iron atom, compared to the relaxed
porphyrin hole size, is responsible for the saddle-shaped ruffling
of the porphyrin cores seen in all three structures.26 As can be
seen in the displacement diagrams shown in Figure 4, the
particular pattern of ruffling appears to be influenced by steric
effects from the arene methyl groups in the toluene and p-xylene
structures. Because the ruffling leads to local variations in
planarity of the porphyrin core, we do not attempt to put a fine
interpretation on the trend in the dihedral angles (cant angles)
between the ligand arene planes and the porphyrin mean planes.
In fact, the canting is remarkably similar in all three structures
(15 ( 3°). Similarly, local effects make it difficult to place any
interpretation on the cant angles of the lattice-filling solvate
arenes. Small, local electrostatic influences are likely to control
the particular orientation of weak π-π interactions with some
of these lattice solvates, and, because of packing inefficiencies,
they can take unpredictable orientations.
(28) Matsuzawa, N.; Ata, M.; Dixon, D. A. J. Phys. Chem. 1995, 99,
7698.
(29) Delley, B. Physica B 1991, 172, 185.
(30) Obara, S.; Kashiwagi, H. J. Chem. Phys. 1982, 77, 3155.
(31) Jones, D. H.; Hinman, A. S.; Ziegler, T. Inorg. Chem. 1993, 32,
2092.
(32) Ghosh, A.; Almlo¨f, J.; Que, L. J. Phys. Chem. 1994, 98, 5576.
(33) Almlo¨f, J.; Fischer, T. H.; Gassman, P. G.; Ghosh, A.; Ha¨ser, M. J.
Phys. Chem. 1993, 97, 10964.
Calculated Molecular Structures. The molecular and elec-
tronic structures of the cationic porphine complexes [Fe-
(porphine)]+, [Fe(porphine)(benzene)]+, [Fe(porphine)(tolu-
ene)]+, and [Fe(porphine)(p-xylene)]+ have been investigated
(34) Kuramochi, H.; Noodleman, L.; Case, D. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
1997, 119, 11442.
(27) Gupta, P. G.; Lang, G.; Lee, Y. J.; Scheidt, W. R.; Shelly, K.; Reed,
C. A. Inorg. Chem. 1987, 26, 3022.
(35) Scheidt, W. R.; Reed, C. A. Chem. ReV. 1981, 81, 543.

π-Arene/Cation Structure and Bonding
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999 8469
Figure 4. Displacements (in 10-3 Å) of atoms from the mean plane of the 24-atom porphyrin core for (a) benzene complex 1, (b) toluene complex
2, and (c) p-xylene complex 3. Positive values are for atoms above the plane, negative values below.
an increasing interaction with increasing basicity of the arene.
In the experimental data, on solid-state TPP rather than in vacuo
porphine complexes, steric effects apparently lead to the opposite
ordering. The average calculated Fe-C distances are 2.79 Å
for benzene, 2.72 Å for toluene, and 2.75 Å for p-xylene. As
with the experimental data, the lack of an homologous trend
must result from a competition between electronic effects and
local steric effects. The steric effects of the methyl groups are
minimized by the electronically desirable nestling of their C-H
bonds close to the centers of pyrrole rings. This can be seen
for xylene in Figure 5 and is similar in the toluene structure.
The planes of the arenes are canted with respect to the porphyrin
mean plane by 14.8, 14.9, and 18.6° for benzene, toluene, and
xylene, respectively, not very different from those determined
experimentally. This suggests that a canting of ca. 15° is an
Figure 5. Plane projection of the calculated molecular structure for
intrinsic feature of the arene/iron porphyrin interaction. Con-
sistent with increasing basicity, the arene binding energies
increase in the order benzene < toluene < p-xylene, mirroring
the trend in Fe atom out-of-plane displacements. The calcula-
tions reveal a small alternation of C-C bond lengths in the
coordinated arenes, the expected result of some degree of π
localization. However, at ca. 0.01 Å, these are at the margins
of statistical significance in the experimental data.
the [Fe(porphine)(p-xylene)]+ cation.
Table 2. Properties Calculated for Iron Porphines Using DFT
[Fe(porph)- [Fe(porph)- [Fe(porph)-
[Fe(porph)]+ (benzene)]+ (toluene)]+ (p-xylene)]+
Fe-N (Å)
1.958
1.379
1.410
1.354
1.365
-
1.970 (av) 1.967 (av)
1.374 (av) 1.374 (av)
1.415 (av) 1.415 (av)
1.351 (av) 1.351 (av)
1.366 (av) 1.367 (av)
1.967 (av)
1.367 (av)
1.415 (av)
1.351 (av)
1.367 (av)
1.391
1.390
1.383
1.381
1.383
N-CR (Å)
CR-Câ (Å)
Câ-Cm (Å)
CR-Cm (Å)
Cb1-Cb2 (Å)a
Cb2-Cb3 (Å)
Cb3-Cb4 (Å)
Cb4-Cb5 (Å)
Cb5-Cb6 (Å)
Cb6-Cb1 (Å)
Fe-C (Å)
The agreement between the calculated and experimental
structures is very satisfying. Nevertheless, we decided it would
be worthwhile to calculate the effect of a solvating arene on
the opposite face of the porphyrin in an [Fe(TPP)(arene)]+
structure. The dimensions of [Fe(porphine)(benzene)]+ were
compared with and without solvates held at crystallographically
determined positions. Full geometry optimization with a sol-
vating benzene molecule positioned as in 1 gave a structure
showing only small changes in the arene-porphine binding
parameters. This is not too surprising because, with an arene-
to-porphyrin cant angle of 31.1°, the solvating benzene in 1 is
not well positioned for good π-π interactions. However, full
geometry optimization places the solvating benzene molecule
in a nearly coplanar position (cant angle 5°), as found in the
p-xylene structure 3. The iron atom is pulled back toward the
porphyrin plane (Fe‚‚‚Ctp ) 0.15 Å), and the Fe-C distances
are lengthened to 2.99 Å. This finding supports experimental
1.392
1.386
1.376
1.382
1.376
1.386
2.794
0.19
1.391
1.385
1.374
1.392
1.380
1.385
2.725, 2.766 2.749
0.18
14.9°
-16.0
-
-
-
-
-
1.390
-
Fe‚‚‚CtPb (Å)
P24‚‚‚Arc
BE (kcal/m)
0.0
-
0.24
18.6°
-17.9
14.8°
-14.4
-
a Cb1 and Cb2 are the coordinated carbon atoms. b CtP is the center
of the mean plane of the 24-atom porphyrin core (P24). c Cant angle
between the mean plane of the 24-atom porphyrin core and the mean
plane of the 6-atom arene ring.
Data for all three complexes are compared in Table 2. The
iron atoms are displaced from the porphyrin plane by 0.19 Å
for benzene, 0.18 Å for toluene, and 0.24 Å for xylene, reflecting

8470 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999
EVans et al.
Figure 6. Molecular orbital energy levels for the [Fe(porphine)(benzene]+ cation.
findings in manganese tetraphenylporphyrin chemistry21 and has
wider significance. It suggests caution in trying to put too fine
an interpretation on out-of-plane displacements in metallopor-
phyrins when the presence or absence of solvation near a vacant
site is not taken into account. This comment also applies to the
effects of face-to-face orientation in metalloporphyrins.
Molecular Orbitals and Charge Distribution. Ligand field
theory predicts the ground-state electronic structure of the [Fe-
e), indicating effective charge delocalization over the Fe-
(porphine) moiety.
The relative contributions of Pauli repulsion, orbital, and
electrostatic contributions to the binding energy have been
analyzed in terms of iron porphine and benzene fragment
orbitals.36 The Pauli, electrostatic, and orbital contributions to
the binding energy of the two unrelaxed fragments are 23.5,
-32.5, and -30.6 kcal/mol (total -39.6), respectively. This can
be compared with values of 9.7, -19.0, and -14.2 kcal/mol
(total -23.5) for the sodium cation-benzene complex and 6.1,
-5.3, and -12.8 kcal/mol (total -12.0) for the sodium cation-
1,3,5-trifluorobenzene complex.7 In the sodium cation-arene
complexes, it has previously been estimated, from inspection
of electrostatic potential maps, that the electrostatic contribution
to the binding energy of the sodium ion to benzene and 1,3,5
trifluorobenzene is ca. 60% and 0.0%, respectively. Intriguingly,
these variations are mirrored by the “steric repulsion” (the sum
of the Pauli and electrostatic terms, which represent ca. 63%
and -6% of the binding energy, respectively). In these terms,
the benzene-iron porphine complex has a steric repulsion
contribution of 23% and thus a significantly higher orbital
contribution than for the alkali metal-arene complexes. This
covalence is in keeping with the observed benzene-iron d
orbital interactions.
+
3
2
2
(porphine)] cation to be intermediate S ) /2 spin, with dx -y
unoccupied. A spin-unrestricted DFT calculation assigns dif-
ferent spatial orbitals for the different spins, so it can be difficult
to directly relate these results to a ligand field model. However,
in this case, it is clear that the occupied d orbitals for R spins
are z2, xy, xz, and yz, while for the â spins only the xy orbital
is occupied. These may be mapped to an (xy)2(z2)1(xz,yz)2 ligand
field configuration.
An examination of the form of the molecular orbitals in the
[Fe(TPP)(benzene)]+ cation (Figure 6) indicates that the only
significant covalent interaction between benzene and iron(III)
2
porphine involves the e1g HOMO of benzene and the dz orbital
of iron. This bonding interaction with one component of the
e1g is illustrated in blue in Figure 7a. For comparison, the
interaction of the other component of the e1g with dxz is weak
(Figure 7b).
Mulliken population analysis of the charge distribution for
the [Fe(TPP)(benzene)]+ cation indicates an overall transfer of
charge from the benzene to iron porphine of 0.1992 e. However,
there is little change in the electron density at the iron atom
upon binding benzene (decreasing slightly from 0.9228 to 0.8725
C
60 Coordination to Fe(TPP)+. The interplay of electronic
and steric factors in the binding of arenes to Fe(TPP)+ prompted
(36) Morokuma, K. J. Chem. Phys. 1971, 55, 1236. Ziegler, T.; Rauk,
A. Theor. Chim. Acta 1977, 49, 1. Van den Hoek, P. J.; Kleyn, A. W.;
Baerends, E. J. Comments At. Phys. 1989, 23, 93.

π-Arene/Cation Structure and Bonding
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999 8471
2
Figure 7. (a) Bonding interaction of one component of the e1g orbital of benzene with dz on iron (â spin). (b) Bonding interaction of the other
component of the e1g of benzene with dxz on iron (R spin).
us to consider the curved aromatic surface of C60 as a
comparable ligand. The electron-rich 6:6 ring juncture C-C
bonds of C60 are less sterically hindered than the C-C bonds
of an arene, and coordination of C60 to metals is believed to be
enhanced by the release of curvature strain.37 We had explored
this possibility earlier with chromium tetraphenylporphyrin
complexes, only to find that toluene preferentially crystallized
to RuII(OEP) (OEP ) octaethylporphyrinate) being detected by
NMR and IR spectroscopy.40 Ruthenium(II) is a relatively soft,
low-valent metal center, so the binding of C60 to a hard iron-
(III) center in the present work represents a potential new class
of fullerene-metal coordination. Fullerene interactions with Zn-
(TPP) are the apparent basis of a chromatographic separation
of fullerenes on a stationary phase having Zn(TPP) appended
to silica,41 and a 2Co(OEP)‚C60 cocrystallate has been isolated.39
However, the fullerene/porphyrin interactions in these situations
are not believed to involve metal ligand bonding.
-
with CrII(TPP) and that C60 could not compete with THF
solvent for coordination to CrIII(TPP)+.38 A fairly large number
of low-valent transition metal complexes of fullerenes have been
reported,39 and their bonding is generally viewed as covalent.
Only while this manuscript was being prepared did the first
example with a metalloporphyrin appear, coordination of C60
Figure 8 shows the unit cell packing diagram for the X-ray
crystal structure of [Fe(TPP)(C60)][F20-BPh4]‚2.5dichlorobenzene
(4). C60 is coordinated to one side of the Fe(TPP)+ cation. On
(37) Haddon, R. C. J. Comput. Chem. 1998, 19, 139.
(38) Penicaud, A.; Hsu, J.; Reed, C. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113,
6698.
(40) Maruyama, H.; Fujiwara, M.; Tanaka, K. Chem. Lett. 1998, 805.
(41) (a) Xiao, J.; Savina, M. R.; Martin, G. B.; Francis, A. H.; Meyerhoff,
M. E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1994, 116, 9341. (b) Xiao, J.; Meyerhoff, M. E.
J. Chromatogr. 1995, 715, 19.
(39) Balch, A. L.; Olmstead, M. M. Chem. ReV. 1998, 98, 2123.

8472 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999
EVans et al.
Figure 8. Stereoscopic packing diagram of the unit cell in [Fe(TPP)-
(C60)][F20-BPh4]‚2.5 dichlorobenzene (4).
Figure 10. Displacements (in 10-3 Å) of atoms from the mean plane
of the 24-atom porphyrin core for the [Fe(TPP)(C60)]+ cation in 4
together with the 6:6 ring juncture C atoms of C60 that are coordinated.
type ruffling in 4 is, however, considerably greater than that in
1 or 3. The appropriate displacement diagram is shown in Figure
10 for comparison to Figure 4. The average displacements for
the CR, Câ, and Cmeso atoms are 0.115, 0.360, and 0.057 Å,
respectively, compared to 0.017, 0.039, and 0.028 Å for 1, 0.103,
0.180, and 0.180 for Fe(OClO3)(TPP),43 and 0.390, 1.079, and
0.050 Å for the heavily distorted Zn(MeOH)(OETPP).44
The structure of [Fe(TPP)(C60)]+ presages a new class of
fullerene complexes and bonding modes that remain to be fully
understood. In the cocrystallate 2Co(OEP)‚C60, where face-to-
face Co(OEP) dimers sandwich C60 units in an infinite chain
structure, metal-fullerene covalent bonding is believed to be
absent.39 This is based on the long Co-C distances (2.7-2.9
Å) and the absence of an out-of-plane displacement of the cobalt
atom. An alternate view is that the cobalt is weakly six-
coordinate with balancing Co-C and Co-N interactions (the
latter from the face-to-face porphyrin dimer). One interesting
observation about 4 concerns its color. Unlike van der Waals
fullerene/porphyrin conjugates, which retain the purple colors
of the individual chromophores,42 crystals of 4 are green. This
indicates fullerene-to-iron charge transfer and is consistent with
some degree of covalent Fe-C bonding. Such charge-transfer
complexes are of interest with respect to possible new organic
conductors.45
Figure 9. Molecular structure of the [Fe(TPP)(C60)]+ cation in 4.
the other side there is a dichlorobenzene molecule taking a
similar solvating role to the noncoordinated arenes seen in 1
and 3. The remainder of the space is filled by the F20-BPh4
-
anions and further lattice dichlorobenzene molecules. Inspection
-
of stereo packing diagrams reveals two F20-BPh4 anions
engaged in parallel fourfold fluorophenyl embrace (P4PE),
similar to those observed by Scudder and Dance in structures
of tetraphenylphosphonium cations.3
Figure 9 shows details of the coordination of C60 to Fe(TPP)+.
When projected onto the porphyrin plane, the coordinated C-C
bond is approximately aligned with an N-Fe-N vector of the
porphyrin. Unexpectedly, this olefinic 6:6 ring juncture bond
is coordinated in an unsymmetrical η2 fashion: Fe-C(av) )
2.63 and 3.11 Å. This close approach of a carbon atom to Fe is
shorter than those in any of the arene complexes 1-3 (see Table
1). The approach of C60 to the heme is also slightly closer than
those in the naturally assembling van der Waals complexes of
C60 to free-base tetraarylporphyrins (2.70-2.98 Å π-π separa-
tion).42 This suggests the presence of a covalent Fe-C interac-
tion, and one that is somewhat different from the familiar
symmetrical η2 binding of fullerenes to transition metals. The
iron atom is displaced 0.015 Å out of the mean 24-atom
porphyrin core and 0.045 Å out of the N4 plane toward the
fullerene, also suggestive of some covalent interaction. The Fe-
(TPP)+ moiety has essentially the same dimensions as those
seen in the arene complexes 1-3, including a similar ruffling
of the porphyrin core to 1 and 3. The magnitude of the saddle
Conclusion. This work establishes a covalent component to
the weak binding of arenes to iron(III) porphyrin cations. A
similar situation with fullerenes is likely. It requires that benzene
should be considered a bone fide ligand, even to such hard
metals as Fe(III). This complexation has distinctive structural
features that differentiate it from π-π solvation or a purely
electrostatic attraction, although it is likely there is a continuum
of interactions between these definitional ideals. The M-C
distances and cant angles of Co(F28-TPP)‚2toluene,46 Mn(TPP)‚
(43) Reed, C. A.; Mashiko, T.; Bentley, S. P.; Kastner, M. E.; Scheidt,
W. R.; Spartalian, K.; Lang, G. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 2948.
(44) Barkigia, K. M.; Berber, M. D.; Fajer, J.; Medforth, C. J.; Renner,
M.; Smith, K. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 8851.
(45) Mart´ın, N.; Sa´nchez, L.; Illescas, B.; Pe´rez, I. Chem. ReV. 1998,
98, 2527.
(42) Boyd, P. D. W.; Hodgson, M. C.; Rickard, C. E. F.; Oliver, A. G.;
Brothers, P. J.; Bolskar, R. D.; Reed, C. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc., in press.
(46) Smirnov, V. V.; Woller, E. K.; DiMagno, S. G. Inorg. Chem. 1998,
37, 4971.

π-Arene/Cation Structure and Bonding
J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999 8473
Table 3. Crystal Data and Structure Refinement Information for Compounds 1, 2, and 4
identification code
[FeTPP(C6H6)][CB11H6Br6]‚
3.5C6H6 (1)
[FeTPP(C7H8)][CB11H6Cl6]‚
2C7H8 (2)
[FeTPP(C60)][B(C6F5)4]‚
2.5C6H4Cl2
empirical formula
formula weight
temperature, K
wavelength, Å
crystal system, space group
unit cell dimensions
a, Å
C72H61BllBr6FeN4
1636.50
158(2)
0.710 73
triclinic, P1h
C66H58BllBr6FeN4 (??)
1561.41
173(2)
0.710 73
triclinic, P1h
C137H38BF20FeCl5N4
2363.72
203(2)
0.710 73
triclinic, P1h
13.4685(7)
13.7905(7)
13.877(3)
13.916(4)
14.4297(2)
18.2913(3)
b, Å
c, Å
19.4425(10)
106.5120(10)
92.1570(10)
94.5300(10)
3444.6(3)
2, 1.578
3.745
1624
15.989(3)
105.31(2)
95.720(10)
100.06(2)
2897.5(12)
2, 1.417
0.583
1262
20.4113(2)
75.711(1)
75.303(1)
74.335(1)
4924.68(20)
2, 1.390
0.457
2053.7
R, deg
â, deg
γ, deg
volume, Å3
Z, calcd density, Mg/m3
absorption coefficient, mm-1
F(000)
crystal size, mm
θ range (data collection), deg
limiting indices
0.23 × 0.16 × 0.13
0.6 × 0. 7 × 0.4
0.4 × 0.3 × 0.15
1.09-28.36
1.34-23.63
1.0-25.0
-17 e h e 17
-18 e k e 18
-25 e l e 25
34 298/15 648 [Rint ) 0.0563]
semiempirical via SADABS
0.624 898/0.487 799
full-matrix least-squares on F2
15 645/0/842
1.034
-13 e h e 13
-13 e k e 13
-16 e l e 15
7218/6230 [Rint ) 0.027 21]
semiempirical via Ψ-Scans
0.934/0.847
-16 e h e 17
-20 e k e 21
0 e l e 24
45 498/19 665 [Rint ) 0.0321]
semiempirical via SADABS
0.9347/0.8385
full-matrix least-squares on F2
17 152/1387/1955
1.015
no. of reflections collected/unique
absorption correction
max/min transmission
refinement method
full-matrix least-squares on F2
6227/0/708
data/restraints/parameters
goodness-of-fit on F2
1.100
rinal R indices [I > 2σ(I)]
R1 ) 0.0565
R1 ) 0.0561
wR2 ) 0.1498
R1 ) 0.0711
wR2 ) 0.1681
0.0151(12)
R1 ) 0.0926
wR2 ) 0.0882
R1 ) 0.1080
wR2 ) 0.2586
R1 ) 0.1265
R indices (all data)
wR2 ) 0.1083
wR2 ) 0.2957
extinction coefficient
largest diff peak and hole, e Å-3
0.598 and -0.666
0.936 and -0.652
2.152 and -1.269
2toluene,47 and Co(F20-TPP)‚benzene48 (3.05, 3.05, and 3.09
Å, and 11.9°, 10.7°, and 6.0° respectively) suggest a progression
of decreasing covalence toward the van der Waals ideal.
In a broader context, this study suggests that solvents such
as benzene must be considered as potential ligands in any
situation where coordinatively unsaturated cations are generated.
Indeed, the recent characterization of a heptane complex of an
iron(II) porphyrin49 suggests there is really no such thing as a
noncoordinating solvent. Many vacant coordination sites in
solution-phase chemistry are best viewed as convenient fictions
unless solvent molecules are physically excluded by steric
effects. One suspects that in even the simplest of Lewis acid-
base adducts, there is covalence in the interaction. Certainly
the rather common use in supramolecular chemistry of the term
“noncovalent” to describe entities brought together with metal-
ligand bonds50 must be viewed as potentially misleading. The
term “coordinatively bonded” is preferable.
(C7H8)][CB11H6Cl6]‚2C7H8 (2) was prepared by metathesis with Fe-
(TPP)(Br) and Ag(CB11H6Cl6) in refluxing toluene. The precipitated
AgBr was removed by filtration through a medium- then a fine-porosity
frit, and crystals suitable for X-ray analysis were grown by slow
evaporation. [Fe(TPP)][F20-BPh4] was prepared by metathesis of Fe-
(TPP)Br with Et3Si[F20-BPh4]51 in o-dichlorobenzene and isolated by
precipitation with hexane. [Fe(TPP)(C60)][F20-BPh4] was prepared by
mixing [Fe(TPP)][F20-BPh4] with 1 equiv of C60 in a minimal amount
of o-dichlorobenzene. Hexane was added to precipitate the crude
product. Crystals of [Fe(TPP)(C60)][F20-BPh4]‚2.5dichlorobenzene (4)
suitable for X-ray crystallography were obtained by layering a
concentrated o-dichlorobenzene solution with hexanes in an 11-mm-
diameter sealed glass tube.
Computational Details. Density functional calculations were per-
formed using the Amsterdam Density Functional program.52 Double-ú
Slater-type basis sets were used for C(2s,2p), N(2s,2p), and H(1s)
augmented by a single 3d polarization function. A triple-ú basis set
was used for Fe(3s,3p,3d,4s). The inner electron configurations were
assigned to the core and were treated using the frozen core approxima-
tion. All calculations were carried out using the local density ap-
proximation due to Vosko, Wilk, and Nusair,53 with nonlocal corrections
for exchange due to Becke,54 with nonlocal corrections for correlation
due to Lee, Yang, and Parr.55 Full geometry optimizations were carried
out for the [Fe(porphine)]+ cation together with the benzene, toluene,
and p-xylene adducts. A symmetry-constrained optimization for [Fe-
(porphine)]+ and [Fe(TPP)(benzene)]+ using D4h and Cs symmetry,
respectively, gave the same structures and energies as the unconstrained
Experimental Section
Synthesis. All manipulations were carried out under anhydrous
conditions in an inert atmosphere glovebox. Fe(TPP)(CB11H6Br6) was
prepared by oxidizing Fe(TPP) with 1 equiv of [N(C6H4Br)3][CB11H6-
Br6] in a refluxing solution of benzene.23 Crystals of [Fe(TPP)-
(C6H6)][CB11H6Br6]‚3.5C6H6 (1) suitable for X-ray analysis were grown
from 10 mM solutions of benzene-d6 over a 2-month period. [Fe(TPP)-
(47) Kirner, J. F.; Reed, C. A.; Scheidt, W. R. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1977,
99, 1093.
(48) Kadish, K. M.; Araullo-McAdams, C.; Han, B. C.; Frazen, M. M.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 8364.
(49) Evans, D. R.; Drovetskaya, T.; Bau, R.; Reed, C. A.; Boyd. P. D.
W. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1997, 119, 3633.
(50) For a recent example, see: Armaroli, N.; Diederich, F.; Echegoyen,
L.; Habicher, T.; Flamigni, L.; Marconi, G.; Nierengarten, J.-F. New. J.
Chem. 1999, 77.
(51) Lambert, J. B.; Zhang, S.; Ciro, S. M. Organometallics 1994, 13,
2430.
(52) (a) ADF 2.3.0, Theoretical Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit, Amster-
dam. (b) Baerends, E. J.; Ellis, D. E.; Ros, P. Chem. Phys. 1973, 2, 41. (c)
te Velde, G.; Baerends, E. J. J. Comput. Phys. 1992, 99, 84.
(53) Vosko, S. H.; Wilk, L.; Nusair, M. Can. J. Phys. 1980, 58, 1200.
(54) Becke, A. D. Phys. ReV. A 1988, 38, 3098.
(55) Lee, C.; Yang, W.; Parr, R. G. Phys. ReV. B 1988, 37, 785.

8474 J. Am. Chem. Soc., Vol. 121, No. 37, 1999
EVans et al.
calculation. All open-shell calculations were spin unrestricted, with a
spin quartet (S ) /2) ground state.
was possible to resolve two C60 moieties, and these were refined under
bond length constraint. Three 1,2-dichlorobenzene solvent molecules
were identified from difference density maps. All were refined using
rigid groups for the benzene ring. The final R-factor was 9.4% on 11 847
reflections, with I > 2σ(I) (R1 ) 12.7% (all data)). It was apparent
that one solvent molecule was only half-occupied. While the final
refinement was satisfactory, it was apparent that the dichlorobenzene
solvent molecules were not well defined. To further investigate this,
the SQUEEZE function of the program PLATON59,60 was used to
examine the dichlorobenzene-containing cavities. It was found that the
total electron density in these cavities corresponded well to 2.5
dichlorobenzene molecules. A refinement using reflections modified
by the SQUEEZE procedure behaved well, and the geometries of the
fullerene, iron porphyrin, and borate anion were in good agreement
with the model above incorporating the dichlorobenzene molecules,
although, of course, the R-factors were significantly reduced. Essential
crystal and refinement data are given in Table 3. Full details are
available in the Supporting Information.
3
Crystallography. The single-crystal X-ray data collection for 1 was
performed on a Siemens P4/CCD diffractometer using Mo KR radiation
at -115 °C by Dr. Joseph W. Ziller at the University of California,
Irvine. The structure was solved by direct methods using SHELXTL
version 5.156 and refined on F2 by full-matrix least-squares techniques,
giving a final R1 value of 5.65% on 10 136 reflections, with I > 2σ(I)
(R1 ) 10.8 (all data)). All atoms, except the hydrogens, were refined
anisotropically, giving acceptable Uij values. The hydrogens were
located upon refinement but were allowed to refine using the riding
atom model. Data for 2 were collected using a Siemens P21 diffrac-
tometer using Mo KR radiation at a temperature of -100 °C at the
University of Southern California. The structure was solved using direct
methods as described for 1, with the exception that not all hydrogens
were located by refinement. The final R-factor was 5.61% on 5147
reflections, with I > 2σ(I) (R1 ) 7.11% (all data)). Data for 4 were
obtained on a Siemens SMART diffractometer with a CCD area detector
using Mo KR radiation at a temperature of -70 °C at The University
of Auckland. The structure was solved by direct methods using
SHELXS-9757 and refined on F2 using SHELXL-97.58 Hydrogen atoms
on the porphyrin molecule were incorporated at calculated positions
and included in the final refinement using a riding atom model. The
iron porphyrin and tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate moieties were clearly
defined in difference density maps. While the position of the fullerene
was clear, it was apparent that it was disordered. In this structure, it
Acknowledgment. We are grateful for support from the
National Institutes of Health (GM 23851), the Marsden Fund
of the Royal Society of New Zealand (UOA613), and The
University of Auckland Research Committee.
Supporting Information Available: Details of the X-ray
crystal structure determinations (PDF). This material is available
free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
(56) Sheldrick, G. M. Bruker AXS: Madison, WI, 1997.
(57) Sheldrick, G. M. SHELXS97, A Program for Crystal Structure
Solution; University of Go¨ttingen, Germany, 1997.
JA9910816
(58) Sheldrick, G. M. SHELXL97, A Program for Crystal Structure
Refinement; University of Go¨ttingen, Germany, 1997.
(59) Spek, A. L. Acta Crystallogr. 1990, A46, C34.
(60) Sluis, P. V. D.; Spek, A. L. Acta Crystallogr. 1990, A46, 194.