Tetrairidium Clusters Bearing Fullerene Ligands
A R T I C L E S
this relatively strong bonding mode exhibited remarkable
thermal and electrochemical stabilities, uniquely suitable for
various device applications3a in contrast to other previously
known C60-metal complexes. We have been interested in the
conversion of the existing C60 bonding modes to new ones, as
well as in the interconversion among them by changing the
coordination sphere of the metal cluster centers in C60-metal
cluster complexes. Our studies have revealed that π-type species
can transform into new σ-π mixed-type ones with µ3-η1:η2:
η1-C60 and µ3-η1:η1:η2-C60 ligands by modifying the coordina-
tion sphere of metals in the cluster, that is, the C60 bonding
mode can be remote-controlled by changing the metal cluster
environment.7 The C60-metal σ-complexes are known to be
very important starting materials for the selective functional-
ization of C60. By employing similar approaches, we have
observed the elusive µ-η2:η2-C60 bonding mode in the cluster
regime and furthermore have shown that the two bonding modes,
µ-η2:η2-C60 and µ3-η2:η2:η2-C60, are reversibly interconvertible
on an Os5C cluster framework.8 More importantly, we have
demonstrated an interesting strong electronic communication
between C60 and metal cluster centers, which can be readily
fine-tuned by control of electronic properties of the attached
ligands on the metal cluster center.3a In our previous work,
electrochemical studies of C60 derivatives of Re3,9 Os3,10 and
Rh611 clusters have revealed electronic communication between
cages. Thus far, however, a weak, through-space electronic
12
communication has been observed only for C120
,
C
120C,13
C
120O,14
C
120(CH2)2,15 and C120Si(C6H5)2,16 where the fullerenes
are directly bonded to each other or are separated by a single-
atom spacer such as carbon, oxygen, and silicon atoms. For
organic-based bisfullerenes with longer spacers, on the other
hand, no electronic communication has been observed.17 Inser-
tion of organic spacers between the two C60 cages results in
the transformation of the hybridization of C60 carbon atoms
involved in the spacer binding from sp2 to sp3, and consequently,
the electronic communication is possible only through space
via overlapped π-orbitals from the two separate C60 cages.
The C60-metal π-interaction in the µ3-η2:η2:η2-C60-metal
clusters little perturbs the C60 hybridization, as evidenced by
our earlier studies on the self-assembled monolayers,18 the
photovoltaic cell device application,19 and the X-ray structural
characterization of C60-metal cluster π-complexes.3a Thus, the
electronic properties of bisfullerene complexes with a metal
cluster spacer are expected to be drastically different from those
of organic-based bisfullerenes. In addition, C60-metal cluster
sandwich compounds should serve as direct models for two
carbon nanotubes connected by a heterogeneous inorganic
junction such as metal nanoparticles. We have recently dem-
onstrated that electron-withdrawing C60 cages can be connected
by a cluster bridge of octahedral hexarhodium, when the cluster
bridge is coordinated with electron-donating phosphine ligands.11
Cyclic voltammetric and theoretical studies of this bisfullerene-
Rh6 cluster sandwich complex, Rh6(CO)5(dppm)2(CNCH2Ph)-
(µ3-η2:η2:η2-C60)2, have shown the presence of unusually strong
electronic communication between the two C60 centers through
the hexarhodium cluster spacer, which is far stronger than that
observed for organic-based bisfullerenes (vide infra).11 Closely
following our report of the first hexarhodium bisfullerene
sandwich compound, Tang et al. reported the preparation of
monometallic bisfullerene sandwich compounds, [M(η2-C60)2-
(CO)2(dbcbipy)] (M ) W and Mo, dbcbipy ) 4,4′-di(butylcar-
boxyl)-2,2′-bipyridine), in which the two trans C60 ligands bind
to a single metal atom in an η2 fashion.20 This compound,
however, is electrochemically very unstable similarly as other
known η2-C60 metal complexes and reveals very weak inter-
fullerene electronic communication comparable to organic-based
bisfullerenes.21
C
60 and the metal cluster and also strong electronic interaction
between C60 cages through metal cluster spacers.
Bisfullerene compounds with two electroactive fullerene
centers are of special interest because the electronic com-
munication between the two C60 centers has practical implica-
tions for future applications. A number of bisfullerene com-
pounds with various organic spacers have been prepared in order
to effect the electronic communication between the two C60
(4) (a) Fagan, P. J.; Calabrese, J. C.; Malone, B. Science 1991, 252, 1160-
1161. (b) Balch, A. L.; Catalano, V. J.; Lee, J. W. Inorg. Chem. 1991, 30,
3980-3981. (c) Koefod, R. S.; Hudgens, M. F.; Shapley, J. R. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 1991, 113, 8957-8958. (d) Fagan, P. J.; Calabrese, J. C.; Malone, B.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1991, 113, 9408-9409. (e) Douthwaite, R. E.; Green,
M. L. H.; Stephens, A. H. H.; Turner, J. F. C. J. Chem. Soc., Chem.
Commun. 1993, 1522-1523. (f) Bashilov, V. V.; Petrovskii, P. V.; Sokolov,
V. I.; Lindeman, S. V.; Guzey, I. A.; Struchkov, Y. T. Organometallics
1993, 12, 991-992. (g) Balch, A. L.; Lee, J. W.; Noll, B. C.; Olmstead,
M. M. Inorg. Chem. 1993, 32, 3577-3578. (h) Hsu, H.-F.; Du, Y.; Albrecht-
Schmitt, T. E.; Wilson, S. R.; Shapley, J. R. Organometallics 1998, 17,
1756-1761.
(5) (a) Rasinkangas, M.; Pakkanen, T. T.; Pakkanen, T. A.; Ahlgre´n, M.;
Rouvinen, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 4901. (b) Mavunkal, I. J.; Chi,
Y.; Peng, S.-M.; Lee, G.-H. Organometallics 1995, 14, 4454-4456. (c)
Chernega, A. N.; Green, M. L. H.; Haggitt, J.; Stephens, A. H. H. J. Chem.
Soc., Dalton Trans. 1998, 755-767.
As an extension of our studies on the chemistry of C60-
metal cluster complexes, we have examined the interaction of
C60 with phosphine-substituted tetrahedral iridium clusters such
(6) (a) Sawamura, M.; Kuninobu, Y.; Nakamura, E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000,
122, 12407-12408. (b) Sawamura, M.; Kuninubo, Y.; Toganoh, M.;
Matsuo, Y.; Yamanaka, M.; Nakamura, E. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124,
9354-9355. (c) Matsuo, Y.; Nakamura, E. Organometallics 2003, 22,
2554-2563. (d) Kuninobu, Y.; Matsuo, Y.; Toganoh, M.; Sawamura, M.;
Nakamura, E. Organometallics 2004, 23, 3259-3266. (e) Matsuo, Y.;
Iwashita, A.; Nakamura, E. Organometallics 2005, 24, 89-95.
(7) (a) Song, H.; Lee, K.; Lee, C. H.; Park, J. T.; Chang, H. Y.; Choi, M.-G.
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 1500-1502. (b) Song, H.; Lee, K.; Choi,
M.-G.; Park, J. T. Organometallics 2002, 21, 1756-1758. (c) Song, H.;
Lee, C. H.; Lee, K.; Park, J. T. Organometallics 2002, 21, 2514-2520.
(d) Song, H.; Choi, J. I.; Lee, K.; Choi, M.-G.; Park, J. T. Organometallics
2002, 21, 5221-5228.
(8) (a) Lee, K.; Lee, C. H.; Song, H.; Park, J. T.; Chang, H. Y.; Choi, M.-G.
Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2000, 39, 1801-1804. (b) Lee, K.; Choi, Z.-H.;
Cho, Y.-J.; Song, H.; Park, J. T. Organometallics 2001, 20, 5564-5570.
(9) Song, H.; Lee, Y.; Choi, Z.-H.; Lee, K.; Park, J. T.; Kwak, J.; Choi, M.-G.
Organometallics 2001, 20, 3139-3144.
(10) Song, H.; Lee, K.; Park, J. T.; Choi, M.-G. Organometallics 1998, 17,
4477-4483.
(11) (a) Lee, K.; Song, H.; Kim, B.; Park, J. T.; Park, S.; Choi, M.-G. J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 2872-2873. (b) Lee, K.; Choi, Y. J.; Cho, Y.-J.;
Lee, C. Y.; Song, H.; Lee, C. H.; Lee, Y. S.; Park, J. T. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2004, 126, 9837-9844.
as Ir4(CO)9(PPh3)3 (1) and Ir4(CO)8(PMe3)4 (4) in the present
(12) Komatsu, K.; Wang, G.-W.; Murata, Y.; Tanaka, T.; Fujiwara, K.;
Yamamoto, K.; Saunders, M. J. Org. Chem. 1998, 63, 9358-9366.
(13) Dragoe, N.; Shimotani, H.; Wang J.; Iwaya, M.; de Bettencourt-Dias, A.;
Balch, A. L.; Kitazawa, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2001, 123, 1294-1301.
(14) Balch, A. L.; Costa, D. A.; Fawcett, W. R.; Winkler, K. J. Phys. Chem.
1996, 100, 4823-4827.
(15) Dragoe, N.; Shimotani, H.; Hayashi, M.; Saigo, K.; de Bettencourt-Dias,
A.; Balch, A. L.; Miyake, Y.; Achiba, Y.; Kitazawa, K. J. Org. Chem.
2000, 65, 3269-3273.
(16) Fujiwara, K.; Komatsu, K. Org. Lett. 2002, 4, 1039-1041.
(17) (a) Suzuki, T.; Li, Q.; Khemani, K. C.; Wudl, F. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992,
114, 7300-7301. (b) Murata, Y.; Kato, N.; Fujiwara, K.; Komatsu, K. J.
Org. Chem. 1999, 64, 3483-3488.
(18) Cho, Y.-J.; Song, H.; Lee, K.; Kim, K.; Kwak, J.; Kim, S.; Park, J. T.
Chem. Commun. 2002, 2966-2967.
(19) Cho, Y.-J.; Ahn, T. K.; Song, H.; Kim, K. S.; Lee, C. Y.; Seo, W. S.; Lee,
K.; Kim, S. K.; Kim, D.; Park, J. T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 2380-
2381.
(20) Jin, X.; Xie, X.; Tang, K. Chem. Commun. 2002, 750-751.
(21) Zanello, P.; de Biani, F. F.; Cinquantini, A.; Grigiotti, E. C. R. Chim. 2005,
8, 1655-1659.
9
J. AM. CHEM. SOC. VOL. 128, NO. 34, 2006 11161