Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
![[(DPEPhos)(bcp)Cu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F59739.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
[(DPEPhos)(bcp)Cu]PF6: A General and Broadly Applicable Copper-Based Photoredox Catalyst
Published on: May 21, 2019
Reversible copper(II)/(I) electrochemical potential switching driven by visible light-induced coordinated ring
Michihiro Nishikawa1, Kuniharu Nomoto, Shoko Kume
1Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
This study introduces a novel copper complex that converts light energy into electronic signals through light-fueled molecular rotation. This system demonstrates repeatable signal extraction by harnessing bistable states and electrochemical potential shifts.
Area of Science:
- Coordination Chemistry
- Photochemistry
- Molecular Electronics
Background:
- Intramolecular ligand rotation can be coupled to electronic states in metal complexes.
- Harnessing light energy for molecular switching requires efficient energy conversion mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a metal complex system for extracting electronic signals via light-fueled intramolecular rotation.
- To investigate the relationship between electron transfer and molecular motion in a copper complex.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of a copper(I) complex with a pyrimidine derivative and a diimine ligand.
- Electrochemical analysis using cyclic voltammetry at variable temperatures.
- Investigation of redox and rotational reaction kinetics and thermodynamics.
Main Results:
- The copper complex exhibits bistable states linked to ligand rotation, controlled by the copper oxidation state.
- Ligand rotation is frozen in the copper(I) state but active in the copper(II) state at low temperatures.
- Light and heat can drive rotation, causing a significant electrochemical potential shift (0.14 V).
- A bypass route to a metastable copper(I) state via a copper(II) intermediate was identified.
Conclusions:
- The developed copper complex represents the first system for repeatedly extracting electronic signals from light-fueled molecular rotation.
- This work provides a new molecular signaling system based on light energy conversion and electrochemical potential shifts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Photochemical Activation
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview
Thermal Electrocyclic Reactions: Stereochemistry
Selection Rules: Thermal Activation
Conjugated systems containing an even number of π-electron pairs undergo a conrotatory ring closure. For example, thermal electrocyclization of (2E,4E)-2,4-hexadiene, a conjugated diene containing two π-electron pairs, gives trans-3,4-dimethylcyclobutene.
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Photochemical Activation
Woodward–Hoffmann Selection Rules and Microscopic Reversibility

