Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

Magnetometric Characterization of Intermediates in the Solid-State Electrochemistry of Redox-Active Metal-Organic Frameworks
Published on: June 9, 2023
Solvent and metal dependent (1)H NMR hyperfine shifts in paramagnetic pentaamminemetal cyanide-bridged mixed-valence
William Michael Laidlaw1, Amber L Thompson, Robert Gordon Denning
1Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR, UK. michael.laidlaw@chem.ac.uk
Abstract:
(1)H NMR resonances, in several aprotic solvents, are reported for axial and equatorial ammonias coordinated to a single spin paramagnetic centre in the Robin-Day Class II cyanide-bridged mixed-valence cations [(OC)(5)Cr(μ-CN)M(NH(3))(5)](2+) (M = Ru, Os) as well as in the complex [(OC)(5)Re(μ-CN)Ru(NH(3))(5)](3+), whose synthesis and properties are reported herein. Using the appropriate isotropic hexaammine complex as a reference, the chemical shift difference between the ammonia protons, δ(ax) - δ(eq), is found to be very sensitive to the paramagnetic metal (M), the remote diamagnetic metal (Cr or Re) and also to the donor properties of the solvent (as well as the counter-ion) as a result of hydrogen bonding interactions. The difference varies linearly with the MMCT energy, and in [(OC)(5)Re(μ-CN)Ru(NH(3))(5)](3+) can be tuned from positive (δ(ax) > δ(eq)) to negative (δ(ax) < δ(eq)) through zero (δ(ax) = δ(eq)) by the choice of solvent. This reflects the sign and magnitude of the axial ligand field parameter which is in turn a result of changes in the π-donor-acceptor interactions between the donor-cyanide bridging group and the pentaammine metal unit.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
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.
Valence Bond Theory
Metal-Ligand Bonds
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
Structural Isomerism
Isomers are different chemical species that have the same chemical formula. Structural isomerism of coordination compounds can be divided into two subcategories, the linkage isomers and coordination-sphere isomers.
Linkage isomers occur when the coordination compound contains a ligand that can bind to the transition metal center through two different atoms. For example, the CN− ligand can bind through the carbon atom or through the nitrogen atom. Similarly, SCN− can be...
Complexation Equilibria: The Chelate Effect
Formation of Complex Ions

