Effect of Appended S-Block Metal Ion Crown Ethers on Redox Properties and Catalytic Activity of Mn-Nitride Schiff...

Using density functional theory (DFT), the effects of appended s-block metal ion crown ethers upon the redox properties of the following nitridomanganese(V) salen complexes were investigated: [(salen)Mn^V(N)(M-crown ether)] (salen = N,N'-bis(salicydene)ethylenediamine; M = Na⁺, K⁺, Ba²⁺, and Sr²⁺ for 1Na, 1K, 1Ba, and 1Sr, respectively; A = complex without M-crown ether and B = without M). NBO analysis of the MnN bond orders, optimized bond lengths, and stretching frequencies changes upon oxidation for all species show that for A, B, and 1Na MnN has more nitridyl character while a nitride form is more significant for 1K, 1Ba, and 1Sr. The results reveal that ΔG_rxn(e^-) and thus E_1/2 are quite sensitive to the point charge (q) of the s-block metal ions (1 for K⁺/Na⁺ and 2 for Ba²⁺/Sr²⁺). Computations suggest that the degree of delocalization of the HOMO electrons on the supporting ligand is modified by the chelated s-block metal ion. Methane activation by A, 1K, and 1Ba complexes proceeds via a hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) pathway with reasonable barriers for all complexes with ∼4 kcal/mol difference in energy. The molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps indicate a shift in redox potential imposed by the nonredox active cations by altering the electrostatic potential of the complexes. Computations show that the complexes with higher point charge of the incorporated metal ions result in higher N-H bond BDFEs. Changes in predicted properties as a function of continuum solvent dielectric constant suggest that the primary effect of the appended s-block ion is via "through space" interactions.