Isomerization-Controlled Proton-Electron Coupling in a π-Planar Metal Complex

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is a ubiquitous and fundamental process in biochemistry and electrochemistry performed by transition-metal complexes. Most synthetic efforts have been devoted to selecting the components, that is, metal ions and ligands, to control the proton-electron coupling. Here, we show the first example of controlling the proton-electron coupling using the cis-trans metal-ligand isomerization in a π-planar platinum complex, Pt(itsq)₂ (itsq^1-: o-iminothiosemiquinonate). Both the isomers, which were obtained separately, were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and the cis-to-trans isomerization was achieved by immersing in organic solvents. Theoretical calculations predicted that the proton-electron coupling evaluated from the energetic stabilization of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital by protonation varies greatly depending on the geometrical configuration compared to the metal substitution.