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A Crystalline Bismuth(II) Radical Anion: Synthesis, Characterization, and Reactivity.

Sotirios Pavlidis1, Christian Teutloff2, Ana Guilherme Buzanich3

  • 1Institut für Chemie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Brook-Taylor-Str. 2, 12489, Berlin, Germany.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|October 13, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Researchers synthesized a planarized tris-amidobismuthane complex with a T-shaped bismuth center. This unprecedented bismuth(II) radical anion exhibits unique reactivity, confirmed by various spectroscopic and computational methods.

Keywords:
BismuthEPR spectroscopyEXAFSRadicalsXANES

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Area of Science:

  • Organometallic Chemistry
  • Inorganic Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Bismuth complexes are underexplored compared to lighter congeners.
  • Stabilizing low-valent bismuth species remains a synthetic challenge.
  • Pincer ligands offer robust coordination environments for stabilizing reactive metal centers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize and characterize a novel low-valent bismuth complex.
  • To investigate the electronic structure and redox properties of the bismuth center.
  • To explore the reactivity of the stabilized bismuth species.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesis of a planarized tris-amidobismuthane using an NNN pincer ligand.
  • Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to probe electronic structure.
  • Cyclic voltammetry and chemical reduction (KC8/222-crypt) for redox studies.
  • Multi-frequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and SQUID magnetometry for characterization.
  • Preliminary reactivity studies including single-electron transfer and radical coupling.

Main Results:

  • A T-shaped Bi(NNN) complex with a planarized tris-amidobismuthane ligand was successfully synthesized.
  • DFT calculations revealed a low-lying LUMO with significant Bi(6p) character.
  • A reversible one-electron reduction at -1.85 V vs Fc(0/+) was observed.
  • An unprecedented Bi(II) radical anion was isolated in high yield via chemical reduction.
  • Spectroscopic and magnetic data confirmed the localization of the unpaired electron on the bismuth center.
  • The Bi(II) species demonstrated radical reactivity in single-electron transfer and coupling reactions.

Conclusions:

  • The NNN pincer ligand effectively stabilizes a planarized tris-amidobismuthane.
  • The study reports the first isolation and characterization of a Bi(II) radical anion.
  • The findings open new avenues for exploring bismuth radical chemistry and its applications.