Preparation and photochemistry of cobalt(iii) amino and amino acidato complexes containing tripodal polypyridine ligands

Abstract

The photochemical reactivities of cobalt(III)–diamine and cobalt(III)–amino acid compounds have been compared using complexes that also contain polypyridyl ligands. Metallacyclic complexes result from UV-induced photodecarboxylation reactions of the amino acid complexes. UV-irradiation of closely related complexes with amine donors replacing the carboxylate donors does not lead to the production of the same metallacyclic products. The reported UV-induced fragmentation of amine donors and subsequent metallacycle formation appears not to be a general reaction. Nine cobalt(III) complexes of polypyridyl ligands have been structurally characterised, including four that also contain amino acid ligands and one that contains a three-membered metallacyclic ring.