One-pot synthesis of an Fe(II) bis-terpyridine complex with allosterically regulated electronic properties

Herein we report the one-pot synthesis of Fe(II) bis-terpyridine complexes with two peripheral square-planar Pt(II) bis-phosphinoalkylthioether moieties. These novel structures, which exhibit allosterically controllable electronic properties, are made by taking advantage of two orthogonal and high-yielding reactions. The prototypical complex can be structurally regulated through the reversible abstraction and introduction of chloride ions to the Pt(II) centers. This moves the Fe(II) center and two Pt(II) metal centers into and out of communication with each other, causing changes in the electronic structure of the complex and its corresponding optical and redox properties. The start and end points of the allosterically regulated system have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and NMR, UV-vis, and ⁵⁷Fe Möβbauer spectroscopy.