Characterization Methods for Paramagnetic Organometallic Complexes

As the use of base metals in organometallic chemistry continues to expand, the ability to characterize open shell organometallic compounds with unpaired electrons is essential. This chapter describes four advanced techniques that are particularly powerful for evaluating electronic structure, bonding and reactivity in paramagnetic organometallic complexes: electron paramagnetic resonance, magnetic circular dichroism, X-ray absorption and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies. A discussion of the fundamentals of each spectroscopic method is presented to provide the necessary background and theory central to each technique. This is followed by discussions of key applications of each method for paramagnetic organometallic complexes, using specific examples from the literature to highlight the insight into electronic structure, bonding and reactivity that these methods can provide.