The oxidation and reduction behavior of complexes[(mpz)M(CN)
5]
2- betweenthe group 8 pentacyanometalates(II) and the
N-methylpyrazinium ion mpz
+ wasstudied using spectroelectrochemical techniques(UV/vis/NIR,IR, EPR) in nonaqueous and, in part, aqueous media. As a furthersource of information on the electronic structure,we studied the variable solvatochromism of MLCT absorption bands in theprecursor ions[(mpz)M(CN)
5]
2-.The mpz-centered one-electron reduction showed a tendency forconcomitant loss of cyanide (EC process) toyield ions[(mpz)M(CN)
4]
2-, thelability increasing in the order M = Os << Ru < Fe. Incontrast to the EPRspectra obtained from reduction withS
2O
42- in aqueousmedia, which showed no evidence for closempz
![](/images/entities/bull.gif)
/metalassociation, the
intra muros electrolysis experiments inDMSO or acetonitrile yielded the following results: TheEPR spectrum that was previously assigned to[(mpz)Fe(CN)
5]
3- isnow ascribed to[(mpz)Fe(CN)
4]
2-.Whereasthe dissociatively inert
osmium radical complex[(mpz)Os(CN)
5]
3- isdistinguished by a broad EPR signal witha rather large value
giso = 2.0157, the EPRspectrum of[(mpz)Ru(CN)
4]
3-reveals well-resolved separate couplingwith the
99Ru and
101Ru
isotopes innatural abundance. Spectroelectrochemistry and reactivity patternsof thecomplex ions[(mpz)M(CN)
5]
2- arereminiscent of results for corresponding nitrosyl complexes[(NO)M(CN)
5]
2-,which suggests that the mpz
+/mpz
![](/images/entities/bull.gif)
ligandredox pair can function as an organic analogue of theNO
+/NO
![](/images/entities/bull.gif)
redoxsystem.