Non‐Oxido‐Vanadium(IV) Metalloradical Complexes with Bidentate 1,2‐Dithienylethene Ligands: Observation of Reversible Cyclization of the Ligand Scaffold in Solution

Derivatives of 1,2‐dithienylethene (DTE) have superb photochromic properties due to an efficient reversible photocyclization reaction of their hexatriene structure and, thus, have application potential in materials for optoelectronics and (multi‐responsive) molecular switches. Transition‐metal complexes bearing switchable DTE motifs commonly incorporate their coordination site rather distant from the hexatriene system. In this work the redox active ligand 1,2‐bis(2,5‐dimethylthiophen‐3‐yl)ethane‐1,2‐dione is described, which reacts with [V(TMEDA)(2)Cl(2)] to give a rare non‐oxido vanadium(IV) species 3(M,M/P,P). This blue complex has two bidentate en‐diolato ligands which chelate the V(IV) center and give rise to two five‐membered metallacycles with the adjacent hexatriene DTE backbone bearing axial chirality. Upon irradiation with UVA light or prolonged heating in solution, the blue compound 3(M,M/P,P) converts into the purple atropisomer 4(para,M/para,P). Both complexes were isolated and structurally characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis (using lab source and synchrotron radiation). The antiparallel configuration (M or P helicity) present in both 3(M,M/P,P) and 4(para,M/para,P) is a prerequisite for (reversible) 6π cyclization reactions. A CW EPR spectroscopic study reveals the metalloradical character for 3(M,M/P,P) and 4(para,M/para,P) and indicates dynamic reversible cyclization of the DTE backbone in complex 3(M,M/P,P) at ambient temperature in solution.