October 13, 2023
Journal Article
Uncovering the 3d and 4d Electronic Interactions in Solvated Ru Complexes with 2p3d Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
Abstract
The electronic structure and dynamics of Ruthenium complexes are widely studied given their use in catalytic and light harvesting materials. Here we investigate three model Ru complexes, [RuIII(NH3)6]3+ , [RuII(bpy)3]2+ , and [RuII(CN)6]4- , with L3- edge 2p3d resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) to probe unoccupied 4d valence orbitals, occupied 3d orbitals, and to gain insight into the interactions between these levels. The 2p3d RIXS maps contain a higher level of spectral information than the L3 X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES). This study provides a direct measure of the 3d spin-orbit splittings of 4.3 eV, 4.0 eV, and 4.1 eV between the 3d5/2 and 3d3/2 orbitals of the [RuIII(NH3)6]3+ , [RuII(bpy)3]2+ , and [RuII(CN)6]4- complexes, respectively.Published: October 13, 2023