Molecular Structure of the Synthetic Molecular Oxygen Carrier O 2 IrCl(CO)(P[C 6 H 5 ] 3 ) 2

Abstract

The synthetic molecular oxygen carrier O₂lrCl(CO)(P[C₆H₅]₃)₂, discovered by Vaska, has been characterized in a complete molecular structure determination. The structure surmised by Vaska from spectroscopic data has been confirmed and, in addition, definitive details on the attachment of molecular oxygen to iridium in this 1 : 1 reversible oxygen carrier have been obtained. The two oxygen atoms are equidistant from the metal atom, as in Griffith's model of the oxygen atoms in oxyhemoglobin. The O-O bond length of 1.30 ± 0.03 Å is intermediate between those characteristic of O₂ (1.20 Å) and O₂^-2 (1.48 Å), and corresponds closely to O₂^-(1.28 Å)