Tricarbonyl(1,10-phenanthroline) (imidazole) rhenium(I): a powerful photooxidant for investigations of electron tunneling in proteins

The structure of Re(CO)₃(phen)(im)]₂SO₄·4H₂O has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The yellow crystals are orthorhombic, space group Pccn (No. 56), with a=17.456(6), B=18.194(5), C=12.646(4) Å, R=0.063 for F_o²>0, R=0.032 for F_o²>3σ. The compound, which also has been characterized by IR, ¹H NMR, and UV---Vis spectroscopies, exhibits room temperature luminescence in aqueous solution (τ=120 ns) as well as reversible oxidation and reduction in acetonitrile solution (1.85 and ?1.30 V versus SCE). The redox properties of the excited state of the complex (E⁰(Re^+*/0 = 1.2; E⁰(Re^2+/+*) = ?0.7 V) are being exploited in studies of laser-induced electron tunneling in Re(CO)₃(phen)(histidine)-modified proteins.