Electronic propensity of Cu(II) versus Cu(I) sites in zeolites to activate NO – Spin- and orbital-resolved Cu–NO electron transfer

Electronic factors responsible for the notable decline of NO activation by Cu(II) with respect to Cu(I) sites in zeolites are investigated within spin-resolved analysis of electron transfer channels between the copper center and the substrate. The results of natural orbitals for chemical valence (NOCV) charge transfer analysis for a minimal model of Cu(II) sites in zeolite ZSM-5 ({T1Cu}+ NO) are compared with those for Cu(I)–NO and referenced to an interaction of NO with bare Cu+ cations. The bonding of NO, which is an open-shell and non-innocent ligand, gives rise to a noticeable nondynamical correlation in the adduct with Cu(II) (reflected in a broken-symmetry solution obtained at the density functional theory (DFT) level). Four distinct components of electron transfer between the copper and NO are identified: (i) donation of an unpaired electron from the NO π∥* antibonding orbital to the Cu species, (ii) backdonation from copper d⊥ to the NO antibonding orbital, (iii) “covalent” donation from NO π∥ and Cu d∥ orbitals to the bonding region, and (iv) donation from the nitrogen lone pair to Cus,d. Large variations in channel identity and significance may be noted among studied systems and between spin manifolds: channel i is effective only in the bonding of NO with either a naked Cu+ cation or Cu(II) site. Channel ii comes into prominence only for the model of the Cu(I) site: it strongly activates the NO bond by populating antibonding π*, which weakens the N–O bond, in contrast to channel i depopulating the antibonding orbital and strengthening the N–O bond. Channels iii and iv, however, may contribute to the strength of the bonding between NO and copper, and are of minor importance for the activation of the NO bond. This picture perfectly matches the IR experiment: interaction with either Cu(II) sites or a naked Cu+ cation imposes a comparable blue-shift of NO stretching frequency, while the frequency becomes strongly red-shifted for a Cu(I) site in ZSM-5 due to enhanced π* backdonation.