A Comparative XPS, UV PES, NEXAFS, and DFT Study of the Electronic Structure of the Salen Ligand in the H2(Salen) Molecule and the [Ni(Salen)] Complex

A comparative study of the electronic structure of the salen ligand in the H2(Salen) molecule and the [Ni(Salen)] complex was performed using the experimental methods of XPS, UV PES, and NEXAFS spectroscopy along with DFT calculations. Significant chemical shifts of +1.0 eV (carbon), +1.9 eV (nitrogen), and -0.4 eV (oxygen) were observed in the 1s PE spectra of the salen ligand atoms when passing from a molecule to a complex, unambiguously indicating a substantial redistribution of the valence electron density between these atoms. It is proposed that the electron density transfer to the O atoms in [Ni(Salen)] occurred not only from the Ni atom, but also from the N and C atoms. This process seemed to be realized through the delocalized conjugated π-system of the phenol C 2p electronic states of the ligand molecule. The DFT calculations (total and partial DOS) for the valence band H2(Salen) and [Ni(Salen)] described well the spectral shape of the UV PE spectra of both compounds and confirmed their experimental identification. An analysis of the N and O 1s NEXAFS spectra clearly indicated that the atomic structure of the ethylenediamine and phenol fragments was retained upon passing from the free salen ligand to the nickel complex.