Control of electronic structure of a six-coordinate iron(III) porphyrin radical by means of axial ligands.

Addition of tert-butylisocyanide (tBuNC) to a CD2Cl2 solution of the bis(perchlorato)(meso-tetramesitylporphyrinato) iron(III) cation radical leads to the formation of the corresponding bis(adduct), [Fe(TMP)(tBuNC)2]2+, whose electronic structure is in sharp contrast to that of the corresponding imidazole(HIm) complex, [Fe(TMP)(HIm)2]2+; the former adopts the S = 0 while the latter exhibits the S = 1 electronic ground state.