(1)H NMR assignment corrections and (1)H, (13)C, (15)N NMR coordination shifts structural correlations in Fe(II), Ru(II) and Os(II) cationic complexes with 2,2'-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline.

(1)H, (13)C and (15)N NMR studies of iron(II), ruthenium(II) and osmium(II) tris-chelated cationic complexes with 2,2'-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline of the general formula [M(LL)(3)](2+) (M = Fe, Ru, Os; LL = bpy, phen) were performed. Inconsistent literature (1)H signal assignments were corrected. Significant shielding of nitrogen-adjacent protons [H(6) in bpy, H(2) in phen] and metal-bonded nitrogens was observed, being enhanced in the series Ru(II) --> Os(II) --> Fe(II) for (1)H, Fe(II) --> Ru(II) --> Os(II) for (15)N and bpy --> phen for both nuclei. The carbons are deshielded, the effect increasing in the order Ru(II) --> Os(II) --> Fe(II). Copyright (c) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.