Ballistic ΔS = 2 intersystem crossing in a cobalt cubane following ligand-field excitation probed by extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy

Abstract

Femtosecond M_2,3-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy is used to probe the excited-state dynamics of the cobalt cubane [Co^III₄O₄](OAc)₄(py)₄ (OAc = acetate, py = pyridine), a model for water oxidation catalysts. After ligand-field excitation, intersystem crossing (ISC) to a metal-centered quintet occurs in 38 fs. 30% of the hot quintet undergoes ballistic back-ISC directly to the singlet ground state, with the remainder relaxing to a long-lived triplet.