Heavy allenes and cumulenes e=c=e' and e=c=c=e' (e = p, as, si, ge, sn; e' = C, N, p, as, o, s)

Versatile stereoselective cycloadditions between heterocumulenes and phosphagermaallene Tip(tBu)Ge=C=PMes*: experimental and theoretical investigations

Phosphagermaallene Tip(tBu)Ge=C=PMes* 1 (Tip=2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl, Mes*=2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) reacts with phenyl isocyanate and tert-butyl isocyanate by a [2+2] cycloaddition that involves the Ge=C and C=O double bonds to afford 1-oxa-2-germacyclobutanes 2 and 3. With N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, a [2+2] cycloaddition is observed between the Ge=C and C=N unsaturations to lead to 1-aza-2-germacyclobutane 6 with exocyclic P=C and C=N double bonds. In sharp contrast, 1 reacts with phenyl isothiocyanate, ethyl isothiocyanate, and carbon disulfide according to a [3+2] cycloaddition that involves the whole Ge=C=P unit and the C=S double bond to give transient phosphagermacarbenes (PGeHCs) 11, 12, and 13. These new PGeHCs undergo C-H insertions into one o-tBu group of Mes* (in the case of 11 and 12) or one o-iPr group of Tip (in the case of 13) with formation of tricyclic compounds 8, 9, and 10, respectively. The reaction mechanisms that involve 1 and the phenyl isocyanate and the phenyl isothiocyanate are described and their regioselectivity is explained by theoretical calculations.

Theoretical study of structural patterns in CH₂OP₂ isomers

DFT calculations have been performed on the derivatives of formula CH₂OP₂ to determine their total energy, the relative energy between the isomers and their geometry. Among compounds with a P-C-P linkage, the most stable one is the 2-hydroxy-1,2-diphosphirene II.1, a three-membered heterocycle with a P=C unsaturation. The phosphavinylidene(oxo)phosphorane HP=C=P(O)H IV.5 (which has the same skeleton as the experimentally obtained Mes*P=C=P(O)Mes*) lies 36.30 kcal mol⁻¹ above it. The least stable compounds are carbenes; the singlet carbenes are more stable than the triplet ones.

Synthesis of extended polyphosphacumulenes

Addition of two equivalents of (Me(3)Si)(2)CLiCl to the C-[(diphenyl) (diisopropylamino)phosphonio]-P-(diisopropylamino)phosphaalkene 2 affords the 1sigma(4),3sigma(3)-diphosphabuta-1,2,3-triene E1 in 55 % yield. Derivative E1 was fully characterized, including a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Alkylation of E1 with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate gives rise to the first C-phosphonio-bis(methylene)phosphorane 5, which was isolated in 84 % yield. Because the second carbon center is also nucleophilic, cumulene E1 reacts as a "pincer" with BF(3)OEt(2), leading to the formation of a novel four-membered PCBC heterocycle 6 with a betaine-like structure. Addition of three equivalents of P-[diphenyl(diisopropylamino)]methylene phosphorane to (diisopropylamino)dichlorophosphane, followed by addition of one equivalent of CCl(4), and subsequent deprotonation with lithium hexamethyldisilazide gave rise to 1sigma(4),3sigma(3),5sigma(4)-triphosphapenta-1,2,3,4-tetraene F1, which was isolated in 62 % yield.

Synthesis, Structure, and Bonding of Stable Dialkylsilaketenimines

Stable (N-aryl)- and (N-alkyl)dialkylsilaketenimines R2SiCNR' [R = 1,1,4,4-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)butane-1,4-diyl, R' = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl (2a) and 1-adamantyl (2b)] were synthesized as blue and red crystals by the reactions of isolable dialkylsilylene 3 with 2,6-diisopropylphenyl isocyanide and 1-adamantyl isocyanide. X-ray single-crystal analysis disclosed that molecular structures of 2a and 2b were close to each other and were characterized to be allenic rather than zwitterionic or a silylene-isocyanide complex. The bonding characteristics of silaketenimines are found to be affected strongly by the substituents on silicon and nitrogen atoms. Remarkable red-shift of the pi(Si=C) --> pi*(C=N) band of 2a [lambdamax/nm (epsilon) 647(156)] compared with that of 2b [465 nm (109)] is ascribed to lowering of the pi*(C=N) orbital level due to significant interaction between pi*(C=N) and pi*(N-aryl) orbitals.

Synthesis and Structure of K+[iPrNCP]-, a 1-Aza-3λ3-phospha-3-allenide†

2-Isopropyl(trimethylsilyl)amino-1lambda3-phosphaalkyne 1 reacts with potassium tert-butoxide to form potassium 1-isopropyl-1-aza-3lambda3-phospha-3-allenide (2). This compound was structurally characterized as the corresponding 18-crown-6 ether complex 3. The molecular structure of 1 was also determined in order to compare the bonding situation in the anion and the neutral lambda3-phosphaalkyne. Compound 3 contains a nitrogen-carbon-phosphorus group for which the parameters were shown by X-ray structural analysis and quantum chemical calculations to lie between the extrema N-C[triple bond]P and N=C=P, suggesting reactivity typical of an ambident anion. This is indeed the case, as subsequent reaction of 2 with chlorotrimethylsilane at nitrogen regenerates the lambda3-phosphaalkyne 1; with chlorotriphenylsilane the new derivative 4 is formed. In contrast, chlorotrimethylstannane reacts at phosphorus, giving the 1-aza-3lambda3-phosphaallene isopropyliminomethylidene(trimethylstannyl)phosphane 5.

A Stable Distannirane

The first three-membered ring compound containing two tin and one carbon atoms, 1,1,2,2-tetra(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)-3-fluorenylidene-1,2-distannirane, has been synthesized in a two-step procedure from the 9-[bis(2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl)fluorostannyl]chloromethylenefluorene.

How to Design Linear Allenic-Type Trisilaallenes and Trigermaallenes

A theoretical prescription as to how to design allenic-type linear trisilaallenes and trigermaallenes is provided. Until now, all of the heavier group - 14 analogues of allene were found to be bent, unlike allene itself. DFT calculations show that linear trisilaallenes and trigermaallenes can be designed by using boryl substituents, e.g., (R2B)2E=E=E(BR2)2 (E = Si, Ge). With cyclic boryl substituents the calculated systems may be synthetically accessible.

1,3-Disila-2-gallata- and -indataallenic Anions [>SiMSi<]-·Li+ (M = Ga, In): Compounds Featuring Double Bonds between Elements of Groups 13 and 14

The first compounds containing Si=Ga or Si=In double bonds, 1,3-disila-2-gallata- (2-) and -indataallenic anions (3-), were obtained in the form of lithium salts as dark red crystals by the reaction of bis(di-tert-butylmethylsilyl)dilithiosilane 1 with GaCl3 or InCl3. X-ray crystallographic analysis of 2-.[Li(thf)4]+ and 3-.[Li(thf)4]+ showed that the >SiMSi< frameworks (M = Ga, In) are not linear and the two Si=M bond lengths are about 9% shorter than typical Si-M single bonds. In the 29Si NMR spectra, the signals of the terminal Si atoms in 2- and 3- are greatly shifted upfield (2-: -79.9; 3-: -77.6 ppm). The NPA charge distribution for the model compound, [(Me3Si)2SiGaSi(SiMe3)2]- (4-) showed a large part of the negative charge localizing on the two terminal silicon atoms (-0.736 and -0.729). In addition, 2-.[Li(thf)4]+ reacted with MeI to give the corresponding iodogallane 5 nearly quantitatively. This result confirms that the allenic [>SiMSi<]- fragments are highly polarized.