Synthesis of a Versatile Tridentate Anthracene Ligand and its Application for the Synthesis of Hypervalent Pentacoordinate Boron Compounds (10-B-5) This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Nos. 09239103, 11166248, and 11304044) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of the Japanese Government

Organohypervalent heterocycles

This review summarizes the structural and synthetic aspects of heterocyclic molecules incorporating an atom of a hypervalent main-group element. The term "hypervalent" has been suggested for derivatives of main-group elements with more than eight valence electrons, and the concept of hypervalency is commonly used despite some criticism from theoretical chemists. The significantly higher thermal stability of hypervalent heterocycles compared to their acyclic analogs adds special features to their chemistry, particularly for bromine and iodine. Heterocyclic compounds of elements with double bonds are not categorized as hypervalent molecules owing to the zwitterionic nature of these bonds, resulting in the conventional 8-electron species. This review is focused on hypervalent heterocyclic derivatives of nonmetal main-group elements, such as boron, silicon, nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, sulfur, selenium, bromine, chlorine, iodine(III) and iodine(V).

Achieving Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive C(sp2)-B Coupling of Bromoboranes via Reversing the Activation Sequence

Transition metal-catalyzed reductive cross-couplings to build C-C/Si bonds have been developed, but the reductive cross-coupling to create the C(sp2)-B bond has not been explored. Herein, we describe a nickel-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling between aryl halides and bromoboranes to construct a C(sp2)-B bond. This protocol offers a convenient approach for the synthesis of a wide range of aryl boronate esters, using readily available starting materials. Mechanistic studies indicate that the key to the success of the reaction is the activation of the B-Br bond of bromoboranes with a Lewis base such as 2-MeO-py. The activation ensures that bromoboranes will react with the active nickel(I) catalyst prior to aryl halides, which is different from the sequence of the general nickel-catalyzed reductive C(sp2)-C/Si cross-coupling, where the oxidative addition of an aryl halide proceeds first. Notably, this approach minimizes the production of undesired homocoupling byproduct without the requirement of excessive quantities of either substrate.

Synthesis and Characterization of Hypervalent Pentacoordinate Carbon Compounds Bearing a 7-6-7-Ring Skeleton

To stabilize S_N 2 transition state-like penta-coordinate carbon species, triaryl-substituted cationic carbon compounds bearing a moderately flexible 7-6-7-ring skeleton with sulfur donors were synthesized and characterized. Electronic effects of para substituents (R=Cl, F, H, CH₃ , SMe, OMe) of the two equatorial aryl groups bound to the cationic central carbon were investigated systematically along with a planar bidentate thioxanthene derivative. X-ray analysis on their solid-state structures showed that the parent (R=H), chloro-, fluoro- and methyl-derivatives were tetracoordinate carbon (sulfonium) structures, while the p-MeO and thioxanthenyl system were pentacoordinate carbocation structures. The Hammett substituent constants for the para substituents (σ_p ⁺ ) correlates well with the bonding in these compounds. The methylthio-derivative with intermediate Hammett substituent constants (p-MeS; σ_p ⁺ =-0.60) showed a tetracooridnate solid-state structure, though solution UV-Vis properties suggested the presence of a penta-coordinate structure. These findings amount to the first unambiguous solution evidence of the hypervalent apical 3c-4e interactions in pentacoordinate carbon compounds.

Comprehensive Review on Synthesis, Properties, and Applications of Phosphorus (PIII, PIV, PV) Substituted Acenes with More Than Two Fused Benzene Rings

This comprehensive review, covering the years 1968-2022, is not only a retrospective investigation of a certain group of linearly fused aromatics, called acenes, but also a presentation of the current state of the knowledge on the synthesis, reactions, and applications of these compounds. Their characteristic feature is substitution of the aromatic system by one, two, or three organophosphorus groups, which determine their properties and applications. The (P^III, P^IV, P^V) phosphorus atom in organophosphorus groups is linked to the acene directly by a P-C_sp2 bond or indirectly through an oxygen atom by a P-O-C_sp2 bond.

Synthesis and properties of hypervalent electron-rich pentacoordinate nitrogen compounds

Isolation and structural characterization of hypervalent electron-rich pentacoordinate nitrogen species have not been achieved despite continuous attempts for over a century. Herein we report the first synthesis and isolation of air stable hypervalent electron-rich pentacoordinate nitrogen cationic radical (11-N-5) species from oxidation of their corresponding neutral (12-N-5) species. In the cationic radical species, the nitrogen centers adopt a trigonal bipyramidal geometry featuring a 3-center-5-electron hypervalent attractive interaction. The combination of single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and computational studies revealed weak N-O interactions between the central nitrogen cation and oxygen atoms. This successful design strategy and isolation of air-stable pentacoordinate hypervalent nitrogen species allow further investigations on reactivity and properties resulting from these unusually weakly coordinating interactions in nitrogen compounds.

Structure investigations of group 13 organometallic carboxylates

The octet-compliant group 13 organometallics with highly polarized bonds in the metal coordination sphere exhibit a significant tendency to maximize their coordination number through the formation of adducts with a wide range of neutral donor ligands or by self-association to give aggregates containing tetrahedral and higher coordinated aluminium centres, and even in some cases molecular complexes equilibrate with ionic species of different coordination numbers of the metal centre. This work provides a comprehensive overview of the structural chemistry landscape of the group 13 carboxylates. Aside from a more systematic approach to the general structural chemistry of the title compounds, the structure investigations of [R₂M(μ-O₂CPh)]₂-type benzoate complexes (where M = B, Al and Ga) and their Lewis acid-base adducts [(R₂M)(μ-O₂CPh)(py-Me)] are reported. DFT calculations were also performed to obtain a more in-depth understanding of both the changes in the bonding of group 13 organometallic carboxylate adducts with a pyridine ligand.

Spectroscopic and Computational Investigations of The Thermodynamics of Boronate Ester and Diazaborole Self-Assembly

The solution phase self-assembly of boronate esters, diazaboroles, oxathiaboroles, and dithiaboroles from the condensation of arylboronic acids with aromatic diol, diamine, hydroxythiol, and dithiol compounds in chloroform has been investigated by (1)H NMR spectroscopy and computational methods. Six arylboronic acids were included in the investigations with each boronic acid varying in the substituent at its 4-position. Both computational and experimental results show that the para-substituent of the arylboronic acid does not significantly influence the favorability of forming a condensation product with a given organic donor. The type of donor, however, greatly influences the favorability of self-assembly. (1)H NMR spectroscopy indicates that condensation reactions between arylboronic acids and catechol to give boronate esters are the most favored thermodynamically, followed by diazaborole formation. Computational investigations support this conclusion. Neither oxathiaboroles nor dithiaboroles form spontaneously at equilibrium in chloroform at room temperature. Computational results suggest that the effect of borylation on the frontier orbitals of each donor helps to explain differences in the favorability of their condensation reactions with arylboronic acids. The results can inform the use of boronic acids as they are increasingly utilized in the dynamic self-assembly of organic materials and as components in dynamic combinatorial libraries.

The stability of η2-H2 borane complexes - a theoretical investigation

Non-metallic η(2)-H2 complexes are extremely rare; moreover in the case of boranes (with the exception of the BH5 molecule) the existence of such structures was only indicated by computational studies. In a recent paper we have demonstrated that external electron donor groups can stabilize the η(2)-H2 complexes, similar to the backdonation in the case of transition metals. In this paper we present evidence of a new stabilizing effect: electron donation from the B-R bonds to the H2 σ* orbital. The stability and electronic structure of several mono-, di-, and trisubstituted borane-H2 complexes were investigated by ab initio calculations. SiR3 groups were found to facilitate the σ(B-R)→σ*(H-H) interaction, increasing the stability of the η(2) complexes. Furthermore in the case of tris(trimethyl)silylborane, the exceptional stability of a novel neutral pentavalent borane structure is shown.

A pentacoordinate boron-containing π-electron system with Cl-B-Cl three-center four-electron bonds

Tricoordinate boron-containing π-electron systems are an attractive class of compounds with intense fluorescence and strong electron-accepting properties. However, the impact of pentacoordination of the boron atoms on their properties has not been determined. We now disclose a B,B'-bis(1,8-dichloro-9-anthryl)-substituted 9,10-dihydro-9,10-diboraanthracene as a new pentacoordinate organoboron compound. In this skeleton, with the aid of the orthogonal arrangement of the anthryl substituent, the B and Cl atoms can form a three-center four-electron (3c-4e) Cl-B-Cl bond. The pentacoordination of the boron atom significantly perturbs the electronic structure and thereby the photophysical and electrochemical properties.

Substituent effects on the structure of hexacoordinate carbon bearing two thioxanthene ligands

In order to elucidate the electronic nature of our recently reported first hexacoordinated carbon (12-C-6), density functional theory (DFT) calculations of sulfide precursor, sulfone derivative, and S+-F derivative were carried out and compared with those of the reported S+-Me hexacoordinated carbon. Computations on the hexacoordinated carbon, indicating that four attractive C–O interactions with the central hexacoordinate carbon atom exist, also revealed that the interactions consist of two different types of three-center four-electron bonds, which can be regarded as electron donation by the lone pairs of the oxygen atoms to the empty low-lying π*-orbitals of the allene. The optimized structures of the sulfide, sulfone, S+-F, and the original S+-Me suggested that the introduction of electron-withdrawing groups at the sulfur atoms would make the C–O attractive interactions stronger by a larger contribution of the carbon dication resonance structure. Thus, allene compounds (sulfide, sulfone, sulfonium) with two different thioxanthene ligands (one with 1,8-dimethoxy groups as in the S+-Me compound and the other with 1,8-diphenoxy groups) were synthesized to confirm the predicted substituent effects on the C(central)–O interactions. Electron-withdrawing substituents at the sulfur atoms were found to give rise to strong C(central)–O attractive interactions; the average values of the four C–O distances were smaller as the electron-withdrawing ability of the sulfur atoms rose. Additionally, C(central)···OMe distances were shorter than the corresponding C(central)···OPh distances, reflecting the higher electron-donating ability of the oxygen atoms at these 1,8-positions of the thioxanthene skeleton.

Heteroatom chemistry in Asia: Past, present, and future

The contribution of Asian chemists to the International Conference on Heteroatom Chemistry (ICHAC) meetings, several topics in low- and high-coordination main group element chemistry mainly in Japan, and our contributions to heteroatom chemistry are described. Other important compounds from other countries will also be presented.

Experimental and computational exploration of the dynamic behavior of (PNP)BF2, a boron compound supported by an amido/bis(phosphine) pincer ligand

The diarylamido/bis(phosphine) PNP pincer ligand (2-(i)Pr(2)P-4-MeC(6)H(3))(2)N has been evaluated as a scaffold for supporting a BF(2) fragment. Compound (PNP)BF(2) (6) was prepared by simple metathesis of (PNP)Li (5) with Me(2)SBF(3). NMR spectra of 6 in solution are of apparent C(2) symmetry, suggestive of a symmetric environment about boron. However, a combination of X-ray structural studies, low-temperature NMR investigations, and DFT calculations consistently establish that the ground state of this molecule contains a classical four-coordinate boron with a PNBF(2) coordination environment, with one phosphine donor in PNP remaining "free". Fortuitous formation of a single crystal of (PNP)BF(2)·HBF(4) (7), in which the "free" phosphine is protonated, furnished another structure containing the same PNBF(2) environment about boron for comparison and the two PNBF(2) environments in 6 and 7 are virtually identical. DFT studies on several other diarylamido/bis(phosphine) pincer (PNP)BF(2) systems were carried out and all displayed a similar four coordinate PNBF(2) environment in the ground state structures. The symmetric appearance of the room-temperature NMR spectra is explained by the rapid interconversion between two degenerate four-coordinate, C(1)-symmetric ground-state forms. Lineshape analysis of the (1)H and (19)F NMR spectra over a temperature range of 180-243 K yielded the activation parameters ΔH(‡) = 8.1(3) kcal mol(-1) and ΔS(‡) = -6.0(15) eu, which are broadly consistent with the calculated values. Calculations indicate that the exchange of phosphine donors at the boron center proceeds by an intrinsically dissociative mechanism.

Single-Boron Complexes of N-Confused and N-Fused Porphyrins

Boron(III) has been inserted into N-confused porphyrin, (NCPH)H2 (1), and N-fused porphyrin, (NFP)H (2). The reaction of dichlorophenylborane and 1 yields sigma-phenylboron N-confused porphyrin (4). The boron atom is bound by two pyrrolic nitrogen atoms and the sigma-phenyl ligand. The N-confused pyrrole ring is not involved in the direct coordination because the C(21)-H fragment remains intact. A reaction between PhBCl2 and N-fused porphyrin produces sigma-phenylboron N-fused porphyrin (3+). 4 converts quantitatively into 3+ under protonation. In sigma-phenylboron N-fused porphyrin [(NFP)BPh]Cl, the coordinating environment of boron(III) resembles a distorted trigonal pyramid, with the nitrogen atoms occupying equatorial positions and with the phenyl ligand lying at the unique apex. Boron(III) is displaced by 0.547(4) A from the N3 plane. The B-N distances are as follows: B-N(22), 1.559(4) A; B-N(23), 1.552(4) A; B-N(24), 1.568(4) A; B-C(ipsoPh), 1.621(4) A. 3+ can be classified as a boronium cation considering a filled octet and a complete coordination sphere. 3+ is susceptible to alkoxylation at the inner C(9) carbon atom, yielding 5-OR. The addition of acid results in protonation of the alkoxy group and elimination of alcohol, restoring the original 3+. Density functional theory has been applied to model the molecular and electronic structure of 4, 3+, and syn and anti isomers of methoxy adducts 5-OMe.

1,8,9-Substituted anthracenes, intramolecular phosphine donor stabilized metaphosphonate and phosphenium

A series of 1,8,9-tris(phosphorus) substituted anthracenes was synthesised and fully characterised. Their molecular geometry is such that the middle phosphorus atom is in a highly congested space, with terminal phosphorus atoms in close proximity. The middle phosphorus atom accepts electron density from none, one or both terminal phosphorus atoms to form P-P bonds. Thus phosphino (repulsively interacting), metaphosphonato (single donor stabilised) as well as phosphenium (doubly phosphine donor stabilised) environments around the phosphorus atom in position 9 were synthesized and structurally characterised. Observed P[dot dot dot]P distances range from 2.22 to 3.27 A.

A novel transmetallation of arylzinc species into arylboronates from aryl halides in a barbier procedure

A variety of functionalized arylboronates are obtained in moderate to excellent yield by a one-step chemical procedure from the corresponding halides and a haloboronic ester via an intermediate arylzinc species.

Bonding along a linear B...N...B triad

The synthesis of tris(2,6-dihydroxyphenyl)amine diborate, 4, is reported. This compound contains a linear B...N...B array for which a symmetrical three-center two-electron (3c-2e) bond is possible. The X-ray crystal structure of 4 shows that 3c-2e bonding is, in fact, absent. Rather, the B-N-B array of 4 is unsymmetrical, having a 2c-2e B-N dative bond with the remaining boron pyramidalized outward and bonded to the oxygen of THF, i.e., 4 x THF. In THF solution, 4 displays temperature-dependent 13C NMR spectra from which a DeltaG++ of 11.6 kcal/mol at 262 K may be calculated. The dynamic process observed in solution corresponds to a bond-switching equilibrium in which the B-N bond oscillates between the two borons ("bell clapper"). Ab initio calculations indicate that the most likely pathway for the bond switch does not involve a 3c-2e B...N...B bond, but rather occurs by nucleophilic attack of THF on the datively bonded boron to generate 4 x (THF)2, lacking any B-N interactions, followed by loss of one THF. The B-N-B system of 4 sans the perturbing effect of solvent was also investigated computationally. The form of 4 containing a 3c-2e bond is found to be a transition state in the solvent-free bond-switch reaction of 4, lying 2.66 kcal/mol above 4. The stability of three-center bonds to in-line distortion (viz., X...Y...X --> X-Y.........X) is discussed from the point of view of the second-order Jahn-Teller effect.

Synthesis and Characterization of Stable Hypervalent Carbon Compounds (10-C-5) Bearing a 2,6-Bis(p-substituted phenyloxymethyl)benzene Ligand

X-ray analysis of bis(p-fluorophenyl)methyl cation bearing a 2,6-bis(p-tolyloxymethyl)benzene ligand showed a symmetrical structure (10-C-5) where the two C-O distances are identical, although the distance (2.690(4) A) is longer than those (2.43(1) and 2.45(1) A) of 1,8-dimethoxy-9-dimethoxymethylanthracene monocation, which was recently reported by us. However, X-ray analysis of the more stable aromatic xanthylium cation with the same benzene ligand showed the tetracoordinate carbon structure where only one of the two oxygen ligands is coordinated with the central carbon atom. These results clearly indicate that the carbocations (10-C-5) bearing the sterically flexible benzene ligand were quite sensitive to the electronic effect on the central carbon atom. The electron distribution analysis by accurate X-ray measurements and the density functional calculation on the initially mentioned bis(p-fluorophenyl)methyl cation clearly show that the central carbon atom and the two oxygen atoms are bonded even if the bond is weak and ionic based on the small value of the electron density (rho(r)) and the small positive Laplacian value (nabla(2)rho(r)) at the bond critical points.

Syntheses and Structures of Hypervalent Pentacoordinate Carbon and Boron Compounds Bearing an Anthracene Skeleton − Elucidation of Hypervalent Interaction Based on X-ray Analysis and DFT Calculation

Pentacoordinate and tetracoordinate carbon and boron compounds (27, 38, 50-52, 56-61) bearing an anthracene skeleton with two oxygen or nitrogen atoms at the 1,8-positions were synthesized by the use of four newly synthesized tridentate ligand precursors. Several carbon and boron compounds were characterized by X-ray crystallographic analysis, showing that compounds 27, 56-59 bearing an oxygen-donating anthracene skeleton had a trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) pentacoordinate structure with relatively long apical distances (ca. 2.38-2.46 A). Despite the relatively long apical distances, DFT calculation of carbon species 27 and boron species 56 and experimental accurate X-ray electron density distribution analysis of 56 supported the existence of the apical hypervalent bond even though the nature of the hypervalent interaction between the central carbon (or boron) and the donating oxygen atom was relatively weak and ionic. On the other hand, X-ray analysis of compounds 50-52 bearing a nitrogen-donating anthracene skeleton showed unsymmetrical tetracoordinate carbon or boron atom with coordination by only one of the two nitrogen-donating groups. It is interesting to note that, with an oxygen-donating skeleton, the compound 61 having two chlorine atoms on the central boron atom showed a tetracoordinate structure, although the corresponding compound 60 with two fluorine atoms showed a pentacoordinate structure. The B-O distances (av 2.29 A) in 60 were relatively short in comparison with those (av 2.44 A) in 59 having two methoxy groups on the central boron atom, indicating that the B-O interaction became stronger due to the electron-withdrawing nature of the fluorine atoms.

Extended Hypervalent 5c−6e Interactions: Linear Alignment of Five C−Se---O---Se−C Atoms in Anthraquinone and 9-Methoxyanthracene Bearing Arylselanyl Groups at the 1,8-Positions

The structures of 1,8-bis(phenylselanyl)anthraquinone (1a), 1,8-bis(phenylselanyl)-9-methoxyanthracene (2a), and 1,8-bis(phenylselanyl)anthracene (3a) are determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis, together with the derivatives. The Se-C(i) (Ph) bonds in 1a are placed on the anthraquinone plane (both type B) and the phenyl planes are perpendicular to the anthraquinone plane. The structure around the Se atoms in 2a is very close to that of 1a: the conformations of the PhSe groups are both type B. Consequently, the five C(i)-Se- - -O- - -Se-C(i) atoms in 1a and 2a align linearly. The nonbonded Se- - -O distances in 1a and 2a are 2.673-2.688 and 2.731-2.744 A, respectively, which are about 0.7 A shorter than the sum of van der Waals radii of the atoms. The extended hypervalent sigma*(C(i)-Se)- - -n(p)(O)- - -sigma*(Se-C(i)) 5c-6e interactions are strongly suggested for the origin of the linear alignment of the five atoms in 1a and 2a. The 5c-6e must be constructed by the connection of the two hypervalent n(p)(O)- - -sigma*(Se-C(i)) 3c-4e interactions through the central n(p)(O). The five C(i)-Se- - -H- - -Se-C(i) atoms never align linearly in 3a. To reveal the nature of 5c-6e in 1a and 2a, QC calculations are performed on H(a)H(b)(A)Se- - -O([double bond]CH(2))- - -(B)SeH(a')H(b') (model a) and H(a)H(b)(A)Se- - -OH(2)- - -(B)SeH(a')H(b') (model b) with the B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd) method, where the nonbonded Se- - -O distances are fixed at 2.658 A. Four conformers, a (AA-cis), a (AA-trans), a (AB), and a (BB), are optimized to be stable for model a, where a (AA) shows both type A for the (A)Se-H(b) and (B)Se-H(b') bonds in model a. Three conformers, b (AA-cis), b (AB), and b (BB), are stable for model b. The bonding models in AA, AB, and BB correspond to 3c-6e, 4c-6e, and 5c-6e, respectively. The models become more stable by 42 +/- 5 kJ mol(-1), if the type A conformation of each Se-H bond changes to type B. No noticeable saturation is observed in the stabilization for each change. QC calculations are also performed on 1a-3a at the B3LYP level. Three conformers are evaluated to be stable for 1a and 2a. The relative energies of 1a (AA-trans), 1a (AB), and 1a (BB) are 0.0, -31.5, and -60.6 kJ mol(-1), respectively, and those of 2a (AA-cis), 2a (AB), and 2a (BB) are 0.0, -24.4, and -36.5 kJ mol(-1), respectively. These results demonstrate that the origin of the linear alignment of the five C-Se- - -O- - -Se-C atoms in 1a and 2a is the energy lowering effect by the extended hypervalent 5c-6e interactions of the sigma*(C-Se)<--n(p)(O)-->sigma*(Se-C) type. The pi-conjugation between pi(C[double bond]O) and n(pz)(Se) through the pi-framework of anthraquinone must also contribute to stabilize the BB structure of 1a, where z is the direction perpendicular to the anthraquinone plane.

First linear alignment of five C-Se...O...Se-C atoms in anthraquinone and 9-(methoxy)anthracene bearing phenylselanyl groups at 1,8-positions

Five Ci-Se...O...Se-Ci atoms in anthraquinone and 9-(methoxy)anthracene bearing phenylselanyl groups at 1,8-positions align linearly, the origin of which is shown to be a nonbonded 5c-6e interaction of the five atoms.

Mechanistic studies on the B(C(6)F(5))(3) catalyzed allylstannation of aromatic aldehydes with ortho donor substituents

Mechanistic studies on the B(C(6)F(5))(3) catalyzed allylstannation of isomeric substituted benzaldehydes are reported. Confirming a report by Maruoka et al., good (5:1) to excellent (>20:1) selectivities for ortho over para isomers are observed when 1:1 mixtures (X = OMe, Cl, F, OTBS) are allylstannated with C(3)H(5)SnBu(3) in the presence of B(C(6)F(5))(3) (2.5% per CHO). The best selectivities are observed for the anisaldehydes. Multinuclear NMR studies on solutions of B(C(6)F(5))(3) and C(3)H(5)SnBu(3) (1:1 to 1:5) show that the borane abstracts the allyl group from the organotin reagent, forming an adduct (C(6)F(5))(3)B...CH(2)CHCH(2)SnBu(3), 1, or ion pair [(C(6)F(5))(3)BCH(2)CH=CH(2)](-)[Bu(3)SnCH(2)CHCH(2)SnBu(3)](+), 2, depending on the reagent ratio. These compounds are important in the mechanism of Lewis acid catalyzed 1,3-isomerization of substituted allyl stannanes. When allyltin reagent is added to solutions of B(C(6)F(5))(3) and ortho-anisaldehyde (1:5) at -60 degrees C, conversion to the stannylium ion pair [Bu(3)Sn(ortho-anisaldehyde)(2)](+)[o-ArCH(allyl)OB(C(6)F(5))(3)](-), o,o-4, is observed. The structure of this species was confirmed by (1)H, (11)B, (19)F, and (119)Sn NMR spectroscopy and by forming related ion pairs (o-5 and o,o-5) utilizing the [B(C(6)F(5))(4)](-) counteranion via reaction of [Bu(3)Sn](+)[B(C(6)F(5))(4)](-) with aldehyde. The anion in o,o-4 is formed via direct allylation of the ortho-anisaldehyde/B(C(6)F(5))(3) adduct o-3, while the cation arises upon aldehyde ligation of the resulting tributylstannylium ion. The crystal structure of the related derivative ortho-C(6)H(4)(OMe)CHO x SnMe(3)BF(4), 6, showed that the aldehyde binds the tin nucleus only through the carbonyl oxygen. Similar reactions using para-anisaldehyde show that formation of p,p-4 occurs at a much slower rate, again demonstrating the preference for the ortho substituted substrates. For similar experiments using benzophenone, however, formation of the ion pair [Bu(3)Sn(Ph(2)CO)(2)](+)[(C(3)H(5))B(C(6)F(5))(3)](-), 8, was observed, illustrating the differences subtle changes in substrate can bring. Ion pair 8 is formed via the trapping of 1 by the benzophenone substrate. In the presence of excess aldehyde and allyltin reagent, ion pair o,o-4 catalyzes the allylstannation of aldehyde to give the product stannyl ether. Several lines of experimental evidence suggest this is the true catalyst in the system. The chemoselectivity observed thus does not rely on classical chelation control in any way. Rather, we propose that the ortho donor group stabilizes the developing positive charge at the beta carbon of the allyl group and the tin atom during the allylation event. This stabilization renders the ortho substituted substrates kinetically favored toward allylation irrespective of the Lewis acid employed.