A Striking, Multifaceted, Decalithium Aggregate with Carbanion, Organoamide, and Alkoxide Functionalities

Octalithium, Tetrasodium, and Decalithium Compounds Based on Pyrrolyl Ligands: Synthesis, Structures, and Activation of the C-H Bonds of Pyrrolyl Rings and C═N Bonds of a Series of Ligands by Organolithium Reagents

The organometallic compounds of lithium ions have garnered continuous interest as indispensable precursors for the syntheses of organometallic complexes of main-group metals, transition metals, lanthanide metals, and actinide metals. In this work, we present a strategy for the preparation of a series of polynuclear lithium complexes. This methodology features the utilization of organolithium reagents both as metal sources to coordinate with the ligands and as nucleophilic reagents to undergo nucleophilic addition to the C═N bonds of the ligands. Reaction of a ligand HL1 [HL1 = 2-(((1-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methylene)amino)phenol] with n-BuLi produced complex [Li8(L1a)4]·1.5Tol (1·1.5Tol) [H2L1a = 2-((1-(1-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)pentyl)amino)phenol]. One prominent feature regarding the formation of 1·1.5Tol is the occurrence of nucleophilic addition of n-BuLi to the C═N bond of HL1, leading to the generation of a new [L1a]2- ligand that contains both aminophenol and 1-(2-pyrrolyl)alkylamine scaffolds. The developed protocol can be adapted to a series of organolithium reagents. Compounds [Li8(L1b)4] (2) and [Li8(L1c)4] (3) were afforded by treatment of HL1 with sec-BuLi and LiCH2SiMe3, respectively. Reaction of an analogous ligand HL2 [HL2 = 2-(((1-(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl)-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methylene)amino)-4-methylphenol] with n-BuLi generated compound [Li8(L2a)4] (4). C═N bond activation was not observed in the reaction of HL1 with NaOtBu, and the complex [Na4(L1)4]·Tol (5·Tol) was obtained. A decanuclear complex [Li10(L3a)2(L3b)2] (6) was also prepared via the reaction of HL3 [HL3 = 2-(2-((((1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methylene)amino)methyl)-1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-N,N-dimethylethan-1-amine] with t-BuLi. A remarkable feature in terms of the synthesis of 6 is the simultaneous occurrence of hydrogen atom abstraction from the C-H bond of the pyrrolyl ring and nucleophilic addition to the C═N bond of the HL3 ligand by t-BuLi. A series of amines containing biologically and physiologically important moieties were achieved by hydrolysis of the crude products from the reactions of the HL1-HL3 ligands and organolithium reagents. This work provides an efficient approach to high-nuclearity lithium compounds as well as a series of amines.

Dioxomolybdenum(VI) and dioxotungsten(VI) complexes supported by an amido ligand

Stepwise addition of one equivalent of n-butyllithium and trimethylsilyl chloride to 2-tert-butylmercaptoaniline affords the new ligand 1-(Me3SiNH)-2-(t-BuS)C6H4 (LH), that reacts with one equivalent of butyllithium to its lithium salt LLi. Dioxodichloromolybdenum [MoO2Cl2] and dioxodichlorotungsten dimethoxyethane [WO2Cl2(dme)] react in tetrahydrofuran solution at low temperature with two equivalents LLi to monomeric dioxomolybdenum(VI) [MoO2L2] (1) and dioxotungsten(VI) complex [WO2L2] (2) employing two bidentate amido thioether ligands. The crystallographic determination of the molecular structures of 1 and 2 show evidence for M...S contacts. The reaction of [MoO2Cl2] with LLi in tetrahydrofuran solution at room temperature leads next to 1 to two compounds where silyl group migration from nitrogen to oxygen atoms occurs forming [Mo(=NL')2(OSiMe)2] (3) and [Mo(=NL')2(OSiMe3)L] (4, L' = N-2-t-BuSC6H4) as determined by NMR spectroscopy. Compound 4 was isolated in low yield and its molecular structure determined by X-ray crystallography. Higher yields of a bisimido complex can be obtained by the direct reaction of one equivalent of LLi with [Mo(NAr)2Cl2(dme)] (Ar = 2,6-Me2C6H4) forming [Mo(NAr)2LCl] (5).

Diastereoselective Self-Assembly of Chiral Diamine-Chelated Aryllithiums to Dimeric Aggregates

Aryllithium compounds [LiC6H4(CH2N(Et)CH2CH2NEt2)-2]2 (2b), [LiC6H4(CH(Me)N(Me)CH2CH2NMe2-(R))-2]2 ((R)-3b), and [LiC6H4(CH(Me)N(Me)CH2CH2NMe2-(rac))-2]2 ((rac)-3b) were synthesized and characterized in the solid state and in solution. X-ray crystallographic studies of 2b and (R)-3b and molecular weight determinations of 2b, (R)-3b, and (rac)-3b by cryoscopy in benzene showed that, both in the solid state and in apolar, noncoordinating solvents such as benzene, these compounds exist as discrete dimeric aggregates. For (R)-3b and (rac)-3b the aggregation process of two monomeric aryllithium units to one dimer is highly diastereoselective.