From poly(dialkylstannane)s to poly(diarylstannane)s: comparison of synthesis methods and resulting polymers

Characterization of Germanium Nanoparticles from Arylgermanium Trihydrides

Germanium is a promising basis for nanomaterials due to its low toxicity and valuable optical and electronic properties. However, germanium nanomaterials have seen little research compared to other group 14 elements due to unpredictable chemical behavior and high costs. Here, we report the dehydrocoupling of o-tolylgermanium trihydride to amorphous nanoparticles. The reaction is facilitated through reflux at 162 °C and can be accelerated with an amine base catalyst. Through cleavage of both H2 and toluene, new Ge-Ge bonds form. This results in nanoparticles consisting of crosslinked germanium with o-tolyl termination. The particles are 2-6 nm in size and have masses above approximately 3500 Da. The organic substituents are promising for further functionalization. Combined with strong absorption up to 600 nm and moderate solubility and air stability, there are numerous possibilities for future applications.

Molecular Main Group Metal Hydrides

This review serves to document advances in the synthesis, versatile bonding, and reactivity of molecular main group metal hydrides within Groups 1, 2, and 12-16. Particular attention will be given to the emerging use of said hydrides in the rapidly expanding field of Main Group element-mediated catalysis. While this review is comprehensive in nature, focus will be given to research appearing in the open literature since 2001.

“Push–push and push–pull” polystannanes

Alternating “Push–pull” and “push–push” polystannanes prepared by condensation of tin diamides and tin dihydrides are described.

Polystannanes: processible molecular metals with defined chemical structures

Polystannanes are a unique class of materials as those inorganic polymers (more precisely organometallic polymers) appear to be hitherto the only characterized polymers with a backbone of covalently bound metal atoms.

Polymers and the p-block elements

A survey of the state-of-the-art in the development of synthetic methods to incorporate p-block elements into polymers is given. The incorporation of main group elements (groups 13-16) into long chains provides access to materials with fascinating chemical and physical properties imparted by the presence of inorganic groups. Perhaps the greatest impedance to the widespread academic and commercial use of p-block element-containing macromolecules is the synthetic challenge associated with linking inorganic elements into long chains. In recent years, creative methodologies have been developed to incorporate heteroatoms into polymeric structures, with perhaps the greatest advances occurring with hybrid organic-inorganic polymers composed of boron, silicon, phosphorus and sulfur. With these developments, materials are currently being realized that possess exciting chemical, photophysical and thermal properties that are not possible for conventional organic polymers. This review focuses on highlighting the most significant recent advances whilst giving an appropriate background for the general reader. Of particular focus will be advances made over the last two decades, with emphasis on the novel synthetic methodologies employed.

A nitrogen-base catalyzed generation of organotin(ii) hydride from an organotin trihydride under reductive dihydrogen elimination

Amine bases are shown to induce reductive elimination of dihydrogen from terphenyltin trihydride.

Since their first description over a decade ago, organotin(ii) hydrides have been an iconic class of compounds in molecular main group chemistry. Among other approaches they have been accessed from the hydrogenation of distannynes. We herein report their accessibility from the other direction by dehydrogenation of organotin trihydride. On reacting pyridine and amine bases with the bulky substituted organotin trihydride Ar*SnH₃ (Ar* = 2,6-trip₂(C₆H₃)–, trip = 2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl) hydrogen evolution was observed. In case of catalytic amounts of base the dehydro-coupling product diorganodistannane Ar*H₂SnSnH₂Ar* was obtained quantitatively whilst for excessive amounts (>4 eq.) the monomeric base adduct to known Ar*SnH was obtained almost exclusively. The base adducts were found to be remarkably thermally robust. They readily react with polar fulvenic C Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019 ]]> C-bonds in hydro-stannylenylation reactions. The resulting half-sandwich complex Ar*SnCp* was structurally characterized. Moreover, on application of less nucleophilic amine bases, the uncoordinated, in solution dimeric [Ar*SnH]₂ is formed. NMR spectroscopic studies on the kinetics of the DMAP-catalysed reductive elimination of dihydrogen were performed. The activation energy was approximated to be 13.7 kcal mol^–1. Solvent dependencies and a kinetic isotope effect KIE of k_H/k_D = 1.65 in benzene and 2.04 in THF were found and along with DFT calculations support a polar mechanism for this dehydrogenation.

Hydrogen abstraction from organotin di- and trihydrides by N-heterocyclic carbenes: a new method for the preparation of NHC adducts to tin(ii) species and observation of an isomer of a hexastannabenzene derivative [R6Sn6]

N-Heterocyclic carbenes are shown to cleanly abstract dihydrogen from organotin di- and trihydrides to intermediately form the reactive stannylene species [R₂Sn] and [R′SnH], respectively, which undergo further reactions.