Formation of Pentaorganostannates from Bis(2‐bromo‐2′‐biphenyl)stannanes and tert ‐Butyllithium upon Substitution of Alkyl and Aryl Groups on Tin Atoms

Facile Synthesis and Redox Behavior of an Overcrowded Spirogermabifluorene

A spirogermabifluorene that bears sterically demanding 3,3′,5,5′-tetra(t-butyl)-2,2′-biphenylene groups (1) was obtained from the reaction of in-situ-generated 2,2′-dilithiobiphenylene with GeCl2·(dioxane). The solid-state structure and the redox behavior of 1 were examined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and electrochemical measurements, respectively. The sterically hindered biphenyl ligands endow 1 with high redox stability and increased electron affinity. The experimental observations were corroborated by theoretical DFT calculations.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of a Spirostannole and Formation of a Pentaorganostannate

A new spirostannole, 1,1',3,3'-tetrakis(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)-4,4',5,5',6,6',7,7'-octahydro-2,2'-spirobi[benzo[c]stannole] (4), is synthesised and the molecular structure is compared with the optimised geometry from DFT calculations. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) are twice degenerated and show a small HOMO-LUMO energy gap of 3.2 eV. In addition, cyclic voltammetry measurements are conducted and three redox processes are observed. Absorption and emission spectra show maxima at λ_abs,max 436 nm and λ_em,max 533 nm, respectively. Spirostannole 4 is a strongly absorbing material, but an extremely weak emitter in solution at 295.15 K. However, when the solution is cooled from 280 to 80 K, the emission becomes visible. The reaction of spirostannole 4 with methyllithium is monitored by NMR spectroscopy at 238.15 K. The ¹¹⁹Sn{¹H} NMR signal shifts from -36.0 (4) to -211.0 ppm, which is indicative of the formation of the lithium pentaorganostannate 5. The complex is thermally instable at 295.15 K, but insights into the molecular structure and electronic behaviour are obtained by DFT and TD-DFT calculations.

Penta- and hexaorganostannate(iv) complexes based on O-heterocyclic ligands

In the present study, the synthesis of homoleptic five- and six-coordinate heteroaryl tin(iv) compounds using two O-heterocyclic substituents, 2-furyl (2-fu) and 2-benzofuryl (2-fu^Bz) ligands is described. The compounds were obtained as their lithium salts [Li₂(OEt₂)₂Sn(2-fu)₆] (1), [Li(tmeda)₂][Sn(2-fu)₅] (tmeda = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) (2) and [Li(thf)₄][Sn(2-fu^Bz)₅] (3), featuring both an intramolecular coordination of the counterions by the anionic hypercoordinate tin(iv) species found in 1 as well as solvent separated cation/anion pairs for compounds 2 and 3. In addition, the co-crystalline complex [K₂(thf)₆Sn(2-fu^Bz)₆]·[K₂(thf)₄Sn(2-fu^Bz)₆] (4a·4b) was achieved. The characterization of all compounds by various spectroscopic methods and X-ray structural analysis complemented by density functional computations provided insights into the diversity of complex formation.

High-yield lithiation of azobenzenes by tin-lithium exchange

The lithiation of halogenated azobenzenes by halogen-lithium exchange commonly leads to substantial degradation of the azo group to give hydrazine derivatives besides the desired aryl lithium species. Yields of quenching reactions with electrophiles are therefore low. This work shows that a transmetalation reaction of easily accessible stannylated azobenzenes with methyllithium leads to a near-quantitative lithiation of azobenzenes in para, meta, and ortho positions. To investigate the scope of the reaction, various lithiated azobenzenes were quenched with a variety of electrophiles. Furthermore, mechanistic (119) Sn NMR spectroscopic studies on the formation of lithiated azobenzenes are presented. A tin ate complex of the azobenzene was detected and characterized at low temperature.