3d Metal Complexes Supported by a Bis(imidazolin-2-imino)pyridine Pincer Ligand - Synthesis, Structural Characterisation, and Magnetic Properties

Rare earth dialkyl cations and monoalkyl dications supported by a rigid neutral pincer ligand: synthesis and ethylene polymerization

A palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction between 4,5-dibromo-2,7-di-tert-butyl-9,9-dimethylxanthene and 2 equiv. of 1,3-diisopropylimidazolin-2-imine afforded the rigid neutral 2,7-di-tert-butyl-4,5-bis(1,3-diisopropylimidazolin-2-imino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene (XII2) pincer ligand. Reaction of XII2 with YCl3(THF)3.5 provided [(XII2)YCl3] (1). However, compound 1 failed to react cleanly with 3 equiv. of LiCH2SiMe3, and the reaction of XII2 with [Y(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2] afforded a complex mixture of products. To access group 3 alkyl complexes without the intermediacy of [(XII2)M(CH2SiMe3)3], the XII2 ligand was protonated using [H(OEt2)2][B(C6F5)4] to form [H(XII2)][B(C6F5)4], and subsequent reaction with [M(CH2SiMe3)3(THF)2] (M = Y, Sc) directly afforded the cationic scandium and yttrium dialkyl complexes [(XII2)M(CH2SiMe3)2][B(C6F5)4] {M = Y (2) and Sc (3)}. Reaction of 3 with B(C6F5)3 in C6D5Br afforded dicationic [(XII2)Sc(CH2SiMe2CH2SiMe3)][MeB(C6F5)3][B(C6F5)4] (4) featuring a CH2SiMe2CH2SiMe3 ligand, formed as a result of methyl anion abstraction from silicon, with concomitant migration of the neighbouring CH2SiMe3 group from scandium to silicon. The MeB(C6F5)3 anion in 4 forms a contact ion pair. By contrast, reaction of 1 with [CPh3][B(C6F5)3] in C6D5Br/toluene or o-C6H4F2/toluene afforded dicationic [(XII2)Sc(CH2SiMe3)(ηx-toluene)n][B(C6F5)4]2 (5). Compounds 2-4 showed negligible ethylene polymerization activity, whereas 5 is highly active (up to 870 kg mol-1 h-1 atm-1 in o-C6H4F2/toluene under 1 atm of ethylene at room temperature).

Mesoionic Imines (MIIs): Strong Donors and Versatile Ligands for Transition Metals and Main Group Substrates

We report the synthesis and the reactivity of 1,2,3-triazolin-5-imine type mesoionic imines (MIIs). The MIIs are accessible by a base-mediated cycloaddition between a substituted acetonitrile and an aromatic azide, methylation by established routes and subsequent deprotonation. C=O-stretching frequencies in MII-CO2 and -Rh(CO)2 Cl complexes were used to determine the overall donor strength. The MIIs are stronger donors than the N-heterocyclic imines (NHIs). MIIs are excellent ligands for main group elements and transition metals in which they display substituent-induced fluorine-specific interactions and undergo C-H activation. DFT calculations gave insights into the frontier orbitals of the MIIs. The calculations predict a relatively small HOMO-LUMO gap compared to other related ligands. MIIs are potentially able to act as both π-donor and π-acceptor ligands. This report highlights the potential of MIIs to display exciting properties with a huge potential for future development.

Crystal structure of N'-[2-(benzo[d]thia-zol-2-yl)acet-yl]benzohydrazide, an achiral compound crystallizing in space group P1 with Z = 1

In the mol-ecule of the title compound, C16H13N3O2S, one hydrazinic nitro-gen atom is essentially planar, but the other is slightly pyramidalized. The torsion angle about the hydrazinic bond is 66.44 (15)°. Both hydrazinic hydrogen atoms lie anti-periplanar to the oxygen of the adjacent carbonyl group. The mol-ecular packing is a layer structure determined by two classical hydrogen bonds, N-H⋯O=C and N-H⋯Nthia-zole. The space group is P1 with Z = 1, which is unusual for an achiral organic compound.

FeIII and FeII Phosphasalen Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Application for 2-Naphthol Oxidative Coupling

We report on the synthesis and characterization of three iron(III) phosphasalen complexes, [Fe^III (Psalen)(X)] differing in the nature of the counter-anion/exogenous ligand (X^- =Cl^- , NO₃ ^- , OTf^- ), as well as the neutral iron(II) analogue, [Fe^II (Psalen)]. Phosphasalen (Psalen) differs from salen by the presence of iminophosphorane (P=N) functions in place of the imines. All the complexes were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis, EPR, and cyclic voltammetry. The [Fe^II (Psalen)] complex was shown to remain tetracoordinated even in coordinating solvent but surprisingly exhibits a magnetic moment in line with a Fe^II high-spin ground state. For the Fe^III complexes, the higher lability of triflate anion compared to nitrate was demonstrated. As they exhibit lower reduction potentials compared to their salen analogues, these complexes were tested for the coupling of 2-naphthol using O₂ from air as oxidant. In order to shed light on this reaction, the interaction between 2-naphthol and the Fe^III (Psalen) complexes was studied by cyclic voltammetry as well as UV/Vis spectroscopy.

1,2,4,5-Tetrakis(tetramethylguanidino)-3,6-diethynyl-benzenes: Fluorescent Probes, Redox-Active Ligands and Strong Organic Electron Donors

In this work, the change of reactivity induced by the introduction of two para-ethynyl substituents (CCSi(iPr)3 or CCH) to the organic electron-donor 1,2,4,5-tetrakis(tetramethylguanidino)-benzene is evaluated. The redox-properties and redox-state dependent fluorescence are evaluated, and dinuclear CuI and CuII complexes synthesized. The Lewis-acidic B(C6 F5 )3 substitutes the proton of the ethynyl -CCH groups to give new anionic -CCB(C6 F5 )3 - substituents, leading eventually to a novel dianionic strong electron donor in its diprotonated form. Its two-electron oxidation with dioxygen in the presence of a copper catalyst yields the first redox-active guanidine that is neutral (instead of cationic) in its oxidized form.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Adducts of Main Group Elements and Their Use as Ligands in Transition Metal Chemistry

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHC) are nowadays ubiquitous and indispensable in many research fields, and it is not possible to imagine modern transition metal and main group element chemistry without the plethora of available NHCs with tailor-made electronic and steric properties. While their suitability to act as strong ligands toward transition metals has led to numerous applications of NHC complexes in homogeneous catalysis, their strong σ-donating and adaptable π-accepting abilities have also contributed to an impressive vitalization of main group chemistry with the isolation and characterization of NHC adducts of almost any element. Formally, NHC coordination to Lewis acids affords a transfer of nucleophilicity from the carbene carbon atom to the attached exocyclic moiety, and low-valent and low-coordinate adducts of the p-block elements with available lone pairs and/or polarized carbon-element π-bonds are able to act themselves as Lewis basic donor ligands toward transition metals. Accordingly, the availability of a large number of novel NHC adducts has not only produced new varieties of already existing ligand classes but has also allowed establishment of numerous complexes with unusual and often unprecedented element-metal bonds. This review aims at summarizing this development comprehensively and covers the usage of N-heterocyclic carbene adducts of the p-block elements as ligands in transition metal chemistry.

Synthesis and Electronic Structure of Neutral Square-Planar High-Spin Iron(II) Complexes Supported by a Dianionic Pincer Ligand

Two square-planar high-spin Fe^II complexes bearing a dianionic pyridine dipyrrolate pincer ligand and a diethyl ether or tetrahydrofuran ligand were synthesized and structurally characterized, and their electronic structures were elucidated by a combined spectroscopic and computational approach. In contrast to previous examples, the S = 2 ground states of these square-planar Fe^II complexes do not require an overall anionic charge of the compounds or incorporation of alkali metal cations. The tetrahydrofuran complex exhibits an equilibrium between four- and five-coordinate species in solution, which was supported by ¹H NMR and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy and comparison to a structurally characterized five-coordinate pyridine dipyrrolate iron bis-pyridine adduct. A detailed computational analysis of the electronic structures of the four- and five-coordinate species via density functional theory provides insight into the origins of the unusual ground state configurations for Fe^II in a square-planar ligand field and explains the associated characteristic spectroscopic parameters.

Nickel(ii) PE1CE2P pincer complexes (E = O, S) for electrocatalytic proton reduction

The catalytic activity of a series of nickel complexes with different phosphinite/thiophosphinite ligands for electrocatalytic proton reduction strongly depends on the nature of the pincer ligands.

Selective Synthesis of Site-Differentiated Fe4S4 and Fe6S6 Clusters

Obtaining rational control over the structure and nuclearity of metalloclusters is an ongoing challenge in synthetic Fe-S cluster chemistry. We report a new family of tridentate imidazolin-2-imine ligands L(NIm^R)₃ that can bind [Fe₄S₄]²⁺ or [Fe₆S₆]³⁺ clusters, depending on the steric profile of the ligand and the reaction stoichiometry. A high-yielding synthetic route to L(NIm^R)₃ ligands (where R is the imidazolyl N substituents) from trianiline and 2-chloroimidazolium precursors is described. For L(NIm^Me)₃ (tris(1,3,5-(3-( N, N-dimethyl-4,5-diphenylimidazolin-2-imino)phenylmethyl))benzene), metalation with 1 equiv of [Ph₄P]₂[Fe₄S₄Cl₄] and 3 equiv of NaBPh₄ furnishes a mixture of products, but adjusting the stoichiometry to 1.5 equiv of [Ph₄P]₂[Fe₄S₄Cl₄] provides (L(NIm^Me)₃)Fe₆S₆Cl₆ in high yield. Formation of an [Fe₆S₆]³⁺ cluster using L(NIm^Tol)₃ (tris(1,3,5-(3-( N, N-bis(4-methylphenyl)-4,5-diphenylimidazolin-2-imino)phenylmethyl))benzene) is not observed; instead, the [Fe₄S₄]²⁺ cluster [(L(NIm^Tol)₃)(Fe₄S₄Cl)][BPh₄] is cleanly generated when 1 equiv of [Ph₄P]₂[Fe₄S₄Cl₄] is employed. The selectivity for cluster nuclearity is rationalized by the orientation of the imidazolyl rings whereby long N-imidazolyl substituents preclude formation of [Fe₆S₆]³⁺ clusters but not [Fe₄S₄]²⁺ clusters. Thus, the structure and nuclearity of L(NIm^R)₃-bound Fe-S clusters may be selectively controlled through rational modification the ligand's substituents.

Alkyl Radical Generation by an Intramolecular Homolytic Substitution Reaction between Iron(II) and Trialkylsulfonium Groups

Intramolecular, homolytic substitution reactions between iron(II) species and various trialkylsulfonium groups were directly observed in the gas phase upon collision-induced dissociation. In spite of the notoriously low reduction potential of trialkylsulfonium species and the mismatched oxidation potential of iron(II), the reactions proceed at moderate collision energies, forming an alkyl radical as well as a thioether coordinated to the iron. In contrast to classical homolytic substitutions, the attacking radical is a "metalloradical", namely iron(II) that is oxidized to iron(III) during the reaction. With this process we demonstrate that the conceptually analogous, putative radical generation step in radical S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) enzymes is possible and plausible. Further, we show that this kind of reaction only occurs in constrained systems with a defined geometry. Combining experimental measurements with DFT studies and NBO analyses allowed us to gain insights into the reactivity and transition states of these systems. Based on our findings, we challenge the notion of a collinear transition state in the radical generation step of radical SAM enzymes and propose it to be bent instead.

Synthesis of quinolinyl-based pincer copper(ii) complexes: an efficient catalyst system for Kumada coupling of alkyl chlorides and bromides with alkyl Grignard reagents

Well-defined quinolinamide-based pincer copper complexes have been developed and demonstrated in the Kumada coupling reaction of nonactivated alkyl chlorides and bromides with alkyl magnesium chloride.

Synthetic applications of pseudocyclic hypervalent iodine compounds

In this review the preparation and structural features of pseudocyclic iodine(iii) and iodine(v) derivatives are discussed, and recent developments in their synthetic applications are summarized.