Modern Developments in Magnesium Reagent Chemistry for Synthesis

N-Ligand-Enabled Aromatic Nucleophilic Amination of 1,2-Diaryl-o-Carboranes with (R2 N)2 Mg for Selective Synthesis of 4-R2 N-o-Carboranes and 2-R2 N-m-Carboranes

The nucleophilic aromatic BH substitution reaction of carboranes is uncommon, compared to the electrophilic one. This work reported a pyridine-enabled transition-metal-free regioselective nucleophilic aromatic cage B(4)-H amination of 1,2-diaryl-o-carboranes with magnesium bisamides, giving a series of B(4)-aminated o-carboranes. DFT calculations showcased a stepwise B-N formation/B-H cleavage process, in which Mg-H formation/cage closure is the rate-determining step. Unprecedentedly, in the presence of 4,4'-di-tert-butyl-2,2'-dipyridyl (dtbpy), a tandem B(4)-amination/cage isomerization reaction of o-carboranes was discovered for the facile preparation of B(2)-aminated m-carboranes. Control experiments indicated that magnesium complex, bidentate ligand (dtbpy) and reaction temperature were crucial in the cage isomerization process. This direct nucleophilic aromatic cage B-H amination reaction offers an alternative strategy for selective amination of o- and m-carboranes.

Lithium, Magnesium, and Zinc Centers N,N'-Chelated by an Amine-Amide Hybrid Ligand

The synthesis and structure of lithium, magnesium, and zinc complexes N,N'-chelated by a hybrid amine-amido ligand ([2-(Me₂NCH₂)C₆H₄NR]^-, abbreviated as L^NR, where R = H, SiMe₃, or Bn) are reported. The reaction of the least sterically demanding L^NH with various magnesium sources gives the hexameric imide [L^NMg]₆ (4) by the elimination of n-butane from L^NHMgⁿBu (2) or by the reaction of L^NHLi (1) with MeMgBr. [L^NH]₂Mg (3) is obtained through the addition of 0.5 equiv of ⁿBu₂Mg or Mg[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂ to L^NH₂ and with 1 equiv of ⁿBu₂Mg reacting to 2. Both L^NHMgN(SiMe₃)₂ (6) and isostructural L^NHZnN(SiMe₃)₂ (16) have been prepared using two different approaches: monodeprotonation of L^NH₂ by Zn/Mg[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂ in a 1:1 ratio or ligand substitution of 2 or L^NHZnEt (12) by 0.5 equiv of Sn[N(SiMe₃)₂]₂. The reactions of 2 or 3 with 1 provide the heterotrimetallic complex [L^NH]₄Li₂Mg (5). Benzyl- or trimethylsilyl-substituted anilines [L^N(SiMe₃)H (7) and L^N(Bn)H (8)] with 0.5 equiv of ⁿBu₂Mg allow the formation of homoleptic bis(amides) of the [L^N(R)]₂Mg type (10 and 11). Nevertheless, only the silylated secondary amine 7 is able to provide the heteroleptic n-butylmagnesium amide L^N(SiMe₃)MgⁿBu (9) upon reaction with an equimolar amount of ⁿBu₂Mg. Similarly, 12, [L^NH]₂Zn (13), L^N(R)ZnEt (17 and 18), and [L^N(R)]₂Zn [R = SiMe₃ (19) and Bn (20)] were prepared by the monodeprotonation of L^NH₂ or L^N(R)H using Et₂Zn in the corresponding stoichiometric ratio. L^NHZnI was prepared by the nucleophilic substitution of an ethyl chain in 12 by molecular iodine. A heterometallic complex, [L^NH]₄Li₂Zn (14), analogous to 5 was prepared from 12 or 13 with 1 or 2 equiv of 1, respectively.

Magnesium-mediated sp3 C-H activation in cascade cyclization of 1-arylethynyl-2-alkyl-o-carboranes: efficient synthesis of carborane-fused cyclopentanes

This work reports an unprecedented cascade cyclization of 1-arylethynyl-2-alkyl-o-carboranes promoted by magnesium-mediated sp3 C-H activation. Treatment of 1-arylethynyl-2-alkyl-o-carboranes with MeMgBr gives a series of carborane-fused cyclopentanes in very good yields. Deuterium labelling and control experiments suggest that HMgBr, resulting in situ from the nucleophilic substitution of cage B-H bonds with Grignard reagent, initiates the reaction, in which magnesium-promoted intramolecular sp3 C-H activation serves as a key step. This work not only offers a new route for the synthesis of carborane-fused cyclopentanes, but also sheds some light on Mg-mediated C-H activation and functionalization.

Structural and metal-halogen exchange reactivity studies of sodium magnesiate biphenolate complexes

Bimetallic sodium magnesiates have been employed in metal-halogen exchange for the first time. Utilising the racemic phenoxide ligand 5,5',6,6'-tetramethyl-3,3'-di-tert-butyl-1,1'-biphenyl-2,2'-diol [(rac)-BIPHEN-H2], the dialkyl sodium magnesiates [(rac)-BIPHEN]Na2MgBu2(TMEDA)23 and [(rac)-BIPHEN]Na2MgBu2(PMDETA)24 have been synthesised. Both 3 and 4 can be easily prepared through co-complexation of di-n-butylmagnesium with the sodiated (rac)-BIPHEN precursor which can be prepared in situ in hydrocarbon solvent. Prior to the main investigation, synthesis of the sodiated precursor [BIPHEN]2Na4(THF)41 was explored in order to better understand the formation of sodium magnesiates utilising the dianionic (rac)-BIPHEN ligand as the parent ligand. In addition, a BIPHEN-rich sodium magnesiate [BIPHEN]2Na2Mg(THF)42 was prepared and characterised, and its formation was rationalised. Complex 1 and 4 have also been fully characterised in both solid and solution state. In terms of onward reactivity, 3 and 4 have been tested as potential exchange reagents with aryl and heteroaryl iodides to produce aryl and heteroaryl magnesium phenoxides utilising toluene as a non-polar hydrocarbon solvent. Complex 3 reacted smoothly to give a range of aryl and heteroaryl magnesium phenoxides, whilst 4's reactivity is more sluggish.

Magnesiate-Utilized/Benzyne-Mediated Approach to Indenopyridones from 2-Pyridones: An Attempt To Synthesize the Indenopyridine Core of Haouamine

An efficient, short-staged synthesis of cis-fused indeno[2,1-b]- and indeno[1,2-c]pyridin-2-ones, starting from 2-pyridones, using magnesiates of type R₃MgLi as nucleophilic and deprotonation agents, mediated by benzyne generated in situ, under optimized conditions, is described. Following the developed protocol, rare C4a-arylsubstituted indeno[2,1-b]pyridones, resembling the core of haouamine, were obtained. The protocol offering the one-pot synthesis directly from 2-pyridone is also described.

Salt metathesis routes to homoleptic near-linear Mg(ii) and Ca(ii) bulky bis(silyl)amide complexes

A series of bulky bis(silyl)amide ligands have been utilised to stabilise rare examples of formally 2-coordinate linear or near-linear Mg and Ca complexes.

Well-defined styryl and biphenyl calcium complexes from dilithio compounds and calcium iodide: synthesis, structure and reactivity toward nitrous oxide

Efficient synthesis and structure elucidation of carbon–calcium σ-bonded compounds are of remarkable interest and importance in organometallic chemistry of the heavier s-block metals.

Contrasting the group 6 metal-metal bonding in sodium dichromate(ii) and sodium dimolybdate(ii) polymethyl complexes: synthetic, X-ray crystallographic and theoretical studies

Extending the class of group 6 metal-metal bonded methylate compounds supported by alkali metal counter-ions, the first sodium octamethylmolybdate(ii) complex [(TMEDA)Na]₄Mo₂Me₈ and heptamethylchromate(ii) relations [(donor)Na]₃Cr₂Me₇ (donor is TMEDA or TMCDA) are reported. The former was made by treating [(Et₂O)Li]₄Mo₂Me₈ with four equivalents of NaOtBu/TMEDA in ether; whereas the latter resulted from introducing TMEDA or TMCDA to ether solutions of octamethyldichromate [(Et₂O)Na]₄Cr₂Me₈. X-ray crystallography revealed [(TMEDA)Na]₄Mo₂Me₈ is dimeric with square pyramidal Mo centres [including a short Mo-Mo interaction of 2.1403(3) Å] each with four methyl groups in a mutually eclipsed conformation. In dinuclear [(TMCDA)Na]₃Cr₂Me₇ trigonal bi-pyramidal Cr centres each bond to three terminal methyl groups and one common Me bridge, that produces a strikingly short Cr-Cr contact of 1.9136(4) Å. Broken symmetry density functional theoretical calculations expose the multiconfigurational metal-metal bonding in these compounds with a Mo-Mo bond order of 3 computed for octamethylmolybdate(ii). This is contrasted by the single Cr-Cr bond in heptamethylchromate(ii) where the singlet ground state is derived by strong antiferromagnetic coupling between adjacent metal ions.

Structural diversity of alkali-metal (Li, Na, K) alkyl zincates containing bidentate aminopyrrolyl ligands: from molecular complexes to coordination polymers

The exploration of co-complexation reactions between alkai-metal reagents and ZnEt₂ with bidentate aminopyrrolyl ligands afforded a series of alkali-metal (Li, Na, K) alkyl zincates with a variety of intriguing structures, ranging from molecular complexes to more coordination polymers. All aforementioned complexes have been characterized by X-ray crystallography, NMR, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy.

Coordination behavior of bidentate bis(carbenes) at alkali metal bis(trimethylsilyl)amides

Crystallization of LiN(SiMe₃)₂ from 2,2,5,5-tetramethyltetrahydrofuran yields the base-free tetramer. Strong carbenes monomerize the lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amides, whereas the heavier congeners from carbene-stabilized dimers [AN(SiMe₃)₂]₂ with A = Na, K.

Structural and Mechanistic Insights into s-Block Bimetallic Catalysis: Sodium Magnesiate-Catalyzed Guanylation of Amines

To advance the catalytic applications of s-block mixed-metal complexes, sodium magnesiate [NaMg(CH₂ SiMe₃ )₃ ] (1) is reported as an efficient precatalyst for the guanylation of a variety of anilines and secondary amines with carbodiimides. First examples of hydrophosphination of carbodiimides by using a Mg catalyst are also described. The catalytic ability of the mixed-metal system is much greater than that of its homometallic components [NaCH₂ SiMe₃ ] and [Mg(CH₂ SiMe₃ )₂ ]. Stoichiometric studies suggest that magnesiate amido and guanidinate complexes are intermediates in these catalytic routes. Reactivity and kinetic studies imply that these guanylation reactions occur via (tris)amide intermediates that react with carbodiiimides in insertion steps. The rate law for the guanylation of N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide with 4-tert-butylaniline catalyzed by 1 is first order with respect to [amine], [carbodiimide], and [catalyst], and the reaction shows a large kinetic isotopic effect, which is consistent with an amine-assisted rate-determining carbodiimide insertion transition state. Studies to assess the effect of sodium in these transformations denote a secondary role with little involvement in the catalytic cycle.

Synthesis of a Sterically Demanding Dispiropiperidine and Its Application in Monoamidodialkyl Zincate Complexes

The new sterically hindered piperidine analog, dispiro[cyclohexane-2,2'-piperidine-6',2″-cyclohexane] (CPC(H), 2), and its N-methylated derivative CPC(Me) (3) were synthesized from commercially available starting materials in short steps. The N-lithiated amide LiCPC (4) was also isolated from 2 as a cyclictrimer in single crystals and showed slightly larger steric hindrance than that of lithium 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide (LiTMP) in the competitive methylation reaction with methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate. In addition, the heterobimetallic heteroleptic zincate complexes [Li(μ-NR₂)(μ-Et)Zn(Et)] (NR₂ = CPC, 5, and NR₂ = TMP, 6) were obtained as THF- and TMEDA-coordinated monomer 5·(THF)₂, 6·(THF)₂, 5·TMEDA, and 6·TMEDA (THF = tetrahydrofuran, TMEDA = N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine). These molecular structures bearing different amido ligands in single crystals showed little structural differences from crystallographic studies. Diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) revealed that the solution structures of the zincate complexes 5·(THF)₂ and 6·(THF)₂ only differ in the number of coordination THF molecules. In the deprotonation reactions with tert-butyl 3-bromobenzoate, the zincate complexes containing the CPC ligand [Li(μ-CPC)(μ-R)Zn(R)] (R = Et (5), tBu) showed moderately improved regioselectivity for the 6 position in comparison to those containing the TMP ligand [Li(μ-TMP)(μ-R)Zn(R)] (R = Et (6), tBu).

A Nitrogen-Assisted One-Pot Heteroaryl Ketone Synthesis from Carboxylic Acids and Heteroaryl Halides

A practical and highly effective one-pot synthesis of versatile heteroaryl ketones directly from carboxylic acids and heteroaryl halides under mild conditions is reported. This method does not require derivatization of carboxylic acids (preparation of acid chlorides, Weinreb amides, etc.) or the use of any additives/catalysts. A wide substrate scope of carboxylic acids with high functional group tolerance has also been demonstrated. The results reveal that the presence of an α-nitrogen on the halide substrate greatly improves the desired ketone formation.

Salt metathesis versus protonolysis routes for the synthesis of silylamide Hauser base (R2NMgX; X = halogen) and amido-Grignard (R2NMgR) complexes

The preparation of silylamide Hauser base (R2NMgX; X = halide) and amido-Grignard (R2NMgR) complexes from simple Grignard reagents using [K{N(SiMe2(t)Bu)2}]n, [K{N(SiMe2(t)Bu)(Si(i)Pr3)}]n and [K{N(Si(i)Pr3)2}]n, and their parent silylamines, was explored. Both salt metathesis and protonolysis routes proved ineffective with allylmagnesium chloride as a starting material due to complex Schlenk equilibria, with [Mg(N(RR'))(μ-Cl)(THF)]2 (N(RR') = {N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}(-), 1; {N(Si(t)BuMe2)(Si(i)Pr3)}(-), 2; {N(Si(i)Pr3)2}(-), 3) and [Mg{N(Si(i)Pr3)2}(μ-C3H5)]∞ (4) identified as minor products. In contrast, salt metathesis protocols using potassium silylamides and methylmagnesium iodide gave [Mg(N(RR'))(μ-CH3)]2 (N(RR') = {N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}(-), 7a; {N(Si(t)BuMe2)(Si(i)Pr3)}(-), 8; {N(Si(i)Pr3)2}(-), 9) and [Mg{N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}(CH3)(DME)] (7b), with [Mg{N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}(μ-I)(THF)]2 (10) isolated as a side-product during the preparation of 7a. Unusually, methylmagnesium iodide, di-n-butylmagnesium and 7-9 did not react with HN(RR') under the conditions we employed. The synthesis of [Na{N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}(THF)]2 (5a) and [Na{N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}(DME)2] (5b) from benzyl sodium and HN(Si(t)BuMe2)2, and a solvent-free structure of [K{N(Si(t)BuMe2)2}] (6), are also reported. Complexes 1, 5b, 7a, 7b, 8, 9 and 10 are fully characterised by single crystal XRD, multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, whereas complexes 2-4, 5a and 6 were identified by XRD only.

Synthetic and reactivity studies of hetero-tri-anionic sodium zincates

The blue, red and green spheres represent three different anions present within a series of novel hetero-trianionic sodium zincates. The syntheses and structures of the complexes are reported as well as their reactivities with important organic molecules.

Assessing the reactivity of sodium alkyl-magnesiates towards quinoxaline: single electron transfer (SET) vs. nucleophilic alkylation processes

Structurally tracking the reaction of a sodium butylmagnesiate supported by a bulky silyl(bisamide) ligand towards quinoxaline, SET reactivity.

TMP (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidide)-aluminate bases: lithium-mediated alumination or lithiation–alkylaluminium-trapping reagents?

Surprisingly lithium TMP-aluminate reagents are not capable of directly aluminating anisole as previously thought but operateviasequential lithiation–alkylaluminium trapping.