Synthesis and reactivity of (benz)imidazol-2-ylidenes with exocyclic N-acyl or N-sulfonyl groups

Iridium(i) complexes bearing hemilabile coumarin-functionalised N-heterocyclic carbene ligands with application as alkyne hydrosilylation catalysts

A set of iridium(i) complexes of formula IrCl(κC,η²-I^RCou^R')(cod) or IrCl(κC, η²-BzI^RCou^R')(cod) (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene; Cou = coumarin; I = imidazolin-2-carbene; BzI = benzimidazolin-2-carbene) have beeen prepared from the corresponding azolium salt and [Ir(μ-OMe)(cod)]₂ in THF at room temperature. The crystalline structures of 4b and 5b show a distorted trigonal bipyramidal configuration in the solid state with a coordinated coumarin moiety. In contrast, an equilibrium between this pentacoordinated structure and the related square planar isomer is observed in solution as a consequence of the hemilability of the pyrone ring. Characterization of both species by NMR was achieved at the low and high temperature limits, respectively. In addition, the thermodynamic parameters of the equilibrium, ΔH_R and ΔS_R, were obtained by VT ¹H NMR spectroscopy and fall in the range 22-33 kJ mol^-1 and 72-113 J mol^-1 K^-1, respectively. Carbonylation of IrCl(κC,η²-BzI^TolCou^7,8-Me₂)(cod) resulted in the formation of a bis-CO derivative showing no hemilabile behaviour. The newly synthesised complexes efficiently catalyze the hydrosilylation of alkynes at room temperature with a preference for the β-(Z) vinylsilane isomer.

Synthesis of Ferrocenesulfonyl Chloride: Key Intermediate toward Ferrocenesulfonamides

Ferrocenesulfonyl chloride is the key intermediate in the synthesis of ferrocenesulfonamides, a family of underexplored derivatives. A one-pot synthesis of this compound, able to easily deliver multigram quantities of product, is reported. An original protocol for the synthesis of ferrocenesulfonamides is described along with highlighting the reactivity difference between arene and ferrocenesulfonyl chlorides. Finally, an example of diastereoselective deprotolithiation of chiral ferrocenesulfonamides is described.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes of Copper, Nickel, and Cobalt

The emergence of N-heterocyclic carbenes as ligands across the Periodic Table had an impact on various aspects of the coordination, organometallic, and catalytic chemistry of the 3d metals, including Cu, Ni, and Co, both from the fundamental viewpoint but also in applications, including catalysis, photophysics, bioorganometallic chemistry, materials, etc. In this review, the emergence, development, and state of the art in these three areas are described in detail.

Pentaarylcyclopentadienyl Iron, Cobalt, and Nickel Halides

The preparation of new stable half-sandwich transition metal complexes, having a bulky cyclopentadienyl ligand C5(C6H4-4-Et)5 (Cp(Ar1)) or C5(C6H4-4-nBu)5 (Cp(Ar2)), is reported. The tetrahydrofuran (THF) adduct [Cp(Ar1)Fe(μ-Br)(THF)]2 (1a) was synthesized by reacting K[Cp(Ar1)] with [FeBr2(THF)2] in THF, and its molecular structure was determined by X-ray crystallography. Complex 1a easily loses its coordinated THF molecules under vacuum to form the solvent-free complex [Cp(Ar1)Fe(μ-Br)]2 (1b). The analogous complexes [Cp(Ar1)Co(μ-Br)]2 (2), [Cp(Ar1)Ni(μ-Br)]2 (3), and [Cp(Ar2)Ni(μ-Br)]2 (4) were synthesized from CoBr2 and [NiBr2(1,2-dimethoxyethane)]. The mononuclear, low-spin cobalt(III) and nickel(III) complexes [Cp(Ar2)MI2] (5, M = Co; 6, M = Ni) were prepared by reacting the radical Cp(Ar2) with NiI2 and CoI2. The complexes were characterized by NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies and by elemental analyses. Single-crystal X-ray structure analyses revealed that the dimeric complexes 1a, 1b, and 3 have a planar M2Br2 core, whereas 2 and 4 feature a puckered M2Br2 ring.

Enhancing the hydrogen transfer catalytic activity of hybrid carbon nanotube-based NHC–iridium catalysts by increasing the oxidation degree of the nanosupport

Oxidation of the support increase the HT catalytic activity.

N-Ferrocenylsulfonyl-2-methylaziridine: the first ferrocene monomer for the anionic (co)polymerization of aziridines

N-Ferrocenylsulfonyl-2-methylaziridine (fcMAz) is the first aziridine-based monomer functionalized at the sulfonamide and the first organometallic aziridine for the anionic ROP. It was polymerized to homo and copolymers (block or statistical) with adjustable molecular weights.