A pyramidal Tin(II) dication and its reactivity studies

Tetryliumylidene ions in synthesis and catalysis

Tetryliumylidene ions ([R-E:]+), recognised for their intriguing electronic properties, have attracted considerable interest. These positively charged species, with two vacant p-orbitals and a lone pair at the E(ii) centre (E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb), can be viewed as the combination of tetrylenes (R2E:) and tetrylium ions ([R3E]+), which makes them potent Lewis ambiphiles. Such electronic features highlight the potential of tetryliumylidenes for single-site small molecule activation and transition metal-free catalysis. The effective utilisation of the electrophilicity and nucleophilicity of tetryliumylidenes is expected to stem from appropriate ligand choice. For most of the isolated tetryliumylidenes, electron donor- and/or kinetic stabilisation is necessary. This minireview highlights the developments in tetryliumylidene syntheses and the progress of research towards their reactivity and applications in catalytic reactions.

Tin(II) cations stabilized by non-symmetric N,N',O-chelating ligands: synthesis and stability

A series of novel non-symmetric neutral N,N',O-chelating ligands derived from the α-iminopyridine 2-(C(R¹)N(C₆H₃-2,6-iPr₂))-6-(R²R³PO)C₅H₃N (L1: R¹ = H, R² = R³ = Ph; L2: R¹ = Me, R² = R³ = Ph; L3: R¹ = H; R² = Ph, R³ = EtO; L4: R¹ = Me, R² = Ph, R³ = EtO; L5: R¹ = H, R² = R³ = iPrO; L6: R1 = Me, R² = R³ = iPrO) were synthesized. Ligands L1-6 were reacted with SnCl₂ and Sn(OTf)₂ with the aim of studying the influence of different R²R³PO functional groups on the Lewis base mediated ionization of SnCl₂ and Sn(OTf)₂. While all ligands L1-6 provided the corresponding ionic tin(II) complexes [L1-6 → SnCl]⁺[SnCl₃]^- (1-6), only ligands L1, L4 and L6 were able to stabilize tin(II) dications [L1,4,6 → Sn(H₂O)][OTf]₂ (7-9). The auto-ionized compounds [L3-6 → SnCl]⁺[SnCl₃]^- possessing ethylphenyl phosphinate and diisopropylphosphite substituents undergo elimination of EtCl and iPrCl, respectively, yielding compounds 10-13. These can either be interpreted as neutral tin(II)phosphinate chloride (10, 11) and tin(II)phosphonate chloride (12, 13), respectively, containing Sn-O and Sn-Cl bonds, and a PO → SnCl₂ interaction, or as zwitterionic compounds, where the positive charge of the central tin atom is compensated by an [OSnCl₂]^- anion. Finally, DFT studies were performed to better understand the steric and electronic properties of the ligands L1-6 as well as the nature of the bonds in the resulting products, with a particular focus on complexes 10-13.

Utilization of a Tris(carbene)borate Ligand for Umpolung Reactivity of a Nucleophilic Tin(II) Cation Salt

We show that a tris(carbene)borate (TCB) ligand, namely [PhB(^tBuIm)₃]^- ([PhB(^tBuIm)₃]^- = phenyltris(3-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene)borato), is capable of stabilizing an unprecedented nucleophilic Sn(II) cation salt. Unlike known Sn(II) cations, the strong electron-donating ability of [PhB(^tBuIm)₃]^- makes the cationic tin atom electron-rich, σ-donating yet slightly π-accepting, which allows for the ensuing facile oxidation with o-chloranil and S₈ as well as coordination with coinage metals. The former oxidations give the Sn(IV) cation salts, while the latter reactions produce the metal complexes. The electronic structures of these species are thoroughly probed by quantum chemical computations. These results uncover an added role for TCB ligands in isolating unprecedented p-block species.

Chemistry of the Bis(imine)-Based Tetradentate Ligand Stabilized Group 14 E(II) Cations (E=Ge and Sn)

The ambiphilic Ge(II) and Sn(II) cationic species have been reported to be isolated through kinetic or thermodynamic stabilizations. Nonetheless, steric congestion or excessive coordination of donor atoms to the cationic center concurrently disfavors its prompt reactivity. Our research in this field revolves around the utilization of structurally non-rigid bis(imine) based tetradentate supporting ligands for the stabilization of Ge(II) and Sn(II) cationic species. Such E(II) cationic systems have been advantaged due to inherent flexibility present at the ligand backbone allowing disposal of E(II) orbitals through geometric rearrangements for further reactivity. The bifunctionality present in the ligand enables the first examples of Ge(II) bis-monocations. Furthermore, the redox-active nature of the ligand encourages participation in chemical transformations. In this personal account we have provided a detailed discussion of our published work in this direction in the last five years.

N-Donor stabilized tin(II) cations as efficient ROP catalysts for the synthesis of linear and star-shaped PLAs via the activated monomer mechanism

α-Iminopyridine ligands L¹ (2-(CHN(C₆H₂-2,4,6-Ph₃))C₅H₄N), L² (2-(CHN(C₆H₂-2,4,6-tBu₃))C₅H₄N) and L³ (1,2-(C₅H₄N-2-CHN)₂CH₂CH₂) differing by the steric demand of the substituent on the imine CHN group and by the number of donating nitrogen atoms were utilized to initiate a Lewis base mediated ionization of SnCl₂ in an effort to prepare ionic tin(II) species [L^1-3 → SnCl][SnCl₃]. The reaction of L¹ and L² with SnCl₂ led to the formation of neutral adducts [L¹ → SnCl₂] (2) and [L² → SnCl₂] (3). The preparation of the desired ionic compounds was achieved by subsequent reactions of 2 and 3 with an equivalent of SnCl₂ or GaCl₃. In contrast, ligand L³ containing four donor nitrogen atoms showed the ability to ionize SnCl₂ and also Sn(OTf)₂, yielding [L³ → SnCl][SnCl₃] (7) and [L³ → Sn(H₂O)][OTf]₂ (8). The study thus revealed that the reaction is dependent on the type of the ligand. The prepared complexes 4-8 together with the previously reported [{2-((CH₃)CN(C₆H₃-2,6-iPr₂))-6-CH₃O-C₅H₃N}SnCl][SnCl₃] (1) were tested as catalysts for the ROP of L-lactide, which could operate via an activated monomer mechanism. Finally, a DFT computational study was performed to evaluate the steric and electronic properties of the ionic tin(II) species 1 and 4-8 together with their ability to interact with the L-lactide monomer.

Intramolecularly Double-Donor-Stabilized Stannylene and Its Coordination towards Ag(I) and Au(I) Centers

The intramolecularly double-donor-stabilized stannylene 1 has been synthesized from the salt-metathesis reaction between two equivalents of lithium pyridine ene-amide L1 and SnCl₂ . Compound 1 exhibits dipolar behavior when reacted with B(C₆ F₅ )₃ leading to the zwitterionic compound 2. The reaction of 1 with one equivalent and 0.5 equivalent of AgOTf (OTf=trifluoromethane sulfonate) result in the formation of a stannylene-AgOTf complex 3 and a homoleptic distannylene-silver ionic complex 4, respectively. Analogous to complex 4, the gold(I) complex 5 has been synthesized from the reaction between two equivalents of 1 and 0.5 equivalent of AuCl.SMe₂ /Me₃ SiOTf. Complex 5 is the first example of homoleptic stannylene-Au(I) ionic complex among the very scarce reports on stannylene-gold(I) coordination complexes. All compounds have been structurally characterized using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Solution-state characterization have been performed using multinuclear NMR techniques. Detailed DFT calculations on the optimized geometries 1 o, 3 o-5 o reveal the change in sp- hybridization on the pyramidal Sn(II) center upon metal coordination and their bonding overlaps.

Versatile coordinating abilities of acyclic N4 and N2P2 ligand frameworks in conjunction with Sn[N(SiMe3)2]2

The conjoint effort of the –CH₂–CH₂– linker backbone and coordinating sites in the tetradentate ligand stabilizes a variety of stannylenes.