Remarkable low symmetry hydrogen bonding network in the structure of ReCl2(NCMe)(NO)(PMe3)2

Probing the catalytic potential of chloro nitrosyl rhenium(I) complexes

The reduction of the mononitrosyl Re(II) salt [NMe(4)](2)[ReCl(5)(NO)] (1) with zinc in acetonitrile afforded the Re(i) dichloride complex [ReCl(2)(NO)(CH(3)CN)(3)] (2). Subsequent ligand substitution reactions with PCy(3), PiPr(3) and P(p-tolyl)(3) afforded the bisphosphine Re(i) complexes [ReCl(2)(NO)(PR(3))(2)(CH(3)CN)] (3, R = Cy a, iPr b, p-tolyl c) in good yields. The acetonitrile ligand in 3 is labile, permitting its replacement with H(2) (1 bar) to afford the dihydrogen Re(I) complexes [ReCl(2)(NO)(PR(3))(2)(η(2)-H(2))] (4, R = Cy a, iPr b). The catalytic activity of 2, 3 and 4 in hydrogen-related catalyses including dehydrocoupling of Me(2)NH·BH(3), dehydrogenative silylation of styrenes, and hydrosilylation of ketones and aryl aldehydes were investigated, with the main focus on phosphine and halide effects. In the dehydrocoupling of Me(2)NH·BH(3), the phosphine-free complex 2 exhibits the same activity as the bisphosphine-substituted systems. In the dehydrogenative silylation of styrenes, 3a and 4a bearing PCy(3) ligands exhibit high catalytic activities. Monochloro Re(I) hydrides [Re(Cl)(H)(NO)(PR(3))(2)(CH(3)CN)] (5, R = Cy a, iPr b) were proven to be formed in the initiation pathway. The phosphine-free complex 2 showed in dehydrogenative silylations even higher activity than the bisphosphine derivatives, which further emphasizes the importance of a facile phosphine dissociation in the catalytic process. In the hydrosilylation of ketones and aryl aldehydes, at least one rhenium-bound phosphine is required to ensure high catalytic activity.

Conformational, Concomitant Polymorphs of 4,4-Diphenyl-2,5-cyclohexadienone: Conformation and Lattice Energy Compensation in the Kinetic and Thermodynamic Forms

4,4-Diphenyl-2,5-cyclohexadienone (1) crystallized as four conformational polymorphs and a record number of 19 crystallographically independent molecules have been characterized by low-temperature X-ray diffraction: form A (P2(1), Z'=1), form B (P1, Z'=4), form C (P1, Z'=12), and form D (Pbca, Z'=2). We have now confirmed by variable-temperature powder X-ray diffraction that form A is the thermodynamic polymorph and B is the kinetic form of the enantiotropic system A-D. Differences in the packing of the molecules in these polymorphs result from different acidic C-H donors approaching the C=O acceptor in C-H...O chains and in synthons I-III, depending on the molecular conformation. The strength of the C-HO interaction in a particular structure correlates with the number of symmetry-independent conformations (Z') in that polymorph, that is, a short C-HO interaction leads to a high Z' value. Molecular conformation (Econf) and lattice energy (Ulatt) contributions compensate each other in crystal structures A, B, and D resulting in very similar total energies: Etotal of the stable form A=1.22 kcal mol(-1), the metastable form B=1.49 kcal mol(-1), and form D=1.98 kcal mol(-1). Disappeared polymorph C is postulated as a high-Z', high-energy precursor of kinetic form B. Thermodynamic form A matches with the third lowest energy frame based on the value of Ulatt determined in the crystal structure prediction (Cerius2, COMPASS) by full-body minimization. Re-ranking the calculated frames on consideration of both Econf (Spartan 04) and Ulatt energies gives a perfect match of frame #1 with stable structure A. Diphenylquinone 1 is an experimental benchmark used to validate accurate crystal structure energies of the kinetic and thermodynamic polymorphs separated by <0.3 kcal mol(-1) (approximately 1.3 kJ mol(-1)).