Direct Detection and Characterization of a Transient 1-Silaallene Derivative in Solution

Spectroscopic and Structural Study of Some Oligosilanylalkyne Complexes of Cobalt, Molybdenum and Nickel

Metal induced stabilization of α-carbocations is well known for cobalt- and molybdenum complexed propargyl cations. The same principle also allows access to reactivity enhancement of metal coordinated halo- and hydrosilylalkynes. In a previous study, we have shown that coordination of oligosilanylalkynes to the dicobalthexacarbonyl fragment induces striking reactivity to the oligosilanyl part. The current paper extends this set of oligosilanylalkyne complexes to a number of new dicobalthexacarbonyl complexes but also to 1,2-bis(cyclopentadienyl)tetracarbonyldimolybdenum and (dippe)Ni complexes. NMR-Spectroscopic and crystallographic analysis of the obtained complexes clearly show that the dimetallic cobalt and molybdenum complexes cause rehybridization of the alkyne carbon atoms to sp³, while in the nickel complexes one π-bond of the alkyne is retained. For the dicobalt and dimolybdenum complexes, strongly deshielded ²⁹Si NMR resonances of the attached silicon atoms indicate enhanced reactivity, whereas the ²⁹Si NMR shifts of the respective nickel complexes are similar to that of respective vinylsilanes.

Theoretical investigation of the mechanisms for the reaction of fused tricyclic dimetallenes containing highly strained E═E (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb) double bonds

The potential energy surfaces for the reactions of fused tricyclic dimetallenes that feature a highly strained E═E double bond, Rea-E═E, where E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb, were studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZ). Three types of chemical reactions (i.e., a self-isomerization reaction, a [2 + 2] cycloaddition with a ketone and a methanol 1,2-addition reaction) were used to determine the reactivity of the Rea-E═E molecules. The theoretical findings reveal that the smaller the singlet-triplet splitting of the Rea-E═E, the lower are its activation barriers and, in turn, the more rapid are its chemical reactions with other chemical molecules. Theoretical observations suggest that the relative reactivity increases in the following order: C═C ≪ Si═Si < Ge═Ge < Sn═Sn < Pb═Pb. Namely, the smaller the atomic weight of the group 14 atom (E), the smaller is the atomic radius of E and the more stable is its fused tricyclic Rea-E═E to chemical reaction. It is thus predicted that the fused tricyclic Rea-C═C and Rea-Si═Si molecules should be stable and readily synthesized and isolated at room temperature. The computational results show good agreement with the available experimental observations. The theoretical results obtained from this work allow a number of predictions to be made.

Versatile stereoselective cycloadditions between heterocumulenes and phosphagermaallene Tip(tBu)Ge=C=PMes*: experimental and theoretical investigations

Phosphagermaallene Tip(tBu)Ge=C=PMes* 1 (Tip=2,4,6-triisopropylphenyl, Mes*=2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl) reacts with phenyl isocyanate and tert-butyl isocyanate by a [2+2] cycloaddition that involves the Ge=C and C=O double bonds to afford 1-oxa-2-germacyclobutanes 2 and 3. With N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, a [2+2] cycloaddition is observed between the Ge=C and C=N unsaturations to lead to 1-aza-2-germacyclobutane 6 with exocyclic P=C and C=N double bonds. In sharp contrast, 1 reacts with phenyl isothiocyanate, ethyl isothiocyanate, and carbon disulfide according to a [3+2] cycloaddition that involves the whole Ge=C=P unit and the C=S double bond to give transient phosphagermacarbenes (PGeHCs) 11, 12, and 13. These new PGeHCs undergo C-H insertions into one o-tBu group of Mes* (in the case of 11 and 12) or one o-iPr group of Tip (in the case of 13) with formation of tricyclic compounds 8, 9, and 10, respectively. The reaction mechanisms that involve 1 and the phenyl isocyanate and the phenyl isothiocyanate are described and their regioselectivity is explained by theoretical calculations.

Photochemistry of a Trisilane Substituted by a Pendant p-Cyanostilbene Electron Acceptor Chromophore

Photolysis of (E)-4-cyano-4'-(2-heptamethyltrisilanyl)stilbene (E)-3 in a medium polarity solvent (CH(2)Cl(2)) results in efficient intramolecular electron transfer, which converts the initial pi,pi excited state ((1)LE state) to the charge transfer (CT) excited state. The CT excited state fluorescesces, undergoes E,Z photoisomerization, and reacts with MeOH to produce hydrosilane 4 via Si-Si bond cleavage and protonation of the central silicon, as shown by deuterium labeling. The CT excited state assignments are consistent with the observed quadratic plots of 1/Phi(f) versus [MeOH] and 1/Phi(EZ)() versus [MeOH], which indicate that both the initial (1)LE state and the CT excited state are quenched by MeOH, with the CT excited state serving as the emissive state and the state primarily responsible for the E,Z photoisomerization. Although biacetyl triplet sensitized photolysis results in efficient E,Z isomerization, quenching of direct photolyses by azulene shows (Z)-3 is not a product of the lowest energy triplet excited state, populated from the CT state by back electron transfer. The azulene quenching also shows that hydrosilane 4 is formed from the same excited state that gives (Z)-3. The intermediacy of a complex of the CT excited state with MeOH accounts for the observed upward curvature in the plot of 1/Phi(SiH) vs 1/[MeOH]. The linear behavior of Phi(EZ)()/Phi(SiH) x [MeOH] versus 1/[MeOH] further suggests that this complex reacts with uncomplexed MeOH to give hydrosilane 4.