Density Functional Calculations of NMR Chemical Shifts with the Inclusion of Spin−Orbit Coupling in Tungsten and Lead Compounds

Benchmark Study on the Calculation of 207Pb NMR Chemical Shifts

A benchmark set for the computation of 207Pb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts is presented. The PbS50 set includes conformer ensembles of 50 lead-containing molecular compounds and their experimentally measured 207Pb NMR chemical shifts. Various bonding motifs at the Pb center with up to seven bonding partners are included. Six different solvents were used in the measurements. The respective shifts lie in the range between +10745 and -5030 ppm. Several calculation settings are assessed by evaluating computed 207Pb NMR shifts for the use with different density functional approximations (DFAs), relativistic approaches, treatment of the conformational space, and levels for geometry optimization. Relativistic effects were included explicitly with the zeroth order regular approximation (ZORA), for which only the spin-orbit variant was able to yield reliable results. In total, seven GGAs and three hybrid DFAs were tested. Hybrid DFAs significantly outperform GGAs. The most accurate DFAs are mPW1PW with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 429 ppm and PBE0 with an MAD of 446 ppm. Conformational influences are small as most compounds are rigid, but more flexible structures still benefit from Boltzmann averaging. Including explicit relativistic treatments such as SO-ZORA in the geometry optimization does not show any significant improvement over the use of effective core potentials (ECPs).

An unusual ionic cocrystal of ponatinib hydrochloride: characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and ultra-high field NMR spectroscopy

This study describes the discovery of a unique ionic cocrystal of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) ponatinib hydrochloride (pon·HCl), and characterization using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) and solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy. Pon·HCl is a multicomponent crystal that features an unusual stoichiometry, with an asymmetric unit containing both monocations and dications of the ponatinib molecule, three water molecules, and three chloride ions. Structural features include (i) a charged imidazopyridazine moiety that forms a hydrogen bond between the ponatinib monocations and dications and (ii) a chloride ion that does not feature hydrogen bonds involving any organic moiety, instead being situated in a "square" arrangement with three water molecules. Multinuclear SSNMR, featuring high and ultra-high fields up to 35.2 T, provides the groundwork for structural interpretation of complex multicomponent crystals in the absence of diffraction data. A 13C CP/MAS spectrum confirms the presence of two crystallographically distinct ponatinib molecules, whereas 1D 1H and 2D 1H-1H DQ-SQ spectra identify and assign the unusually deshielded imidazopyridazine proton. 1D 35Cl spectra obtained at multiple fields confirm the presence of three distinct chloride ions, with density functional theory calculations providing key relationships between the SSNMR spectra and H⋯Cl- hydrogen bonding arrangements. A 2D 35Cl → 1H D-RINEPT spectrum confirms the spatial proximities between the chloride ions, water molecules, and amine moieties. This all suggests future application of multinuclear SSNMR at high and ultra-high fields to the study of complex API solid forms for which SCXRD data are unavailable, with potential application to heterogeneous mixtures or amorphous solid dispersions.

Structure and bonding in rhodium coordination compounds: a 103Rh solid-state NMR and relativistic DFT study

This study demonstrates the application of 103Rh solid-state NMR (SSNMR) spectroscopy to inorganic and organometallic coordination compounds, in combination with relativistic density functional theory (DFT) calculations of 103Rh chemical shift tensors and their analysis with natural bond orbital (NBO) and natural localized molecular orbital (NLMO) protocols, to develop correlations between 103Rh chemical shift tensors, molecular structure, and Rh-ligand bonding. 103Rh is one of the least receptive NMR nuclides, and consequently, there are very few reports in the literature. We introduce robust 103Rh SSNMR protocols for stationary samples, which use the broadband adiabatic inversion-cross polarization (BRAIN-CP) pulse sequence and wideband uniform-rate smooth-truncation (WURST) pulses for excitation, refocusing, and polarization transfer, and demonstrate the acquisition of 103Rh SSNMR spectra of unprecedented signal-to-noise and uniformity. The 103Rh chemical shift tensors determined from these spectra are complemented by NBO/NLMO analyses of contributions of individual orbitals to the 103Rh magnetic shielding tensors to understand their relationship to structure and bonding. Finally, we discuss the potential for these experimental and theoretical protocols for investigating a wide range of materials containing the platinum group elements.

Bis(imino)carbazolate lead(II) fluoride and related halides

The versatility of a bulky bis(imino)carbazolate ligand in lead(ii) chemistry is illustrated by the synthesis of a soluble, heteroleptic lead(ii) fluoride and several halide (Cl, Br and I), amide and hydrocarbyl congeners. All complexes have been structurally authenticated, and a full set of 207Pb NMR data is discussed.

Assessing the Accuracy of Local Hybrid Density Functional Approximations for Molecular Response Properties

A comprehensive overview of the performance of local hybrid functionals for molecular properties like excited states, ionization potentials within the GW framework, polarizabilities, magnetizabilities, NMR chemical shifts, and NMR spin-spin coupling constants is presented. We apply the generalization of the kinetic energy, τ, with the paramagnetic current density to all magnetic properties and the excitation energies from time-dependent density functional theory. This restores gauge invariance for these properties. Different ansätze for local mixing functions such as the iso-orbital indicator, the correlation length, the Görling-Levy second-order limit, and the spin polarization are compared. For the latter, we propose a modified version of the corresponding hyper-generalized gradient approximation functional of Perdew, Staroverov, Tao, and Scuseria (PSTS) [Phys. Rev. A 2008, 78, 052513] to allow for a numerically stable evaluation of the exchange-correlation kernel and hyperkernel. The PSTS functional leads to a very consistent improvement compared to the related TPSSh functional. It is further shown that the "best" choice of the local mixing function depends on the studied property and molecular class. While functionals based on the iso-orbital indicator lead to rather accurate excitation energies and ionization energies, the results are less impressive for NMR properties, for which a considerable dependence on the considered molecular test set and nuclei is observed. Johnson's local hybrid functional based on the correlation length yields remarkable results for NMR shifts of compounds featuring heavy elements and also for the excitation energies of organic compounds.

Low-Valent Group 14 Phosphinidenide Complexes [({SIDipp}P)2 M] Exhibit P-M pπ-pπ Interaction (M=Ge, Sn, Pb)

Herein, the synthesis of new low-valent Group 14 phosphinidenide complexes [({SIDipp}P)2 M] exhibiting P-M pπ-pπ interactions (SIDipp=1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-imidazolidin-2-ylidene, M=Ge, Sn, Pb), is presented. These compounds were investigated by means of structural, spectroscopic, and quantum-chemical methods. Furthermore, the monosubstituted compounds [(SIDippP)MX]2 (M=Sn, X=Cl; M=Pb, X=Br) are presented, which show dimeric structures instead of multiple bonding interaction.

A DFT/ZORA Study of Cadmium Magnetic Shielding Tensors: Analysis of Relativistic Effects and Electronic-State Approximations

Theoretical considerations are discussed for the accurate prediction of cadmium magnetic shielding tensors using relativistic density functional theory (DFT). Comparison is made between calculations that model the extended lattice of the cadmium-containing solids using periodic boundary conditions and pseudopotentials with calculations that use clusters of atoms. The all-electron cluster-based calculations afford an opportunity to examine the importance of (i) relativistic effects on cadmium magnetic shielding tensors, as introduced through the ZORA Hamiltonian at either the scalar (SC) or spin-orbit (SO) levels and (ii) variation in the class of the DFT approximation. Twenty-three combinations of pseudopotentials or all-electron methods, DFT functionals, and relativistic treatments are assessed for the prediction of the principal components of the magnetic shielding tensors of 30 cadmium sites. We find that the inclusion of SO coupling can increase the cadmium magnetic shielding by as much as ca. 1100 ppm for a certain principal values; these effects are most pronounced for cadmium sites featuring bonds to other heavy atoms such as cadmium, iodine, or selenium. The best agreement with experimental values is found at the ZORA SO level in combination with a hybrid DFT method featuring a large admixture of Hartree-Fock exchange such as BH&HLYP. Finally, a theoretical examination is presented of the magnetic shielding tensor of the Cd(I) site in Cd₂(AlCl₄)₂.

Spin-orbit effects on the 125Te magnetic-shielding tensor: A cluster-based ZORA/DFT investigation

Cluster-based calculations of ¹²⁵Te magnetic-shielding tensors demonstrate that inclusion of spin-orbit effects is necessary to obtain the best agreement of theoretical predictions with experiment. The spin-orbit contribution to shielding depends on the oxidation state and stereochemistry of the ¹²⁵Te site. Comparison of the performance of various density functionals indicates that GGA functionals behave similarly to each other in predicting NMR magnetic shielding. The use of hybrid functionals improves the predictive ability on average for a large set of ¹²⁵Te-containing materials. The amount of Hartree-Fock exchange affects the predicted parameters. Inclusion of larger Hartree-Fock exchange contributions in hybrid functionals results in larger slopes of the correlation between calculated magnetic-shielding and experimental chemical-shift principal components, by 10-15% from the ideal value.

A theoretical study of perovskites related to CH3NH3PbX3(X = F, Cl, Br, I)

MAPIand related perovskites have been studied using a hybrid DFT/HF DFT method with a simplified “corner” model. Bond dissociation energies and¹H,¹³C,¹⁵N and²⁰⁷Pb absolute shieldings were calculated.

Spin-orbit effects on the (119)Sn magnetic-shielding tensor in solids: a ZORA/DFT investigation

Periodic-boundary and cluster calculations of the magnetic-shielding tensors of (119)Sn sites in various co-ordination and stereochemical environments are reported. The results indicate a significant difference between the predicted NMR chemical shifts for tin(ii) sites that exhibit stereochemically-active lone pairs and tin(iv) sites that do not have stereochemically-active lone pairs. The predicted magnetic shieldings determined either with the cluster model treated with the ZORA/Scalar Hamiltonian or with the GIPAW formalism are dependent on the oxidation state and the co-ordination geometry of the tin atom. The inclusion of relativistic effects at the spin-orbit level removes systematic differences in computed magnetic-shielding parameters between tin sites of differing stereochemistries, and brings computed NMR shielding parameters into significant agreement with experimentally-determined chemical-shift principal values. Slight improvement in agreement with experiment is noted in calculations using hybrid exchange-correlation functionals.

Effect of Co-Ordination Chemistry and Oxidation State on the (207)Pb Magnetic-Shielding Tensor: A DFT/ZORA Investigation

The magnetic shielding tensor of (207)Pb is calculated for various solids exhibiting (1) a holodirected lead(II) center containing a stereochemically inactive lone pair, (2) a hemidirected lead(II) center with a stereochemically active lone-pair, or (3) a lead(IV) center. Tensors investigated at the scalar relativistic level are compared with those calculated with the full ZORA/spin-orbit Hamiltonian. The effect of using GGA density functionals is compared to the use of hybrid density functionals.

Chemical-shift tensors of heavy nuclei in network solids: a DFT/ZORA investigation of 207Pb chemical-shift tensors using the bond-valence method

Accurate computation of ²⁰⁷Pb magnetic shielding principal components is within the reach of quantum chemistry methods by employing relativistic ZORA/DFT and cluster models adapted from the bond valence model.

Relativistic and electron-correlation effects on the nuclear magnetic resonance shieldings of molecules containing tin and lead atoms

The reference values for NMR magnetic shieldings, σ(ref), are of the highest importance when theoretical analysis of chemical shifts are envisaged. The fact that the nonrelativistically valid relationship among spin-rotation constants and magnetic shieldings is not any longer valid for heavy atoms requires that the search for σ(ref) for such atoms needs new strategies to follow. We present here results of σ(ref) that were obtained by applying our own simple procedure which mixes accurate experimental chemical shifts (δ) and theoretical magnetic shieldings (σ). We calculated σ(Sn) and σ(Pb) in a family of heavy-halogen-containing molecules. We found out that σ(ref)[Sn;Sn(CH3)4] in gas phase should be close to 3864.11 ± 20.05 ppm (0.5%). For Pb atom, σ(ref)[Pb;Pb(CH3)4] should be close to 14475.1 ± 500.7 ppm. Such theoretical values correspond to calculations with the relativistic polarization propagator method, RelPPA, at the RPA level of approach. They are closer to experimental values as compared to those obtained applying few different functionals such as PBE0, B3LYP, BLYP, BP86, KT2, and KT3 of the density functional theory, DFT. We studied tin and lead shieldings of the XY(4-n)Z(n) (X = Sn, Pb; Y, Z = H, F, Cl, Br, I) and PbH(4-n)I(n) (n = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) family of compounds with four-component functionals as implemented in the DIRAC code. For these systems results of calculations with RelPPA-RPA are more reliable than DFT ones. We argue about why those DFT functionals must be modified in order to obtain more accurate results of NMR magnetic shieldings within the relativistic regime: first, there is a dependence among both electron-correlation and relativistic effects that should be introduced in some way in the functionals; and second, the DIRAC code uses standard nonrelativistic functionals and the functionals B3LYP and PBE0 were parametrized only with data taken from light elements. It can explain why they are not able to properly introduce relativistic effects on nuclear magnetic shieldings. We finally show that in the analysis of magnetic shieldings for the family of compounds mentioned above, one must consider the newest and so-called heavy-atom effect on vicinal heavy atoms, HAVHA. Such effects are among the most important relativistic effects in these kind of compounds.

Li/X phosphinidenoid pentacarbonylmetal complexes: a combined experimental and theoretical study on structures and spectroscopic properties

The synthesis of P-F phosphane metal complexes [(CO)5M{RP(H)F}] 2a-c (R = CH(SiMe3)2; a: M = W; b: M = Mo; c: M = Cr) is described using AgBF4 for a Cl/F exchange in P-Cl precursor complexes [(CO)5M{RP(H)Cl}] 3a-c; thermal reaction of 2H-azaphosphirene metal complexes [(CO)5M{RP(C(Ph)═N}] 1a-c with [Et3NH]X led to complexes 3a-c, 4, and 5 (M = W; a-c: X = Cl; 4: X = Br; 5: X = I). Complexes 2a-c, 3a-c, 4, and 5 were deprotonated using lithium diisopropylamide in the presence of 12-crown-4 thus yielding Li/X phosphinidenoid metal complexes [Li(12-crown-4)(Et2O)n][(CO)5M(RPX)] 6a-c, 7a-c, 8, and 9 (6a-c: M = W, Mo, Cr; X = F; 7a-c: M = W, Mo, Cr; X = Cl; 8: M = W; X = Br; 9: M = W; X = I). This first comprehensive study on the synthesis of the title compounds reveals metal and halogen dependencies of NMR parameters as well as thermal stabilities of 6a, 7a, 8, and 9 in solution (F > Cl > Br > I). DOSY NMR experiments on the Li/F phosphinidenoid metal complexes (6a-c; M = W, Mo, Cr) rule out that the cation and anion fragments are part of a persistent molecular complex or tight ion pair (in solution). The X-ray structure of 6a reveals a salt-like structure of [Li(12-crown-4)Et2O][(CO)5W{P(CH(SiMe3)2)F}] with long P-F and P-W bond distances compared to 2a. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations provide additional insight into structures and energetics of cation-free halophosphanido chromium and tungsten complexes and four contact ion pairs of Li/X phosphinidenoid model complexes [Li(12-crown-4)][(CO)5M{P(R)X}] (A-D) that represent principal coordination modes. The significant increase of the compliance constant of the P-F bond in the anionic complex [(CO)5W{P(Me)F}] (10a) revealed that a formal lone pair at phosphorus weakens the P-F bond. This effect is further enhanced by coordination of lithium and/or the Li(12-crown-4) countercation (to 10a) as in type A-D complexes. DFT calculated phosphorus NMR chemical shifts allow for a consistent interpretation of NMR properties and provide a preliminary explanation for the "abnormal" NMR shift of P-Cl derivatives 7a-c. Furthermore, calculated compliance constants reveal the degree of P-F bond weakening in Li/F phosphinidenoid complexes, and it was found that a more negative phosphorus-fluorine coupling constant is associated with a larger relaxed force constant.

Structure, properties and reactivity of polyoxometalates: a theoretical perspective

In the thematic review dedicated to polyoxometalate (POM) chemistry published in Chemical Reviews in 1998, no contribution was devoted to theory. This is not surprising because computational modelling of molecular metal-oxide clusters was in its infancy at that time. Nowadays, the situation has completely changed and modern computational methods have been successfully applied to study the structure, electronic properties, spectroscopy and reactivity of POM clusters. Indeed, the progress achieved during the past decade has been spectacular and herein we critically review the most important papers to provide the reader with an almost complete perspective of the field.

[Pt@Pb12]2– — A challenging system for relativistic density functional theory calculations of 195Pt and 207Pb NMR parameters

We report computations of NMR chemical shifts and indirect spin-spin coupling constants (J couplings) for the [Pt@Pb12]2– “superatom”. The system is strongly influenced by relativistic effects. The Pt–Pb coupling constant is predicted to be negative, with its magnitude being in reasonable agreement with experiment. Pt and Pb chemical shifts also agree reasonably well with experiment. The Pb shielding tensor is strongly anisotropic, with a large deshielding principal component dominated by magnetic coupling between frontier orbitals of the cluster that resemble atomic g orbitals. The NMR parameters are sensitive to approximations made in the computations and require the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling in the theoretical model to achieve reliable results. Computing the NMR parameters of the compact [Pt@Pb12]2– system with its many electrons proves to be a challenging test case for relativistic density functional methods.

Prediction of (207)Pb NMR parameters for the solid ionic lead(II) halides using the relativistic ZORA-DFT formalism: Comparison with the lead-containing molecular systems

Density functional calculations of (207)Pb NMR shielding in PbX(2) (X=F, Br, Cl and I) anionic fragments suggest that in solid PbX(2), the observed variation of chemical shift with halide is dominated by the paramagnetic contribution to the chemical shielding, with a lesser effect by the spin-orbit contribution. The calculations include relativistic effects at the level of the zero-order regular approximation (ZORA). The present observation contrasts with previous calculations for the molecular system, PbX(4), in which the spin-orbit contribution has been shown to be the major factor in the variation of the NMR chemical shift.

Analyzing Pt chemical shifts calculated from relativistic density functional theory using localized orbitals: the role of Pt 5d lone pairs

Pt chemical shifts were calculated from two-component relativistic density functional theory (DFT). The shielding tensors were analyzed by using a recently developed method to decompose the spin-orbit DFT results into contributions from spin-free localized orbitals (here: natural localized molecular orbitals (NLMOs) and natural bond orbitals (NBOs)). Seven chemical shifts in six Pt complexes with Pt oxidation states II, III, and IV; and halide, amino, and amidate ligands were analyzed, with particular focus on the role of nonbonding Pt 5d orbitals. A simple d-orbital 'rotation' model has been used to rationalize some of the observed trends such as the main difference between Pt(II) and Pt(IV) chemical shifts. The localized orbital analysis data showed that most of this difference as well as trends among different Pt complexes with similar coordination can be rationalized by comparing properties of the nonbonding Pt 5d orbitals. We have also analyzed the spin-orbit effects on the chemical shifts of [PtCl4](2-) compared to [PtBr4](2-).

Probing lead(II) bonding environments in 4-substituted pyridine adducts of (2,6-Me2C6H3S)2Pb: an X-ray structural and solid-state 207Pb NMR study

The effect of subtle changes in the sigma-electron donor ability of 4-substituted pyridine ligands on the lead(II) coordination environment of (2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)S)(2)Pb (1) adducts has been examined. The reaction of 1 with a series of 4-substituted pyridines in toluene or dichloromethane results in the formation of 1:1 complexes [(2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)S)(2)Pb(pyCOH)](2) (3), [(2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)S)(2)Pb(pyOMe)](2) (4), and (2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)S)(2)Pb(pyNMe(2)) (5) (pyCOH = 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde; pyOMe = 4-methoxypyridine; pyNMe2 = 4-dimethylaminopyridine), all of which have been structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. The structures of 3 and 4 are dimeric and have psi-trigonal bipyramidal S(3)N bonding environments, with the 4-substituted pyridine nitrogen and bridging sulfur atoms in axial positions and two thiolate sulfur atoms in equatorial sites. Conversely, compound 5 is monomeric and exhibits a psi-trigonal pyramidal S(2)N bonding environment at lead(II). The observed structures may be rationalized in terms of a simple valence bond model and the sigma-electron donor ability of the 4-pyridine ligands as derived from the analysis of proton affinity values. Solid-state (207)Pb NMR experiments are applied in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations to provide further insight into the nature of bonding in 4, 5, and (2,6-Me(2)C(6)H(3)S)(2)Pb(py)(2) (2). The lead chemical shielding (CS) tensor parameters of 2, 4, and 5 reveal some of the largest chemical shielding anisotropies (CSA) observed in lead coordination complexes to date. DFT calculations using the Amsterdam Density Functional (ADF) program, which take into account relativistic effects using the zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA), yield lead CS tensor components and orientations. Paramagnetic contributions to the lead CS tensor from individual pairs of occupied and virtual molecular orbitals (MOs) are examined to gain insight into the origin of the large CSA. The CS tensor is primarily influenced by mixing of the occupied MOs localized on the sulfur and lead atoms with virtual MOs largely comprised of lead 6p orbitals.

Lead-poisoned zinc fingers: quantum mechanical exploration of structure, coordination, and electronic excitations

Density functional theory (DFT) structure calculations and time-dependent DFT electronic excitation calculations on simple mononuclear lead structures confirm recent reports on the stabilization of tricoordinated structural domains in poisoned proteins. However, the possibility of the formation of tetracoordinated lead complexes should not be disregarded in studies on mechanisms of lead toxicity because structures with both coordination modes are plausible and might contribute to observed UV spectra. Reported calculations along with detailed molecular orbital analysis confirm that the intense UV signal at around 260 nm is an indicator of the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) band where the electrons are transferred from the sulfur 3p orbital to the lead 6p orbital. The composition of the LMCT band reveals significant excitations not only from the Pb-S bonding orbitals but also from sulfur lone-pair orbitals to the Pb-S antibonding orbitals for which the electron density is largely localized on the Pb "6p-like" molecular orbitals. There is a solid indication that the stereochemically active pair orbital of lead is not strongly hybridized and remains largely of the 6s character in tricoordinated lead structures and is minimally hybridized in tetracoordinated lead structures. Computed UV spectra of lead model complexes are compared to experimental UV spectra of model lead peptides. The comparison shows a good agreement with the major spectral trends and changes observed in these experiments.

Quasirelativistic theory for the magnetic shielding constant. III. Quasirelativistic second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory and its application to tellurium compounds

The quasirelativistic (QR) generalized unrestricted Hartree-Fock method for the magnetic shielding constant [R. Fukuda, M. Hada, and H. Nakatsuji, J. Chem. Phys. 118, 1015 (2003); R. Fukuda, M. Hada, and H. Nakatsuji, J. Chem. Phys.118, 1027 (2003)] has been extended to include the electron correlation effect in the level of the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2). We have implemented the energy gradient and finite-perturbation methods to calculate the magnetic shielding constant at the QR MP2 level and applied to the magnetic shielding constants and the NMR chemical shifts of 125Te nucleus in various tellurium compounds. The calculated magnetic shielding constants and NMR chemical shifts well reproduced the experimental values. The relations of the chemical shifts with the natures of ligands, and the tellurium oxidation states were investigated. The chemical shifts in different valence states were explained by the paramagnetic shielding and spin-orbit terms. The tellurium 5p electrons are the dominant origin of the chemical shifts in the Te I and Te II compounds and the chemical shifts were explained by the p-hole mechanism. The tellurium d electrons also play an important role in the chemical shifts of the hypervalent compounds.

Elucidation of a Sc(I) Complex by DFT Calculations and Reactivity Studies

Sc(BrMgL)(2)Br (L = (R(2)NCH(2)CH(2)NCMe)(2)CH, R = H) was studied by DFT methods leading to the conclusion that this diamagnetic formal scandium(I) system enjoys stabilization of its Sc-based filled d(yz)() orbital by a delta-acceptor linear combination of BrMgL ring orbitals. Investigation of the reactivity of Sc(BrMgL)(2)Br (L = (R(2)NCH(2)CH(2)NCMe)(2)CH, R = Et) with H(2)O.B(C(6)F(5))(3) and (HOCH(2))(2)CMe(2), respectively, led to decomposition, with LMgBr being isolated in the latter case.