Osmium Complexes Containing N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Based C,N,C-Pincer Ligands

Water-soluble transition metal complexes of ruthenium(ii), osmium(ii), rhodium(iii) and iridium(iii) with chelating N-heterocyclic carbene ligands in hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation catalysis

The synthesis of novel Ru(ii), Os(ii), Rh(iii) and Ir(iii) mono-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes and their application in hydrogenation catalysis is reported.

Transfer hydrogenation with abnormal dicarbene rhodium(iii) complexes containing ancillary and modular poly-pyridine ligands

Rhodium(iii) complexes with abnormal dicarbene and diimine ligands are transfer hydrogenation catalysts with visually distinct active and dormant states.

Ruthenium and osmium complexes of dihydroperimidine-based N-heterocyclic carbene pincer ligands

The reactions of N,N'-bis(phosphinomethyl)dihydroperimidine pro-ligands H2C(NCH2PR2)2C10H6 (R = Cy 1a, R = Ph 1b) with [RuCl2(PPh3)3] give markedly different products. Chelate-assisted double C-H activation in the former affords the perimidinylidene-based N-heterocyclic carbene (per-NHC) pincer complex [RuCl2(OC4H8){κ(3)-P,C,P'-C(NCH2PCy2)2C10H6}] (2), while the latter reaction provides the asymmetric PNP-coordinated complex [RuCl2(PPh3){κ(3)-P,N,P'-CH2(NCH2PPh2)2C10H6}] (3), in which no C-H activation has occurred. Subsequent reactions of the per-NHC complex 2 with carbon monoxide and mesityl isocyanide readily displaced the labile THF ligand to afford the complexes [RuCl2(CA){κ(3)-P,C,P'-C(NCH2PCy2)2C10H6}] (A = O 4, A = NC6H2Me35). Double C-H activation of 1a and 1b was significantly more facile on reaction with [OsCl2(PPh3)3], providing the per-NHC complexes [OsHCl(PPh3){κ(3)-P,C,P'-C(NCH2PR2)2C10H6}] (R = Cy 7a, R = Ph 7b, respectively), each as two isomers. The reactions of 1b with [Ru2(μ-Cl)2Cl2(η-C6H3Me3)2] or [AuCl(THT)] (THT = tetrahydrothiophene) provide the bimetallic complexes [Ru2{μ-H2C(NCH2PPh2)2C10H6}Cl4(η-C6H3Me3)2] (8) and [Au2{μ-H2C(NCH2PPh2)2C10H6}Cl2] (9) without C-H activation occurring.

Luminescent ruthenium(II) complex bearing bipyridine and N-heterocyclic carbene-based C∧N∧C pincer ligand for live-cell imaging of endocytosis

Luminescent ruthenium(II)-cyanide complex with N-heterocyclic carbene pincer ligand C(∧)N(∧)C = 2,6-bis(1-butylimidazol-2-ylidene)pyridine and 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) shows minimal cytotoxicity to both human breast carcinoma cell (MCF-7) and human retinal pigmented epithelium cell (RPE) in a wide range of concentration (0.1-500 μM), and can be used for the luminescent imaging of endocytosis of the complex in these cells.

A ruthenium(II) complex supported by trithiacyclononane and aromatic diimine ligand as luminescent switch-on probe for biomolecule detection and protein staining

A new ruthenium(II) complex has been developed for detection of biomolecules. This complex is highly selective for histidine over other amino acids and has been applied to protein staining in an SDS-PAGE gel.

Emissive osmium(II) complexes supported by N-heterocyclic carbene-based C^C^C-pincer ligands and aromatic diimines

Osmium(II) complexes containing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based pincer ligand 1,3-bis(1-methylimidazolin-2-ylidene)phenyl anion (C(1)^C^C(1)) or 1,3-bis(3-methylbenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)phenyl anion (C(2)^C^C(2)) and aromatic diimine (2,2'-bipyridine (bpy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), or 4,4'-diphenyl-2,2'-bipyridine (Ph(2)bpy)) in the form of [Os(C^C^C)(N^N)(CO)](+) have been prepared. Crystal structures for these complexes show that the Os-C(NHC) bonds are essentially single (Os-C(NHC) distances = 2.079(5)-2.103(7) Å). Spectroscopic comparisons and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations suggest that the lowest-energy electronic transition associated with these complexes (λ(max) = 493-536 nm, ε(max) = (5-10) × 10(3) dm(3) mol(-1) cm(-1), solvent = CH(3)CN) originate from a d(π)(Os(II)) → π*(N^N) metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition, where the d(π)(Os(II)) and π*(N^N) levels contain significant contribution from the C^C^C ligands. All these complexes are emissive in the red-spectral region (674-731 nm) with quantum yields of 10(-4)-10(-2) and emission lifetimes of around 1-6 μs. Transient absorption spectroscopy and spectroelectrochemical measurements have also been used to probe the nature of the emissive excited-states. Overall, this joint experimental and theoretical investigation reveals that the C^C^C ligands can be used to modulate the photophysical properties of a [Os(N^N)] core via the formation of the hybrid [Os + C^C^C] frontier orbitals.

Synthesis, Solid-state Structures, Solution Behaviour and Catalysis Studies of Nickel Complexes of Bis(benzimidazolin-2-ylidene)pyridine Pincer Ligands

N-Heterocyclic carbene–nickel complexes with five- and four-coordinate geometries [(CNC)NiBr2] and [(CNC)NiBr]X (X = PF6 or BPh4) have been prepared with the pincer ligands 2,6-bis(N-octylbenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)pyridine and 2,6-bis(N-butyl-5,6-dimethoxybenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)pyridine. The addition of the n-octyl substituent significantly extends the solubility of the complexes and has allowed UV-vis solution studies of the complexes in dichloromethane and methanol. The four- and five-coordinate species exist in equilibrium in solution and this equilibrium has been explored by UV-vis studies. The complexes have also been characterized by NMR studies, and single crystal X-ray diffraction studies have been performed on [(CNC)NiBr2] (where CNC = 2,6-bis(N-octylbenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)pyridine) and [(CNC)NiBr]BPh4 (where CNC = 2,6-bis(N-butyl-5,6-dimethoxybenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)pyridine).

Nickel complexes of a bis(benzimidazolin-2-ylidene)pyridine pincer ligand with four- and five-coordinate geometries

The four- and five-coordinate complexes [(CNC)NiX(2)] (X = Cl, Br, I), [(CNC)NiX]PF(6) (X = Cl, Br) and [(CNC)NiCl]Cl·H(2)O have been isolated, where CNC is the bis(N-butylbenzimidazolin-2-ylidene)-2,6-pyridine pincer ligand. A five-coordinate geometry is rare for this class of complex. Where amenable, the complexes have been structurally characterised by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies and in solution by NMR, UV-vis and MS studies. The five-coordinate dibromo complex [(CNC)NiBr(2)] is readily prepared on the gram-scale from the benzimidazolium salt precursor and Ni(OAc)(2)·4H(2)O in DMSO without the exclusion of air. Halide exchange and salt metathesis reactions using [(CNC)NiBr(2)] afford the other four- and five-coordinate complexes. [(CNC)NiBr(2)] displays very low solubility, and upon dissolution affords solutions of the four-coordinate [(CNC)NiBr](+). Factors that influence the formation of four- or five-coordinate complexes with this ligand class are discussed.