Reactivity of [(C5Me5)Fe(C5H4BBr2)] and [(OC)3Mn(C5H4BBr2)] toward Et3SiH: Facile Access to [(OC)3Mn(C5H4BH2)]2 and to Boron-Bridged Dinuclear Organometallics

Oligomerization of an ansa-ferrocene with pyrazabole bridge

Ansa-ferrocenes with pyrazabole bridges are chemically robust entities and therefore suitable building blocks for the synthesis of rigid-rod polymers that combine redox-active Fe(II) centers and beltene-like  faces. The specific monomers we developed bear OEt groups at both tetracoordinated boron atoms (for solubility reasons) and ethynyl substituents at the 4-positions of the two pyrazole rings. Polymerization was accomplished by a condensation reaction with 1,4-diiodobenzene using a Sonogashira-Hagihara-type protocol. Thereby, oligomers with a number-average molecular weight of Mn = 7.6 kDa and dispersity of Ð = 1.55 were obtained, suggesting an average chain length of about 14 repeating units based on gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis in THF relative to narrow polystyrene standards. The molecular-weight determination was complemented by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and (heteronuclear) NMR spectroscopy to verify the intact pyrazabole monomer repeat units and the nature of the end-groups. The oligomers were further characterized by UV−vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, which demonstrated the successful synthesis of a new class of redox-active materials.

Electronic Structures of Rhenium(II) β-Diketiminates Probed by EPR Spectroscopy: Direct Comparison of an Acceptor-Free Complex to Its Dinitrogen, Isocyanide, and Carbon Monoxide Adducts

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies of the rhenium(II) complex Re(η⁵-Cp)(BDI) (1; BDI = N,N'-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-3,5-dimethyl-β-diketiminate) have revealed that this species reversibly binds N₂ in solution: flash frozen toluene solutions of 1 disclose entirely different EPR spectra at 10 K when prepared under N₂ versus Ar atmospheres. This observation was additionally verified by the synthesis of stable CO and 2,6-xylylisocyanide (XylNC) adducts of 1, which display EPR features akin to those observed in the putative N₂ complex. While we found that 1 displays an extremely large g_max value of 3.99, the binding of an additional ligand leads to substantial decreases in this value, displaying g_max values of ca. 2.4. Following the generation of isotopically enriched ¹⁵N₂ and ¹³CO adducts of 1, HYSCORE experiments allowed for the measurement of the corresponding hyperfine couplings associated with spin delocalization onto the electron-accepting ligands in these species, which proved to be small. A cumulative assessment of the EPR data, when combined with insights provided by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations, indicated that while the binding of electron acceptors to 1 does lead to decreases in g_max in relative accord with the field strength (i.e., π-acidity) of the variable ligand, the magnitude of these decreases is primarily due to the changes in electronic structure at the Re center.

Mono- and di-cationic hydrido boron compounds

Stable mono- and di-cationic hydrido boron compounds featuring CH₂BH₂(μ-H)BH₂CH₂ and CH₂BH(μ-H)₂BHCH₂ cores are readily accessible by dehydrogenative hydride abstractions. NBO calculations revealed the occurrence of two B–H–B 3c–2e bonds in the HB(μ-H)₂BH moiety of di-cations (7 and 8), where 43% is located at the H bridges and ∼28% at each boron atom.

A metal-mediated boron-centred isomerisation reaction via C–H activation

The terminal borylene ligand is activated by Lewis bases to couple with terminal carbonyl ligands reversibly, initially forming a kinetic coupling product, which isomerises via a borylene migratory insertion to a cyclopentadienyl ligand C–H bond.

Weakly stabilized primary borenium cations and their dicationic dimers

Hydride abstraction from monocationic hydride bridged salts [H(H2B-L)2](+) [B(C6F5)4]¯ (L = Lewis base) generates an observable primary borenium cation for L = iPr2NEt, but with L = Me3N, Me2NPr, or several N-heterocyclic carbenes, highly reactive dicationic dimers are formed.